Tommy Gun

Retired General Tommy Franks is no fan of John Kerry. Take a look at what he said yesterday in a rally in Reno, NV (hat tip Little Green Footballs).

“If his voting record ruled the day, Saddam Hussein would not only be running Iraq but Kuwait,” Franks told about 200 people Sunday at a Reno rally.

“The choice is very, very clear. We need decisive, strong, no-backing-down and no-equivocating leadership,” he said.

Franks praised the Democratic challenger’s military service during the Vietnam War, but said Kerry’s later anti-war activities upset him.

“The men I served with in Vietnam weren’t war criminals and I’m proud I served with them,” Franks said. ...

“I know a commander in chief when I see one and there’s only one on the ballot,” Franks said. “After September 11th, we were blessed to have a commander in chief who said enough is enough. There are two options: to fight them (terrorists) over there or to fight them over here. I’m an over-there-kind-of-guy,” he said.

In an interview before the rally, Franks said he doesn’t foresee an endless cycle of violence in Iraq, and he thinks violence will diminish after the Nov. 2 election.

“I believe they (insurgents) are influenced by what they see in our media,” he told The Associated Press. “They see if they blow something up it’s front-page news ... (and) the presidential candidates will talk about it.

“After Nov. 2, that dynamic will leave. The problem won’t go away, but it’ll be diminished ... This will be a long process, but there will come a time when the insurgents have less opportunity to create mischief for us,” he said.