The Apocalypse

Yet another sign that the Apocalypse is nearly upon us:

Up here on the computer, listening to some TV show, purportedly a more cerebral one, that K is watching, I heard..."General George McClellan, a great World War 2 hero...." It took a second or two to shake off the cobwebs, but, one, he wasn't a "WW2" figure and, two, he wasn't a "hero."

McClellan was the commander of the Union forces in the Civil War. He was appointed, dismissed, and appointed a second time. Hmmm, Civil War or World War 2? What's the difference? A lot of people died...get over it. (Yes, that's a snide, caustic, and sarcastic comment based on how one teacher cover(s)(ed) the Civil War.)

McClellan was hardly a "hero." In fact, someone might make the case that he was a traitor, in that he aided and abetted the enemy. I don't think he was overtly treasonous; he was just egotistical to the extreme. Like many of today's "anointed" politicians and academics, he knew what was best, better than anyone else possible could. He was a good organizer and a good defensive general, but he didn't like to fight. Isn't that a great quality for a general leading troops in war? His dalliance, his proclivity for vastly overestimating the size of Lee's and other Confederate generals' armies (he had to know he was doing that, didn't he?), and his unwillingness to engage the Rebs likely extended the war, causing how many more deaths?

How could someone make such a mistake?