Lack of Resolve Quotes
Some scholars believe that it was Henry Cabot Lodge to whom he made this remark.
After the American Revolution the process of nation building began and it was a bit of a mess. This caused a loss of confidence on our most important ally—France. It would be 9 years more before we could get a Constitution developed.
There are others who attribute the lack of American drive for Victory to a cumulative series of wars, many of which, had public opinion felt little benefit to America or the world and there was much suspicion that American leadership fomented war for political or economic reasons. Vietnam, Grenada, and Iraq they would give as examples. They argue that Americans are becoming much more sophisticated and discriminating and would only support wars where America had an existential interest. Further, they point to examples like the Korean War where there was never a victory, but America’s objectives in entering the war were met and there is still a truce half a century later.
See Brady {640935} for a later version of this idea.
