According to “Gates’s Trip Hits Snags in Two Theaters”,
“[Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates], who maintained his usual laconic reserve as the disarray unfolded, was by Friday more openly reflective when he acknowledged to American troops in Kirkuk, the oil-rich region north of Baghdad, how hard a sell the wars were at home. ‘One of the myths in the international community is that the United States likes war,’ he said. ‘And the reality is, other than the first two or three years of World War II, there has never been a popular war in America.’”
WATCHDOG: World War II lasted less than four years, from December 1941 to August, 1945. This old dog doesn’t recall it ever becoming unpopular. Far from it! Returning soldiers were honored with grand parades in every city and perceived as heroes… at least until they applied for jobs.
But otherwise, Gates certainly has a point.
