Political Quotes

Rob Bishop: Well, I appreciate my good friend from Missouri bringing this issue up to us again, especially now that we're talking…

On the recordApril 14, 2010
Well, I appreciate my good friend from Missouri bringing this issue up to us again, especially now that we're talking about missiles. One of the things President Reagan once said is: Was the United States ever involved in a war because we were too strong? The answer is no. But what we're also talking about here is sometimes--as I was an old school teacher--when we're young and naive, we tend to overlook details, and those details could be devastating. For example, Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo not because he was outmaneuvered at Waterloo. He was not. He lost it because they overlooked a detail. They didn't bring a bag of nails. At that time, when you overtook the enemy artillery, you would dismantle it by driving a nail through the firing mechanism so it would be useless. When Napoleon overran the British artillery, they didn't bring any nails with them. Consequently, the British recaptured that artillery and it wreaked havoc on Napoleon's forces. And every book of what would have happened always has a chapter of what would have happened if they had actually brought the nails.
Said by
Rob Bishop
Republican · Utah
Source
govinfo.gov
Apr 14, 2010

Editor's note · Context

The speaker discusses the importance of details in military strategy, referencing historical examples.

Share

More from Rob Bishop

Jul 22, 2020

I am hopeful that more substantial progress to strengthen the power grid is forthcoming in the near future.

congress.gov
May 31, 2020

Instead, we decided to move ahead with what can only be described as really good political theater.

congress.gov
Nov 16, 2020

the major threat to sustainable jobs, food, recreational opportunities, and revenue from U.S. marine fisheries is not overfishing, but underfishing.

congress.gov
Oct 1, 2020

One final parliamentary inquiry. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry.

govinfo.gov

Other voices in this conversation