Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose…

• "If the politicians had just gotten out of the way and let the military do its job, we would have won that war!"  That's what I grew up hearing people say about the Viet Nam war.


• "If the politicians would get out of the way and let the military do its job, we would have won this war by now!"  That's what Republican critics of Franklin Roosevelt said in 1943. (from Alben Barkley's autobiography, That reminds me…)


• "If the politicians would get out of the way and let the military do its job, we would have won this war by now!"   That's what critics of the Roman Senate said about the handling of the Second Punic War, 216 B.C. (Livy, The War with Hannibal)