Abusing Winston

Whenever an American conservative uses Winston Churchill to make a cheap political point you can be sure there’s nincompoopery on the way. Hats off to Peter Kirsanow for this contribution to the file:

In 1940, Churchill appeared before the House of Commons and described Britain’s goal in World War II: “I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory despite all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.” This hyperbolic rube was too unsophisticated to appreciate that the goal doesn’t apply to overseas contigency [sic] operations or kinetic military actions.

 I’m sure you too are persuaded by the many parallels between London 1940 and the Afghan War today. As is customary, it’s not clear which is worse: the Churchill Fetish or the (presumably) deliberate hackery.

More on Obama’s speech, perhaps, later. But first I must to Kelso for there is a Twenty-Twenty match to be played there this evening.