Beyond comparing Saddam Hussein's obvious cruelty with Hitler's hatred of all things outside of the Aryan race, please don't equate Iraq and Europe circa WWII.
President Bush is expected to compare his administration's war on terror to World War II, and say the Middle East is a critical front - as Europe was in that war six decades ago.Mr. Bush is giving a commencement speech focusing on Iraq at the Air Force Academy in the western U.S. state of Colorado later Wednesday, after expressing his support for Iraq's new interim government Tuesday. A White House official said the president is likely to speak in detail about enemies of the United States.
The Iraq war and World War II are NOT the same thing. Say what you want about a Vietman comparison, but Iraq is not the European front. The American effort in WWII was to defeat fascism, which, at the time, had a chance of dominating the world. Saddam did not have the same power Hitler had back then. The German army was big and technologically stong. Iraq's army was weak after their defeat in the first Gulf War and after 10+ years of containment. Possibly, Bush 41 could have made the comparison of his efforts in the Middle East to WWII. Drawing the conclusion that the fight in Iraq is the same as the fight against fascism trivializes the efforts of the "Greatest Generation."
Comments (1)
I have a friend who sees everything through the filter of WWII. He doesn't equate Saddam and Hitler, but tends to use that war as a template when talking about any war. I guess it's nice to have a common example to which we can all refer, but WWII will be a poor analogue for all wars. It, and the principals, were unique.
Posted by Jeff | June 2, 2004 5:54 PM
Posted on June 2, 2004 17:54