There's nothing funny about that whatsoever.
During WWII, Maytag converted their production facilities to produce Aircraft hydraulic cylinders, bomb bay mechanisms and speed reducers, electric landing gear mechanisms, tank track pins, bomb nose fuzes, etc. etc. (source)
Can't do that if the facilities are located overseas.
Do you see any difference between WWII and the conflicts of today? How many Maytag plants were nationalized as a result of Iraq II, and what are they producing?