--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst of these comments came in…" description: "\"“The worst of these comments came in mid-April from the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, who said in a press conference, “This war is lost” and “The..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/robert-m-gates-2972_leadership_the-worst-of-these-comments-came-in-mid_2831575.png" --- # The worst of these comments came in mid-April from the… ![“The worst of these comments came in mid-April from the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, who said in a press conference, “This war is lost” and “The surge is not accomplishing anything.” I was furious and shared privately with some of my staff a quote from Abraham Lincoln I had written down long…” quote by Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/robert-m-gates-2972_leadership_the-worst-of-these-comments-came-in-mid_2831575.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/robert-m-gates-2972_leadership_the-worst-of-these-comments-came-in-mid_2831575.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a5/robert-m-gates-2972_leadership_the-worst-of-these-comments-came-in-mid_2831575.png) > ““The worst of these comments came in mid-April from the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, who said in a press conference, “This war is lost” and “The surge is not accomplishing anything.” I was furious and shared privately with some of my staff a quote from Abraham Lincoln I had written down long before: “Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.”” [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War criticism can be framed as treason, suggesting severe punishment for undermining morale. **In simple terms:** Harsh condemnation of war critics as traitors. Key Takeaway Beware of extreme rhetoric that silences dissent. Themes politics war free speech Mood critical serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - debating policy - protecting civil liberties - media analysis Key Concepts legal ethics military morale Questions to Reflect On - Is it justified to punish dissent in wartime? - What are the risks of labeling critics as enemies? A Different Perspective Such statements can threaten democratic discourse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/congressmen-who-willfully-take-actions-during-wartime-that-damage/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Congressmen who willfully take action during wartime that damages morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/congressmen-who-willfully-take-action-during-wartime-that-damages/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/i-ll-tell-you-the-first-thing-we-need-to-do-is-take-harry-reid-out/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [I think it's interesting that people like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi said that the Tea Party was dead and they weren't influential and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/i-think-it-s-interesting-that-people-like-harry-reid-and-nancy-pelosi/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) > [I'm hoping that we're not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I hope the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/i-m-hoping-that-we-re-not-getting-to-second-amendment-remedies-i-hope/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [Democratic Senator Harry Reid is expected to make a full recovery after he was exercising with a resistance band that snapped, causing him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/democratic-senator-harry-reid-is-expected-to-make-a-full-recovery/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid likes to reminisce about being an amateur boxer. But his Senate tenure has often looked like an endless rope-a-dope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/senate-majority-leader-harry-reid-likes-to-reminisce-about-being-an/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [I am running because I love my country and Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are ruining it. It is time to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ashjian/i-am-running-because-i-love-my-country-and-harry-reid-nancy-pelosi/) Scott Ashjian > [And if you like 14.4 percent unemployment, if you like the fact that 70 percent of home mortgages in Nevada are underwater, then stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornyn/and-if-you-like-14-4-percent-unemployment-if-you-like-the-fact-that/) [John Cornyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornyn/) > [I've never seen anything so abhorrent in my life as Harry Reid. He's an equal opportunity basher. 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I'm here to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/if-we-can-take-harry-reid-out-we-can-take-our-country-back-i-m-not/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [I am a pretty level-headed person, but that person, Harry Reid, has been the most destructive entity in Washington when it comes to civility.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/i-am-a-pretty-level-headed-person-but-that-person-harry-reid-has-been/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) > [Were anyone wondering how Sen. Harry Reid intended to manage life in the minority, it took one day of the 114th Congress to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberley-strassel/were-anyone-wondering-how-sen-harry-reid-intended-to-manage-life-in/) Kimberley Strassel ## More by Robert M. Gates > [And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/and-so-the-greatest-of-american-triumphs-became-a-peculiarly-joyless/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama answered, “Yes. I’m no peacenik.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-answered-yes-i-m-no-peacenik/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I was seething. I told him that “the clock is ticking” and that our patience with their lack of political progress was running out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-was-seething-i-told-him-that-the-clock-is-ticking-and-that-our/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Some people have said, in so many words, that I'm kind of wooly-headed in believing that the Iranians would see not having nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/some-people-have-said-in-so-many-words-that-i-m-kind-of-wooly-headed/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama was the fourth president I had worked for who said outright that he wanted to eliminate all nuclear weapons (Carter, Reagan, and Bush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-was-the-fourth-president-i-had-worked-for-who-said-outright/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no concerns - I had no reason to have concerns based on what was available to me about North's contacts with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-concerns-i-had-no-reason-to-have-concerns-based-on-what-was/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/health-care-costs-are-eating-the-defense-department-alive/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“The passage of fourteen years had led to another significant change in the international environment. As I told Bush 43 and Condi Rice on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-passage-of-fourteen-years-had-led-to-another-significant-change/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I've been very sensitive for a long time to the repeated pattern, during economic hard times or after a war, of the United States'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-ve-been-very-sensitive-for-a-long-time-to-the-repeated-pattern/) [Robert M. 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Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [My one concern is that Hu Jintao may overestimate how much power China has in Pyongyang. They have - they do have influence, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/my-one-concern-is-that-hu-jintao-may-overestimate-how-much-power/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I thought you were my friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-thought-you-were-my-friend/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Soon after the raid was over, the White House released the now-famous photo of all of us watching the video in that small conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/soon-after-the-raid-was-over-the-white-house-released-the-now-famous/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) [Explore all 143 Robert M. Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## More Leadership quotes > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [It is absolutely necessary... for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-absolutely-necessary-for-me-to-have-persons-that-can-think-for/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. 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It's logical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/some-people-you-speak-to-you-speak-into-their-heads-it-s-logical/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. 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