[Cannoneer No. 4]

"Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what the Muslims are going to do. Some of you always seem to think they are suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what are we going to do ourselves, instead of what they are going to do.”

[Stepan12]

You're channeling Gen. Grant during the Battle in the Wilderness, I think.

[livius]

Great quote - what is it from?

It sums up one of the big problems, though: we are reacting rather than planning. Of course, Islamic strategy has always been geared to getting a reaction - which they have already predicted and for which they have planned their response - to some provocation.This is the phase we are in right now. However, if the attacked country or group doesn't respond to the provocation (as Clinton did not), the Muslims wait for awhile and attack anyway, considering the failure to respond to be a sign of weakness.

We have to have our own attack - not response - plan thought out, and I'm not convinced we have one. I think Bush, who is a good and idealistic man, may be so convinced by his own rhetoric that he is ignoring the simple fact that these people, BASED ON THEIR INSANE IDEOLOGY, hate us and want to kill us. No ifs, ands or buts.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Hmmmm...that's a direct quote that U.S. Grant made to one of his commanders in 1864 concerning Robert E. Lee.