"The fighting in Fallujah was fierce. And the reaction among Iraqis to the American offensive was uniformly hostile. Members of Bremer’s Governing Council threatened to resign if the attack continued, imperiling the handover of authority to Iraqis now scheduled for June 30. At this point Bremer blinked, then Rice blinked, and then Bush blinked. Late on April 8, just one day after his blistering pep talk, the president instructed Abizaid and Sanchez to halt the offensive in Fallujah. The following day, the troops were ordered to stand down. The Marines were furious. Thirty-nine Marines and U.S. soldiers had been killed in four days of fighting, and combat commanders believed they were relatively close to seizing their final objectives. “If you are going to take Vienna, take fucking Vienna,” Mattis snarled at Abizaid, updating a famous comment made by Napoleon. Bush had scarcely provided the robust leadership he advertised. One minute he was tough, the next he knuckled under. General Sanchez called it a strategic disaster for the United States."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Military leaders from the United StatesCatholics from the United StatesUnited States Secretaries of DefenseCommanders of the United States Central CommandUnited States Marines
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Jean Edward Smith, Bush (2016), p. 398
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jim_Mattis
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Jim Mattis
James Norman Mattis (born 8 September 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who was the 26th United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the Cabinet of Donald Trump. Mattis was previously the 11th Commander of United States Central Command during
66 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Jim Mattis →
Related Quotes
"Good afternoon, Marines. Thank you for your attention so late on a Friday. I know the women of Southern California ar…"
"For decades, Saddam Hussein has tortured, imprisoned, raped and murdered the Iraqi people; invaded neighboring countr…"
"Mattis was an obstacle to Trump’s desire to pull troops out of Syria and Afghanistan (and remains in position to spik…"
"For all the ‘4th Generation of War’ intellectuals running around today saying that the nature of war has fundamentall…"
"None of the widely touted new technologies and weapons systems "would have helped me in the last three years [in Iraq…"
"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
"I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’l…"
"The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world t…"
"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know,…"
"The National Security [Council] Staff had, in effect, become an operational body with its own policy agenda, as oppos…"