"Nazis we were fighting in Germany in WWII weren't bad guys. They just didn't agree with us and were defending their country."
no, I don't think this is the best analogy
the Islamic terrorists are not defending any nation-state, but an extreme ideology;
Nazis were bad guys; not all German soldiers defending their country were bad guys -- nor were they perceived to be; they were just soldiers, doing their duty; and there has always been respect between soldiers on the opposing sides for the other guy just doing his duty, too, or trying to survive. It was a necessity to kill him before he killed you. No hard feelings, so to speak. Both sides understood that under other circumstances, that did not exist at the moment, they could be friends. I don't think that applies to Islamic terrorists; if the war wasn't on, would they be our friends? No, they would be scheming to kill civilians.
I read an article recently about D-Day. After convoluted events, a US and German soldier ended up in the same hole. They agreed not to kill each other. Or one did not kill the other, so later, the other did not allow him to be killed . . . You can read of the same things in the Civil War. There is respect among enemy soldiers. Real soldiers are not "bad guys" even if they are the enemy -- so to speak. Simplified of course.
I do not think Islamic terrorists fall into this category. They do not just disagree with us, but seek the total destuction of civiliazation as we know it. Chris Matthew's comments are beyond absurd and insulting.
I wasn't talking about all German soldiers. Only Nazis. Just as you weren't talking about all Iraqis, just Islamic terrorists.
Right. The reason is that terrorists are not soldiers. Soldiers have a sense of duty and honor in defending their country. Terrorists have no duty, no honor, and no country to defend.
Lee Marvin starred in a movie "Hell in the Pacific" that explored just that. He is a Naval fighter pilot and crashes on a small island that already is inhabited by a crashed Japanese pilot (Toshiro Mifune). Will they kill each other or live together? Good movie. Worth putting on your Netflix list.