Minority Opinion
“This is a bad day for Iraq: He was a brave leader; he is a hero. Everything he did was good. He brought security and stability, while the Americans have done nothing for us. I don’t even believe that he has been captured.”—Faraz Mahmoud, grocer in Saddam Hussein’s power base of Tikrit, on news of Saddam’s capture, London’s Times, Dec. 15.
Ask. Tell.
“A homosexual will be evaluated on his general suitability for armed service. If he is psychologically and physically healthy, he is suitable and will serve in the armed forces.”—General Major Valery Kulikov, a member of the Russian defense ministry health commission, Moscow Times, Nov. 28.
No Moore Blessing …
“Stop this God bless America stuff.”—Movie director Michael Moore, speaking in Berlin, NewsMax.com, Nov. 17.
… Just More Moore
“Not only do I really like what Michael Moore is saying, but I can really imagine that Bush had something to do with the [Sept. 11] attacks.”—Wenzel Mielke, German teenager who has read four books by his “favorite author,” Michael Moore, Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 10.
War and Peace
“Despite the President’s rhetoric, we are not a nation at war. There are no ‘Rosie the Riveters’ on production lines, replacing men sent off to war. There is no draft, no ration cards, or even victory gardens in our backyards. We remain a nation very much at peace.”—Harlan K. Ullman, leading advocate of “Shock and Awe,” Washington Times, Nov. 26.
Weaseling Out
“We cannot afford to have a leader who weaseled out of going to Vietnam on a medical deferment for a bad back and wound up on the ski slopes of Aspen like Howard Dean.” —Former Sen. Max Cleland, who lost an arm and both legs in Vietnam, in anti-Dean statement released Nov. 23 by Sen. John F. Kerry’s Presidential campaign.
The War of Ideas
“Our inability to seize the initiative in the ‘War of Ideas’ with al Qaeda is perhaps our most significant shortcoming so far in the war against terrorism.”—Pentagon document, Sept. 17, awarding contract to SAIC to design an “effective strategic influence” campaign to combat global terror, quoted by the New York Times, Dec. 5.
Two Hours to Strike
“The bottom line is, what we want to be able to do is have the capability to strike anywhere on the globe in less than two hours.”—Jan Walker, spokeswoman for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Associated Press, Dec. 8.
Commerce Contradicts Rumsfeld
“There is no ‘new’ Europe or ‘old’ Europe; there is just Europe. … There are lessons a lot of the rest of the world can learn in terms of what Europe is doing and what has been done over the past 50 years.”—Grant D. Aldonas, undersecretary of commerce for international trade, saying that Rumsfeld was “missing the point” with statements about “old Europe,” United Press International, Nov. 25.
Queen Bees
“In killing the terrorists, you will only kill the worker bees. The queen bees are the preachers, who teach a deviant form of Islam in schools and Islamic centers, who capture and twist the minds of the young.”—Lee Kuan Yew, senior minister and former prime minister of Singapore, Newsweek, Dec. 1.
Airmen and Soldiers Together
“ Long before we’re soldiers or airmen, we were Americans. We tend to be able to come together and work things out in wartime. We just haven’t done that on the front end.” —Maj. Gen. Ronald J. Bath, Air Force director of strategic planning, on the need to practice jointness in peacetime, Air Force Times, Dec. 8.
Arriving Hungry
“I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere.”—President Bush, dropping in on the 1st Armored Division and the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq on Thanksgiving Day, New York Times, Nov. 28.
Taiwan Beware
“Taiwan independence means war. This is the word of 1.3 billion people, and we will keep our word.”—Maj. Gen. Peng Guangqian, Chinese Academy of Military Sciences strategist, interview by official New China News Agency, reported by the New York Times, Dec. 4.
Victory Is Not Enough
“It’s not enough to achieve victory—which we did; you’ve got to achieve a situation in which your adversary recognizes that he’s been defeated and that violent resistance is futile—which we didn’t.”—Ret. Army Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, Wall Street Journal, Nov. 28.
Jumper Stars on Stargate
“I can assure you, I’m not ready to give up my day job.”—Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff, on praise for his performance from producers of “Stargate SG-1,” on which Jumper portrayed himself, defending Earth against aliens, Colorado Springs Gazette, Dec. 8.