In his column “No substitute for victory” (Feb. 21, TribLive), Cal Thomas quotes Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s famous 1951 farewell address to Congress in which he states that “there is no substitute for victory.” Thomas uses that quote to support his advocacy for continued support of Ukraine to achieve victory over Russia and in opposition to a negotiated settlement.
Surely Thomas sees the irony in quoting MacArthur. MacArthur advocated for pursuit of complete victory over North Korea and its Chinese allies. President Truman did not agree and fired MacArthur, which led to his famous and oft-quoted farewell address. Truman then negotiated an end to the Korean War, which resulted in the permanent partition of the Korean peninsula into North and South Korea.
As much as total victory for Ukraine would be nice, in the real world there is no path to Ukrainian victory over Russia, which holds a vast numerical advantage in men. Continuing to throw Ukrainian men into the meat grinder in a war that cannot be won is morally and ethically wrong. A negotiated settlement is needed and should have been pursued long ago.
Richard Parnell
Murrysville