The left has started their attacks against the Presidents speech last night, which will surprise no one:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional critics of President Bush’s stay-the-course commitment to the war in Iraq argued Wednesday that the administration lacks sufficient troops on the ground to mount a successful counterinsurgency.
And Democrats in particular criticized Bush for again raising the September 11 attacks as a justification for the protracted fight in Iraq after the president proclaimed anew that he plans to keep U.S. forces there as long as necessary to ensure peace.
Basil over at Vince Aut Moire and Glenn at It’sAPundit have posted a old AP report from 1944 which show’s nothing has changed:
Thursday, June 29, 1944; Posted: 10:15 a.m. EDT (14:15 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional critics of President Roosevelt’s stay-the-course commitment to the war in Europe argued Wednesday that the administration lacks sufficient troops on the ground to mount a successful counterinsurgency.
And Republicans in particular criticized Roosevelt for again raising the December 7 attacks as a justification for the protracted fight in Europe after the president proclaimed anew that he plans to keep U.S. forces there as long as necessary to ensure peace.
Urging patience on an American public showing doubts about his European policy, Roosevelt mentioned the deadly 1941 Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines five times during a 28-minute address Tuesday night at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Some Republicans quickly accused him of reviving a questionable link to the war in Europe — a rationale that Roosevelt originally used to help justify launching strikes against Germany in the winter of 1942.
House Republican leader Joseph W. Martin, Jr. accused Roosevelt of demonstrating a willingness “exploit the sacred ground of December 7th, knowing that there is no connection between December 7th and the war in Europe.”
White House press secretary Stephen Early said Wednesday that some of the president’s critics are mischaracterizing his remarks. Roosevelt has said there were no ties between Japan and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, but Early said Wednesday that “December 7th changed the equation in terms of how we confront the threats that we face in the 20th century.”
Roosevelt first mentioned the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the U.S air bases in the Philippines at the beginning of his speech, delivered at an Army base that has many troops in Europe and the Pacific. He acknowledged that Americans are disturbed by frequent deaths of U.S. troops, but tried to persuade an increasingly skeptical public to stick with the mission.
“The war reached our shores on December the 7th, 1941,” Roosevelt told a national television audience and 750 soldiers and airmen in dress uniform who mostly listened quietly as they had been asked to do.
“Germany is the latest battlefield in this war,” he continued.
Roosevelt said he understands the public concerns about a 27-month-old war that has killed more than 1,000,000 Americans and 2,000,000 German civilians and cost $200 billion. But he argued that the sacrifice “is worth it.”
“We fight today because imperialists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Germany is where they are making their stand. So we will fight them there, we will fight them across the world and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won.”
He offered no shift in course in Europe. U.S. forces in Europe total in the hundreds of thousands and they constitute the bulk of the Allied fighting force.
Roosevelt again rejected suggestions that he set a timetable for withdrawal from Europe or send in more troops. Setting a timetable would be “a serious mistake” that could demoralize French Freedom Fighters and American troops and embolden the enemy, he said.
The president also said that sending more troops would undermine the U.S. strategy of training the French to be able to as quickly as possible take over the security of their country.
“Sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever,” he said.
Appearing on television news shows Wednesday, some key lawmakers took issue with Roosevelt’s position on U.S. troops.
Senator Alben Barkley (D-Ky.), interviewed on CBS radio, maintained that “one of the very big mistakes early on was that he didn’t have enough troops on the ground, particularly after the initial victory, and that’s still the case.”
Wendell Willkie, Roosevelt’s Republican opponent in the last presidential election, told NBC radio that the borders across Europe “are porous” and said “we don’t have enough troops” there.
Sen. John A. Danaher (R-Conn.), appearing on Mutual radio disputed Roosevelt’s notion that sufficient troops are in place.
“I’m going to send him the phone numbers of the very generals and flag officers that I met on Memorial Day when I was in Europe,” the Connecticut Republican said. “There’s not enough force on the ground now to mount a real counterinsurgency.”
Danaher argued, “The course that we are on now is not a course of success. He [Roosevelt] has to get more folks involved. He has to stand up that [German] army more quickly.”
Barkley, D-Kentucky, did defend Roosevelt’s call to stop imperialism abroad before it reaches the U.S. shore. Appearing on Edward R. Murrow’s program, Barkley said that those spreading violence in Europe “are the same guys who would be in New York if we don’t win in Europe.”
Roosevelt’s speech marked the first anniversary of the transfer of power from the U.S.-led coalition to the “Free French” government. The president cited advances in the past year, including the recent elections, infrastructure improvements and training of “Free French” security forces.
Republicans also criticized Roosevelt for not offering more specifics about how to achieve success in Europe along with his frequent mention of the December 7 attacks.
“The president’s numerous references to December 7 did not provide a way forward in Europe,” Senate Republican leader Wallace H. White, Jr. said. “They only served to remind the American people that our most dangerous enemy, namely Emperor Hirohito, is still on the loose and Japam remains capable of doing this nation great harm nearly four years after it attacked America.”
Roosevelt urged Americans to remember the lessons of December 7 and protect “the future of the world” from men like Hirohito. He repeatedly referred to the Axis soldiers in Europe as NAZIs and said they were killing innocent people to try to “shake our will in Europe, just as they tried to shake our will on December the 7th, 1941.”
Beyond their criticism, some Republicans said they thought Roosevelt strengthened his credibility. “I think he told the American people why it’s important,” said Danaher.
Said Sen. Clayton D. Buck, R-Connecticut: “The president needs to do more of what he did last evening. This is a beginning.”
Copyright 1944 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Quite interesting. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
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