Are we there yet?
Posted on 07/24/2009 7:57:33 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Obama Muffs History And Says We Don’t Want ‘Victory’ in Afghanistan – Will Media Notice? By Warner Todd Huston Created 2009-07-24 10:28
Once again Barack Obama waded into territory of which he has no knowledge: American history. Not only did he say during a TV interview that he doesn’t want “victory” in Afghanistan -- because victory is apparently too harsh for the losers -- but he used an example from WWII that never even happened to justify his touchy feely ideas on warfare. So will anyone in the Old Media even realize that the president’s historical example was a muff-up of real history? Will the Old Media make fun of him for his obvious lack of knowledge of our own history?
Let’s try a thought experiment, shall we? When I say “victory,” what do you think of? Do you think of winning the World Series? Do you picture that famous photo of the U.S. Sailor kissing the pretty girl in Time Square as WWII ended? Do you just imagine “winning” at whatever contest is at hand?
It is likely that even if you don’t picture a particular thing, at the very least your initial emotional response is a warm feeling of worthy accomplishment and an assumption of gaining the accolades that accompanies victory.
It is less likely that upon hearing or seeing the word “victory” an American would immediately get a feeling of defeat and humiliation or picture the end of anything. It is even less likely that a loathing would well up inside of the minds of an American when the word is broached.
Unfortunately, Barack Obama is not like average, patriotic, optimistic Americans. At least we can easily assume this to be the case by what President Obama recently said of our military efforts in Afghanistan.
You see, Barack Obama said on TV this week that “victory” isn’t his “goal” in Afghanistan [1]. Why not?
"I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur," Obama told ABC News.
It is telling that when Barack Obama pictures “victory” he doesn’t see in his head that famous photo of the U.S. Sailor kissing the pretty girl in Times Square on Victory Day. Instead, what is immediately conjured up in Obama’s mind is the bedraggled figure of a beaten Japanese Emperor groveling at the feet of U.S. military might.
Obama’s sympathy seems to be with the Emperor that governed a nation that tried to viciously take over the entire Pacific Rim and enslave many millions of Asian peoples. It is hard to escape the feeling that Obama’s first thought when the word “victory” is broached is of our enemy, his sympathies with them, not us.
But that isn’t even the worst of it. Once again we see another example of Obama’s ignorance of history, even American history. In fact, Emperor Hirohito didn’t even sign the document that finalized the surrender of Japan to General MacArthur. That duty was performed by Japan’s Foreign Minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, and one of its generals, Yoshijir Mumezu.
In fact, we didn’t destroy Japan’s Emperor, rather we allowed him to continue on in a ceremonial role to allow the Japanese to feel as if they hadn’t been entirely crushed and that some of their traditions might live on.
So, once again, Obama garbles history, disrespects his own country, and sets us up to be discounted as a viable force by foreign nations. Obama’s discounting of “victory” in Afghanistan is dangerous news for our troops. It signals a man that will not give our troops the support they need to win the war and come home with our pride and safety intact.
Now, will the Old Media realize this disastrous view of history, warfare and our national security? Or will the Old Media just move on as if nothing happened?
Amazing! Now all the history books must be rewritten in Japan! /s
Barack Obama seems to share little in the way if American values and common knowledge. This is what one would expect from an individual who received most of his early “education” in a madrassa in Indonesia, registered as a muslim student.
We really cannot achieve a WWII type victory in the ‘Stan - short of wiping out the entire population.
Japan was and is a Nation State - with an organized government and uniformed military. Japan could be defeated because of that very organization.
The Taliban is none of that - mostly tribal and very criminal in nature, they more loosely resemble an ideological based Mafia type entity than an organized military. IF no Nation on this planet had been able to wipe out the Mafia (the USSR co-opted them as the KGB) how does anyone expect 'victory' in the 'Stan.
Like Japan, the US must first destroy and then rebuild the culture to assure any kind of lasting 'victory' - and given how embedded old-school Islam is there, you are looking at a multi-generational effort. I doubt we have the political will or treasure to waste in such an effort. OTOH, nuking the entire area is no solution either.
Omama is an ignorant, selfish man-child who thinks the world revolves around him. He knows best and is in love with the power a socialist state will give him and his like.
The U.S.A. is in the most trouble in its history because of where Omama has taken us and will take us. Our city on a hill is being burned by arsonists the voters gave matches to in 2008 and there is no water pressure in the hydrants. Unless we arise and fight with word and deed, we are lost.
President Obama is not misquoting history - he is betraying his real feelings about his country and President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You see, he is equating the terms "victory," "total victory," and "unconditional surrender." He reveals where he stands on the issue, which is that the bombings were a racist overreaction to a defensive war provoked by white western imperialism.
If those are Obama’s sentiments, then get our troops outta there ASAP. since, in Obama’s words, we’re not there to win, why fight whatsoever. This is a total waste of our military and an absolute irresponsible policy of uselessness.
I agree... and having quite a problem with office holders who would rather support foreigne concerns and not the USA.
Meanwhile the Left called Boosh an evil imperialist who needed to be made to "submit" to our muslim betters (Michael Moore said that we should be made to leave Iraq with out bloodied tails between our legs).
Japan was a TRUE empire and expanding that empire through military campaigns. If there is any equivalence in damning imperialists, then it was RIGHT to have victory over Japan. And today we co-exist peacefully and respectfully.
Oh yeah, after Hitler surrendered to Patton.
日本＊ピング＊ (kono risuto ni hairitai ka detai wo shirasete kudasai : let me know if you want on or off this list)
If the atomic bombs were unnecessary, then dropping one should’ve gotten immediate end to hostilities. It took the bluff of a third bomb to end the war.
I’ll also point out that the Left clocks WWII from Dec 7, 1941 until V-J Day.
Except they ignore all of the fighting (and aid that we gave) during the Allied conflict with the Axis powers.
And they also neglect to mention that it took two atomic bombs to end the war. We could’ve ended the Iraq war much quicker with some nukes as well. But there would be consquences.
I’m taking Obama’s statement as a metaphor not an actually meeting. But fair enough.
And another thing, if not for MacArthur, Hirohito might have gone to the gallows.
We’re screwed.
When we said this very same thing of Hussein during the election campaigns we were accused of unjustly “smearing” him and mischarecterizing his position.
Yes; who could forget the emperor walking with a wooden leg and top hat to sign the surrender on the battleship Missouri parked in Tokyo Bay.
At this point in time, the media is something we know we can’t rely on. We have the internet for that now and we are free from the albatross that the media has become.
If not for the net (which will never go away) we wouldn’t haev the grassroots capability we have now. The reason our political parties are floundering is because we don’t need that bloc cohesiveness anymore.
It’s going to be easier now to pick one from a wider phalanx of potential politicians now. We never would have heard widely of a lot of politicians if not for the internet or would have done so well undermining the MSM stranglehold.
OK....time for OTHER Military people to follow Cook’s example!!!
He knows less than I did as a mere college student about Modern History, World War II and Japan. And he is president of the frikkin country!!
We are totally screwed.
Wait till this gets in the press here.
What an incredible foot in the mouth. Did he actually say that? Did he actually think that Emperor Hirohito went out to the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay?
This is not good.
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