Replies

I followed the link and found this quote from the debate:

Kerry: "The terrorism czar, who has worked for every president since Ronald Reagan, said, 'Invading Iraq in response to 9/11 would be like Franklin Roosevelt invading Mexico in response to Pearl Harbor.'"

And this response from a "blogger identified solely as "Steve" :

"What exactly did Nazi Germany have to do with Pearl Harbor?

Absofreakinglutely nothing.

If you go and read FDR's "Day of Infamy" speech, there is not one single reference to Nazi Germany or a role for America in the war in Europe. Not one. . . .

Yet, within months, FDR decided to pursue a "Europe First" strategy which involved our putting the core of the United States Army into North Africa and then into Europe, on the other side of the planet from the perpetrators of the Pearl Harbor attack in Japan.

Why did he do this? Partly in response to the belief that Nazi Germany was developing a nuclear weapon.

Can you imagine what would have happened to Tom Dewey if he had tried to rip into FDR in the campaign of 1944 on this issue? He would have been crucified, and rightly so."

Surely "Steve" is a FReeper (or should be). That's darn good stuff.

And this response from a "blogger identified solely as "Steve" :

"What exactly did Nazi Germany have to do with Pearl Harbor?

I am SO SICK of this chestnut.

Of course, the answer is, 'Nothing!'.

HOWEVER: After we declared war upon Japan, December 8, 1941, Germany responded by declaring war upon the United States, December 11, 1941; to which, the United States THEN declared war upon Germany and Italy.

I should add, I am not ticked at you; and the response is also excellent in your post.

I am just sick of seeing people of a certain isolationist persuasion use that "argument" for staying out of Iraq, among other things.

The Germans were the technological threat, alright; the Japs only had the brutality, cunning, and fanaticism of their God-Emperor religion. (Sound familiar in anyway to our current WOT?)

Actually, another reason we did not immediately start major offensive operations against Japan was the disparity between our Atlantic and Pacific fleets after Pearl Harbor, and a lack of any convenient area like North Africa to 'stockpile' troops and equipment in the Pacific Theater until we could regain sea superiority.

In these days of global air capabilities, too many of the whippersnappers (again, not calling YOU names!) just don't realize how short the range, and limited the payloads, of early WWII aircraft were...and that in-air refueling came later, also.

The Pacific started out as a defensive war, while in the Atlantic, it began as an offensive war.