Week 3 Day 5

Desert Storm Decision
In the 1991 Persian Gulf War, where the United Nations forces, led by Americans, ousted the invading Iraqi army from Kuwait's soil, the cessation of combat took place in short order after the Allies were able to wrest control of the skies from the infamous Saddam Hussein's air force.
Words
1.oust 驅逐 v.
2.invade 入侵，侵略 v.
3.soil 土壤，領土 n.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the U.S. field commander, tended to bristle when asked by the media why he hadn't pursued the enmy all the way to Baghdad, saying:
Words
1. commander 指揮官n.

"It would have been foolhardy for us to try to occupy that capital city and pile up American casualties from sniper attacks by Iraq's guerillas. That may be hard for you Monday morning quarterbacks to understand but I thoroughly agreed with the predisent who was convinced that such an action would have sent a bad message to the Arab world and would have splintered the Allied partnership."
Words
1.foolhardy有勇無謀的 adj.
2.casualty傷亡人員 n.
3.sniper狙擊兵 n.
4.Monday morning quarterback 放馬後砲的人 n.
這是從美式足球的用語引申而來的，quarterback就是四分衛，美國的美式足球賽通常是在週末時舉辦，而許多球迷看完球賽後，星期一上班就會跟同事朋友討論說，假如那個四分衛如何如何，那個裁判怎麼樣怎麼樣，戰略如果是幹麻幹麻的，就不會失分了。但其實比賽早已比完，也不能改變結果，所以變成為放馬後砲的人。
5.splinter 分裂 v.

Schwarzkopf reiterated that it was his mission to hurl back the invaders with a minimum of bloodshed but not, he added in a caustic tone, "to splatter Saddam over the desert sands. That dictator's days are numbered," the general concluded. "but I expect his end is likely to come at eht hands of his own people." As it happens, the general was wrong about that.
Words
1.reiterate 重申 v.
2.bloodshed 流血 n.
3.splatter 飛濺 v.
4.dictator 獨裁者 n.