(2007-10-13) — Retired Army Gen. Ricardo Sanchez this week gave an upbeat assessment of the war in Iraq meant to encourage the troops in theater and Americans on the home front, calling the war “a nightmare with no end in sight.”
A Pentagon spokesman welcomed the Sanchez analysis, and the Army newspaper ‘Stars & Stripes‘ published news of his remarks to cheer service personnel around the world.
“Everyone knows that war is Hell,” said the unnamed Pentagon source. “Hell goes on forever, and is quite real to those who endure it. A nightmare, however, is just a bad dream from which one eventually awakens. We’re glad to hear that the general has upgraded the status of the Iraq war.”
In related news, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said President George Bush is considering a plan to form a Retired Officer Strike Force to “take advantage of the wisdom and insight that some of our military leaders gain once they leave their jobs.”
“The president thinks it’s a shame,” said Ms. Perino, “that we don’t get some of the best strategic analysis from our officers until they retire and hit the public speaking circuit.”
15 responses so far ↓
1 Fred Sinclair // Oct 13, 2007 at 8:19 am
Many thanks to ola for her faithfulness in getting me a face2face ScrappleFest T - Shirt. Due to my error with one number in my zip code it took the Post office from Sept 6 till yesterday to get it here in spite of Holland, MI being plainly written on the envelope.
I wasn’t there in body of course, but in spirit I couldn’t have been closer. Lord willing, I will make every possible effort to be there next year.
Heirborn Ranger
2 Ms RightWing, Ink // Oct 13, 2007 at 8:38 am
Retired Army Gen. Ricardo Sanchez?
Was that the Spanish American war?
3 random // Oct 13, 2007 at 8:40 am
Just a off beat joke that needs to be shared:
LIFE
On the first day, God created the dog and said:
“Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.”
The dog said: “That’s a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?”
So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the monkey and said:
“Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I ‘ll give you a twenty-year life span.”
The monkey said: “Monkey tricks for twenty years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?”
And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said:
“You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family For this, I will give you a life span of sixty Years.”
The cow said: “That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I’ll give back the other forty?”
And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created man and said:
“Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you twenty years.”
But man said: “Only twenty years ? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?”
“Okay,” said God, “You asked for it.”
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you .
4 Fred Sinclair // Oct 13, 2007 at 8:47 am
Of the few Generals I’ve known - they didn’t like being Generals - oh, they liked the prestige and increased pay but they hated being “cut off” Suddenly they are surrounded by Bird Colonels & Lt. Cols who were basically “yes men” telling them what they ‘think’ the General wants to hear and that in turn being nothing more than what their own “yes men” hve been feeding them.
“Actually, we’re so cut off that we’ve no realistic idea of what’s going on any more. The only that I can keep my feet on the ground is to come here to Base Ops and sit here in the cafeteria and talk with Sgts like yourself.” (Bolling AFB, Wash. DC - 1960 )
So when someone like Sanchez runs his mouth, I consider the source and ignore it. Someone like General Petraeus is different because at his rarefied level he has gotten rid of his “yes men” and whoever is left is scared spitless to feed him false info. Which is why I believed him and his report.
Heirborn Ranger
5 Darthmeister // Oct 13, 2007 at 8:52 am
BTW, here’s another link to Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez’s remarks. What’s interesting is how the liberal media totally ignored his lambasting of the media’s own dishonesty in accurately and fairly reporting the war effort.
The headline that the lamestream media should have run with: Former Iraq Commander Sanchez Lambasts Media for its Dishonesty
The lamestream media in ignoring his criticisms about them proves what Sanchez was saying about a dishonest press. How ironic.
[Editor’s Note: Link added above. Thank you.]
6 Darthmeister // Oct 13, 2007 at 9:00 am
BTW, Scott, I like your clever distinctions between “Hell” and “nightmare.” I imagine up to and including the Battle of the Bulge, most Americans, Europeans and Germans thought that what was happening in the European Theater of operations was sheer Hell. And the island fighting in the Pacific Theater was even more of a Hell, if that is possible.
I posted this over two years ago at Scrappleface and it bears repeating:
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
John Stuart Mill
7 gafisher // Oct 13, 2007 at 9:22 am
After evangelical journalists, retired Generals appear to be our most gifted experts in military tactics and strategy. Given the current oversupply of such talent, perhaps the Retired Officer Strike Force should be under the command of a new branch of the Military, the United States Phony Soldiers.
Oh, wait; the USPS already exists, and hasn’t had a particularly good record with weapons …
8 Maggie // Oct 13, 2007 at 9:34 am
Ms RightWing…..re#2
Wasn’t Gen.Sanchez with Santa Anna(?sp.) at the Alamo?
9 gafisher // Oct 13, 2007 at 9:35 am
Pardon the repost, but in today’s medical news:
Sen. Kennedy Surgery Successful, Brain Begins to Function
Surgery performed Friday at Massachusetts General Hospital has successfully removed the arterial blockage which had significantly restricted blood flow to Senator Edward M. “Teddy” Kennedy’s brain for what may have been decades.
“The surgery was routine, uneventful, and successful,” one of the surgeons assured reporters, citing as evidence the Senator’s subsequent and urgent demand for a Change-of-Party Form from the Massachusetts Board of Elections.
Medical experts point out that reduced blood flow to the brain is a dangerous condition which often leads to the symptoms which brought Sen. Kennedy to the hospital. “The cure is simple and, unless we socialize medicine, relatively inexpensive,” said a spokesman, “but the first step is recognizing the warning signs, chief of which is a [D] (for Danger) after your name.”
10 The Two Malcontents » Retired General Upgrades War to ‘Nightmare’ Status // Oct 13, 2007 at 10:32 am
[…] Scott Ott at Scrapple […]
11 University Update - George W Bush - Retired General Upgrades War to ‘Nightmare’ Status // Oct 13, 2007 at 10:47 am
[…] Clark Retired General Upgrades War to ‘Nightmare’ Status » This Summary is from an article posted at ScrappleFace — News Fairly Unbalanced. We Report. You […]
12 onlineanalyst // Oct 13, 2007 at 11:12 am
Yes, sir! The MMQC -Monday Morning Quarterbacks’ Club- makes the Drive-by Media willingly suspend their belief. Commando Hillary was not available for comment. Admiral Pulloutsi is otherwise engaged in appeasing her Armenian constituency in San Fransisco environs by rousing another front in the WoT. The nation’s House-keeper likes to stir up the dust in order to keep our eyes off the prize.
13 University Update - White House - Retired General Upgrades War to ‘Nightmare’ Status // Oct 13, 2007 at 11:47 am
[…] Mine Retired General Upgrades War to ‘Nightmare’ Status » This Summary is from an article posted at ScrappleFace — News Fairly Unbalanced. We Report. You […]
14 prettyold // Oct 13, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Well, isn’t a nightmare a step up from a quagmire,too? I’m just so relieved we’re not in a quagmire . Jenjis Kahn just seared,seared quagmire ,into my memory.Even in my nightmares.
15 AMERICA IS LIVING A NIGHTMARE WITH NO END IN SIGHT [Stoat] · New York Articles // Oct 13, 2007 at 9:57 pm
[…] scarppleface commented on this under “Retired General Upgrades War to ‘Nightmare’ Status” which I thought rather good. In fact the later article there calls attention to Sanchez remarks on the media, which I was about to say “are worth reading” before realising that I only skimmed them, so perhaps they aren’t after all. If i had more time. […]
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