Appeasement or Gallipoli

Think Progress » Dole Stumped When Asked To Name Anyone Who Believes ‘The Terrorists Can Be Appeased’

This, from ThinkProgress, set me to thinking:

Sec. Rumsfeld last week compared Iraq war critics to Hitler appeasers. This morning on Fox News, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) was asked to name someone — anyone — who actually believes “the terrorists can be appeased.” She couldn’t do it.

The simple reason, of course why she can't name anyone is because there isn't anyone. However, what is it we are thinking. To my mind a much better analogy to the way we on the left view Iraq would be the British operation in Gallipoli during World War I. No doubt the Turks were, to some extent, emboldened when the British finally pulled the ANZACs out. Nonetheless, the vast improvement the British gained by having those forces deploy somewhere useful, more than made up for whatever degree the Turks were emboldened. It would also be quite absurd to characterize the withdrawal as appeasing the Turks, especially as the British continued to fight the Turks, indeed going on to defeat them in the war.