Thought De Jour

"I think the level of casualties is secondary. I mean, it may sound like an odd thing to say, but all the great scholars who have studied American character have come to the conclusion that we are a warlike people and that we love war. . . . What we hate is not casualties but losing. And if the war goes well and if the American public has the conviction that we're being well--led and that our people are fighting well and that we're winning, I don't think casualties are going to be the issue. " - Michael Ledeen AEI Breakfast March 27, 2003