The Democrats are out after Donald Rumsfeld. Again.
Nancy Pelosi: You know her. She's the one in Time Magazine looking like the wicked witch of the east. Quoted by AP; Pelosi said, "If Mr. Rumsfeld is so concerned with comparisons to World War II, he should explain why our troops have now been fighting in Iraq longer than it took our forces to defeat the Nazis in Europe."
The problem with sound bite politics is that the speaker never has to prove what she says and many people simply take the statement as fact when, as in most cases, this statement from Pelosi is utterly false.
World War Two, for the United States, in Europe started on Dec 11, 1941 when Germany declared war on the United States, in the Pacific it started on Dec 8, 1941 when the U.S. declared war on Japan. On Jan 26, 1942 the first American forces landed in Britain. On June 25, 1942 Eisenhower arrived in London. The first actual, all American air attack took place on Aug 17, 1942. On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered. From direct military action to the end of the war it took 995 days, or 2 years, 8 months, 21 days to complete the US involvement in World War Two in Europe. If one counts in the Pacific action, it took till Sept 2, 1945 for Japan to surrender, a total then, of 1365 days or 3 years, 8 months, 26 days for the total length of World War Two's U.S. involvement in sanctioned combat.
The Iraq 'war' started with U.S. combat on Mar. 20, 2003 and ended on Apr. 14, 2003 with the Pentagon saying major fighting was finished, but did not end completely until May 1, 2003 when the U.S. declared an end to hostilities of combat. That is a total of 43 days, or a war of 1 month and 12 days.
From hostilities of combat beginning to end, of World War Two compared to the battle for Iraq, World War Two took a whole 1322 days LONGER to fight. But what if Pelosi's obvious insistence that the war continues to this day and the fall of the government of Iraq and its dictator does not matter was somehow logical? (It is not, but that has never stopped partisan politics before.) To defeat the Nazi's in Europe, Pelosi does what every Liberal seems to find useful, she ignores the blood and sacrifice of the British and the Free French and the Russians and the other countries who fought along side the U.S. in defeating Hitler's forces. She completely ignores the cost to their countries and their people.
As of this date, writing as of September 2, 2006 compared to the start of hostilities in Iraq, a total of 1263 days has passed, or 3 years, 5 months, 14 days. That is 102 days LESS than the entire sanctioned combat time of the entire second world war and that does not consider how long it took AFTER combat ended in Europe to hand Germany over to the Germans. (If I count how long it took for Eastern Germany to be handed to the German's Pelosi might make up some new question to challenge reality, so I won't.)
On May 23, 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established. On May 5, 1955 West Germany became a sovereign state. From the time the American involvement in hostilities officially ended in Germany (May 7, 1945) to the moment the country was once again sovereign took a total of 3651 days. That is 9 years, 11 months, 29 days. Compare that to the current date's 1263 days which includes an already sovereign Iraq and continued disruption from outside forces and Pelosi needs to account for why she thinks today is October 2, 2009?
That is the date that would be anywhere near comparable to the time it took in Europe to do what is already being done in Iraq.
Over fifty two MILLION people lost their lives during World War Two. The nutcase element then didn't care about that. They just wanted to all get along. How many lives have been saved since Hitler lost? Any guess?
Don't ask Pelosi, she'd just make it up.