The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy
Encyclopedia
"The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy" is General Omar Bradley
's famous rebuke in his May 15, 1951 Congressional testimony as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
to the idea of extending the Korean War
into China
, as proposed by General Douglas MacArthur
, the commander of the U.N.
forces in Korea before being relieved of command by President Harry Truman on April 11, 1951.
A more complete passage of Bradley's testimony is:
In China, Bradley's words were quote mined. The Chinese people were told this story: "the UN forces were heavily beaten by the Chinese army and the North Korean army. Even the top US general admitted that the Korean war was 'the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.'"
echoed Bradley's sentiments in a speech given on October 13, 1960.
and the subsequent occupation. Senator John Kerry
, General Anthony Zinni
, historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
, and Governor Howard Dean
have all used variations of the phrase in criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. Notably, Schlesinger also reported contemporaneously on Bradley's original statement back in 1951, and JFK was a signature hero of John Kerry.
On September 6, 2004, at a Racine, West Virginia
rally, Kerry said,
Speaking on 60 Minutes
, May 23, 2004, Zinni said, "The plan was wrong, it was the wrong war, the wrong place and the wrong time— with little or no planning." He stated that serious "derelictions of duty," "criminal negligence," and poor planning put U.S. forces in harm's way and left Iraq in chaos after the invasion. He also said that Paul Bremer had made "mistake after mistake after mistake."
In The Independent
, April 15, 2004, Arthur Schlesinger
wrote:
On December 15, 2003 at the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles, Howard Dean
said Bush "launched the wrong war, at the wrong time, with inadequate planning, insufficient help and at extraordinary cost." In a May 3, 2003 primary debate in South Carolina, Dean said:
repeatedly rebuked John Kerry for using Bradley's saying, asking, "what kind of message does it say" to U.S. troops and allies. Speaking of other world leaders, Bush said "They're not going to follow somebody who says, 'This is the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time.'" Bush recited versions of the quotation seven times, three times in one response.
Although the saying was prominent in media coverage of the presidential race, practically no story made note of its source.
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
's famous rebuke in his May 15, 1951 Congressional testimony as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
to the idea of extending the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, as proposed by General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, the commander of the U.N.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
forces in Korea before being relieved of command by President Harry Truman on April 11, 1951.
A more complete passage of Bradley's testimony is:
I am under no illusion that our present strategy of using means short of total war to achieve our ends and oppose communism is a guarantee that a world war will not be thrust upon us. But a policy of patience and determination without provoking a world war, while we improve our military power, is one which we believe we must continue to follow….
Under present circumstances, we have recommended against enlarging the war from Korea to also include Red China. The course of action often described as a limited war with Red China would increase the risk we are taking by engaging too much of our power in an area that is not the critical strategic prize.
Red China is not the powerful nation seeking to dominate the world. Frankly, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this strategy would involve us in the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.
-
- From testimony before the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Foreign Relations, May 15, 1951.—Military Situation in the Far East, hearings, 82d Congress, 1st session, part 2, p. 732 (1951).
In China, Bradley's words were quote mined. The Chinese people were told this story: "the UN forces were heavily beaten by the Chinese army and the North Korean army. Even the top US general admitted that the Korean war was 'the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.'"
Vietnam War usage
Presidential candidate John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
echoed Bradley's sentiments in a speech given on October 13, 1960.
Should I become President… I will not risk American lives… by permitting any other nation to drag us into the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time through an unwise commitment that is unwise militarily, unnecessary to our security and unsupported by our allies.
Iraq War usage
The quotation has since been used to criticize the planning and execution of the U.S. invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and the subsequent occupation. Senator John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, General Anthony Zinni
Anthony Zinni
Anthony Charles Zinni is a retired four-star General in the United States Marine Corps and a former Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command...
, historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr. was an American historian and social critic whose work explored the American liberalism of political leaders including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Schlesinger served as special assistant and "court historian"...
, and Governor Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
have all used variations of the phrase in criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. Notably, Schlesinger also reported contemporaneously on Bradley's original statement back in 1951, and JFK was a signature hero of John Kerry.
On September 6, 2004, at a Racine, West Virginia
Racine, West Virginia
Racine is an unincorporated census-designated place in Boone County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 256. The post office was opened on December 10, 1881, having been named by the Sayre family whose ancestors lived in Racine, Ohio. Racine is home to the...
rally, Kerry said,
I would not have done just one thing differently than the president on Iraq, I would have done everything differently than the president on Iraq…. You've about 500 troops here, 500 troops there and it's American troops that are 90 percent of the combat casualties and it's American taxpayers that are paying 90 percent of the cost of the war. It's the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Speaking on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, May 23, 2004, Zinni said, "The plan was wrong, it was the wrong war, the wrong place and the wrong time— with little or no planning." He stated that serious "derelictions of duty," "criminal negligence," and poor planning put U.S. forces in harm's way and left Iraq in chaos after the invasion. He also said that Paul Bremer had made "mistake after mistake after mistake."
In The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, April 15, 2004, Arthur Schlesinger
Arthur Schlesinger
Arthur Schlesinger may refer to:*Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. , American historian and professor at Harvard University*Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. , his son, American historian, social critic and former John F. Kennedy associate...
wrote:
The immediate reason that Mr Bush opened Pandora's box in the Middle East and invaded Iraq was his moral certitude that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that he was working in close partnership with Osama bin Laden and al-Qa'ida. Those convictions turned out to be delusions. This denouement does great harm to Mr Bush's credibility and to that of the United States; it has got us into a ghastly mess in Iraq; and it has diverted attention, resources and military might from the war that should have commanded the Bush administration's highest priority - the Afghan war against al-Qa'ida and international terrorism. Meanwhile Afghanistan is a mess too. Mr Bush chose the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time.
On December 15, 2003 at the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles, Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
said Bush "launched the wrong war, at the wrong time, with inadequate planning, insufficient help and at extraordinary cost." In a May 3, 2003 primary debate in South Carolina, Dean said:
Let me be very clear about what I believe. I'm delighted to see Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
gone. I appreciate the fact that we have a strong military in this country, and I'd keep a strong military in this country, but I think this was the wrong war at the wrong time because we have set a new policy of preventive war in this country, and I think that was the wrong thing to do because sooner or later we're going to see another country copy the United States, and sooner or later we're going to have to deal with the fact that there may well be a Shia fundamentalist regime set up in Iraq which will be a greater danger to the United States than Iraq is.
2004 Presidential debate
During the first Presidential debate of 2004, George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
repeatedly rebuked John Kerry for using Bradley's saying, asking, "what kind of message does it say" to U.S. troops and allies. Speaking of other world leaders, Bush said "They're not going to follow somebody who says, 'This is the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time.'" Bush recited versions of the quotation seven times, three times in one response.
Although the saying was prominent in media coverage of the presidential race, practically no story made note of its source.