# Tommy Franks: You did \*not\* say that! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480 "2003-04-13T18:43:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/1 "2003-04-13T18:43:06Z")
[Gen. Tommy Franks said Sunday the Saddam Hussein government is now an “ex-regime…”](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/13/sprj.irq.franks/index.html) Sure it’s not pining for the fjords? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/2 "2003-04-13T19:39:06Z")
Great bird, the Chemical Ali. Beau’iful plumage. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/3 "2003-04-13T19:39:18Z")
It’s not dead, it’s sleeping. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/4 "2003-04-13T19:49:34Z")
I’d like to complain about this regime that we armed not half a century ago in this very country! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/5 "2003-04-13T19:50:58Z")
Just to forestall all of the questions, do the words > [@](#): > > THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!! give you a clue? ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/6 "2003-04-13T19:52:36Z")
And the shop owner would HAVE to be played by the Iraqi Information Minister. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/7 "2003-04-13T20:16:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Already in Use \* > \*\*And the shop owner would HAVE to be played by the Iraqi Information Minister. \*\* Gotta admit, [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](http://www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/) and the Parrot Sketch shopkeeper both have the same talent for blithely denying objective reality. Of course, there’s also Mohsen Khalil, Iraq’s ambassador to the Arab League, who said: “Iraq will not be defeated. Iraq has now already achieved victory - apart from some technicalities.” As they say, the devil is in the details! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/8 "2003-04-13T20:22:47Z")
Would someone who ceases to love his country and speak out in its behalf, and therefore moves to another land, become an ex-patriot? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/9 "2003-04-13T20:25:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*Just to forestall all of the questions, do the words give you a clue? \*\* “Saddam is \* no more! \* He has ceased to BE!” ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/10 "2003-04-13T22:30:30Z")
I never wanted to be an Information Minister, you know. What I really wanted to be was. . . a lumberjack. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/11 "2003-04-13T22:32:34Z")
Gen. Franks: Um…now look…now look, mate, I’ve definitely 'ad enough of this. That regime is definitely deceased, and when I invaded it not ‘alf an hour ago, you assured me that its total lack of movement was due to it bein’ tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/12 "2003-04-14T01:15:50Z")
al-Sahaf: …It’s probably pining for the Fedayeen. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/13 "2003-04-14T01:20:44Z")
All my ex-regimes live in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/14 "2003-04-14T01:35:44Z")
Look, I took the liberty of examining that regime when I got to Baghdad, and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch in the first place was that it had been NAILED there. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/15 "2003-04-14T01:40:02Z")
“I tell you, that’s an ex-patriot!” ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/16 "2003-04-14T02:41:30Z")
Well, it’s not Ethel the Aardvark going quantity surveying, but it’s [close…](http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20030324-064259-1443r.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/17 "2003-04-14T06:19:57Z")
No one expects the Iraqi Information Minister. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/18 "2003-04-14T06:21:52Z")
And now for something completely different . . . . (War with Syria, perhaps?) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/19 "2003-04-14T06:34:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kallessa \* > \*\*And now for something completely different . . . . \*\* … A man with chemical weapons up his nose. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480/20 "2003-04-14T12:51:12Z")
It’s not pinin’, it’s passed on! This regime is no more! It has ceased to be! It’s expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late regime! It’s a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies! Its metabolical processes are of interest only to historians! It’s hopped the twig! It’s shuffled off this mortal coil! It’s run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible! This… is an EX-REGIME! (pause) Well, I’d better replace it then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tommy-franks-you-did-not-say-that/168480.md?page=2)