Ted Stevens has to rescue a dizzy, confused George Allen, as he stammers like a kid giving a book report in front of the class, a book he never read a page of, seemingly hadn’t changed at all, but for one word out of the entire thing, ‘shall’ – to ‘will’…Allen presents it as a ‘better’ version of the one Kennedy and Levin offered before. Sharp minds must be required for senators, so at least when they’re bullshiting without a hint of shame, it seems like it makes sense. That’s the difference between the two houses of congress, Smarts are required, most times you have to know how to run an operation that prevents you from looking like a jackass as often as possible. The funniest thing about this is that even Stevens looks good at this point…if he’s standing next to George Allen – (VIDEO)
Rep. John Murtha – “The burden of the Iraq War has fallen squarely on our all-volunteer military and their families. They have performed remarkably well, particularly in light of the unclear and ever-changing mission dictated to them by Pentagon civilians of the Bush Administration. But they are overstretched and overextended. They deserve fresh reinforcements so that they can return home to rebuild their units, their psyche and their family and community relationships. While the Administration stresses that we are a country at war, they refuse to spread the burden proportionately. Instead, they pursue tax incentives for the rich, run up our federal deficit, and spend astronomical sums in Iraq with little or no control over wasteful and fraudulent spending. This is not the picture of a country at war. Consider the following:
The current war in Iraq has lasted longer than the Korean War, World War I and World War II in Europe. This war is the first protracted conflict in modern times in which our nation has not utilized a draft for additional support. If the President is genuinely serious in his comparison with communism and fascism, perhaps he should reconsider a call to reinstate the draft. The selective service provided:
2.8 million U.S. Servicemen in WWI,10 million U.S. Servicemen in WWII, 1.5 million U.S. Servicemen in the Korean War, and 1.8 million U.S. Servicemen during the Vietnam Conflict The facts are that in 1950, the United States had about 1.5 million active duty personnel under arms and by 1952 they surged to 3.6 million. In Vietnam the U.S. had 2.7 million in 1964 and by 1968 we had over 3.5 million. In 2006, the overall active end-strength of our nation’s military was 1,367,500. The President’s 2007 budget request reduces that end-strength to 1,332,300. This means that there is projected to be 35,200 fewer troops on our nation’s active duty rolls this year as compared to last year. We cannot sustain the President’s open-ended, vague and bankrupting war policies indefinitely. He should try less rhetoric and more action. If we are to fight this war with the same sense of dedication and vigor as we did prior wars, we cannot do it without a surge in force.” (Entire Statement)
Looks like Dubya will be able to ride this iraq thing all the way — without every reinstituting the draft and screwing soliders for years.
People ask me why I don’t go back to the army with a BSN. One word: Iraq. Maybe a second: Dubya.
I’m against the draft because in this case it is being used as a political tool to push Bush into a corner.
I’m all for letting our volunteers do the work. If the cause is worthy, then attracting volunteers shouldn’t be a problem. If the cause isn’t worthy, then the situation on the ground will speak for itself. Involuntary service isn’t the direction to go in my opinion.
I see it as a simple case where math provides the answer. The numbers don’t work when you look at the condition of our force and the condition of Iraq.
Anything worth doing is worth doing right!
Going back to the army after completing that coursework and getting certified…who asks you that? I’d assume people who hadn’t ever been in the Army.
It is a rather strange dilemma we face. Our military shoulders the brunt of the occupation. Yet the majority of military personnel are in favor of the occupation.
I’ve got my personal feelings about the occupation, but since I’m not fighting it (and not really paying for it either, that’ll be for my daughter) I’ve resigned myself to letting those who are taking the beating speak for themselves on the matter. If military personnel want to change the way the occupation is conducted then they had better step up and speak their minds. They are adult enough to fight. They should be adult enough to call BS (if it truly is BS).
I guess your more entitled to your view on this issue Al, since you’ve served.
That’s a fact Al. The only people who ask me about a return to the army are those who have never served. Not Hoat, not Adam, not you. Filipina ladies.
You can’t speak out while in the military – they’ll put you into danger, find a way to ‘do you’…
Chain of command in general doesn’t allow for people going out on their own, and in the military it’s not only frowned upon, it’s deficated upon.
You don’t work for the ‘country’ you work for the President, and that means keeping your thoughts to yourself.
That’s why I pointed out how little politics comes up on the job when you’re in. Truth is, any senator can call up your unit commander and put the fear of death into them, but inside the organization itself, your ass belongs to them!
Throw death into the mix and you’re not going to get a lot of soldiers stupid enough to speak up BEFORE they get out. Provide your opinion to a journalist or a pollster…’at your own peril’…
Point taken. Then I guess that the burden lies with families and friends of soldiers.
I’ve read enough interviews and seen enough troops talking up the efforts over there to make me think that many of them want to be there. And since they signed up for duty it is very hard to argue against their point of view (unless you think the entire thing is a clusterf*ck, which I do).
Anyway, I think a big part of the reason we got out of Vietnam was because the public abandoned the military. I’m thinking that that may be the only way out when it comes right down to it. Sad but true… their’s is not to reason why…
When the public turns sour on the military, enlistment numbers will plummet and the rest will fall into place (unless of course they institute a draft… look out Canada, here I come). The beauty of an all volunteer force.
All comes down to expected outcomes and goals. We need them in all things.
Anyone here read Harpers? I get the month old copy from the library, bang it out in a couple of days, and bring it back…this month’s has me thinking a lot about exactally how we blew it over there. I can’t get into it now, but I wanted to see if anyone else was into this magazine.
Isn’t Harpers just more liberal media?
😉
Ahem, unless of course they are praising our efforts… in that case they are a great American periodical.
For my money it doesn’t get any more balanced than the National Review.
I’m a big magazine guy, very much a fan of quotes and fact checking, which a publication like Harpers would die without. Unlike the daily newspapers, they have the time and space necessary to do it right. Their article on Jabr should be required reading for anyone interested in this war. In America we’ve got the mob, drug gangs and certain companies in certain industries that track bribes under the overhead column on the ballance sheet. Bodies are a reality of business for these segments of our society, but nothing like the powerfull in Iraq.
Here in America a body has a name and an open case file with professionals paid to figure out what happened. In Iraq there’s none of that. And from our (America’s) point of view, it’d be better if there aren’t case files or investigations or accounting ledgers.
Freedom is a bitch of a word. Justice is the one human beings really care about.
The Minister of Civil War
You can read an excerpt on the Harpers site.
I’m not sure what you’re so concerned about Al? Isn’t this progress? [/sarcasm]
Basically these brilliant minds got together in exile outside of Iraq, in dutch with Saddam. Alone they didn’t have a chance, but if they could convince some big dope to knock out Saddam for them…
These guys were trusted completely by the puppetmasters for way too long, basically because they needed to appear legit for a while, so people wouldn’t be asking right off “how well did you know this Chalibi and the others?”
This guy is one of the reasons an Iraqi free press might be a thing of the past before long. We employ many private security companies, guns for hire…so do they.
The United States government is more focused on jailing its own than it is clamping down on these militias, their thieving bosses. Murders by the dozen, 50% off your second dozen.