Honoring our veterans

Instead of yellow magnetic stickers on your car, "I support our troops," or Facebook messages, "Please share if you support our veterans or you really don't care," why not elect politicians who will vote for veterans benefits that will make their lives easier and better?

More Proof that Obama is Right

Obama has been pointing out that we need to act quickly to draw down our troop numbers in Iraq and to get some more troops into Afghanistan. Now the Bush administration is in possession of a report that confirms the problem, but they won't release it until after the elections because it conflicts with John McCain's position of keeping our troops in Iraq for years to come.

From the New York Times...

A draft report by American intelligence agencies concludes that Afghanistan is in a “downward spiral” and casts serious doubt on the ability of the Afghan government to stem the rise in the Taliban’s influence there, according to American officials familiar with the document.

The classified report finds that the breakdown in central authority in Afghanistan has been accelerated by rampant corruption within the government of President Hamid Karzai and by an increase in violence by militants who have launched increasingly sophisticated attacks from havens in Pakistan.

The report, a nearly completed version of a National Intelligence Estimate, is set to be finished after the November elections and will be the most comprehensive American assessment in years on the situation in Afghanistan. Its conclusions represent a harsh verdict on decision-making in the Bush administration, which in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks made Afghanistan the central focus of a global campaign against terrorism.

President Hillary?

I know Hillary is the front-runner as the Democratic Nominee for Presidential Candidate, and I know it would be great to be alive for the first female presidency, but I've got to tell you - Hillary is pissing me off. I want us out of the war in Iraq. I want us to focus on the war in Afghanistan and the war on Al Quaeda. I'm not sure she's going to do it for us.

From the Washington Post - read more here.

"If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will."
--Hillary Clinton, Democratic debate, South Carolina, April 26, 2007

"I will immediately move to begin bringing our troops home when I am inaugurated...[But there] may be a continuing counter-terrorism mission, which, if it still exists, will be aimed al Qaeda in Iraq. It may require combat, Special Operations Forces or some other form of that, but the vast majority of our combat troops should be out."
--Hillary Clinton, Democratic debate, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, September 26, 2007.

Brits Know When Enough Is Enough

From Air America Radio...

Speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that a reduction of British troops in Iraq could be possible because of the improving conditions in Iraq. Brown said that by next spring, British forces would operate almost exclusively as trainers. As that shift occurred, he said, Britain would decrease its troops from 5,500 -- the level at the beginning of September -- to 4,500 by the end of the year, then to 4,000 and eventually 2,500 in spring. He continued: "And then in the second stage of overwatch from the spring and guided as always by the advice of our military commanders, reduce to around 2,500 troops with a further decision about the next phase made then.”

The Mis-Managed War

From Progress Report 10/11/2007

The Army is offering large cash bonuses in the face of "a critical shortage of officer ranks that have been hit hard by frequent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan." "Army officials said that lengthy and repeated war-zone tours -- the top reason younger officers leave the service -- plus the need for thousands of new officers as the Army moves forward with expansion plans have contributed to a projected shortfall of about 3,000 captains and majors for every year through 2013." In an effort to stem these shortages, the Army has offered bonuses of "$25,000 to $35,000 in exchange for committing to serve three more years." So far, about 6,000 of the eligible 18,000 officers have taken the bonus. This shortfall is not unique to officers; the Army was able to meet its recruitment goal recently but only by rushing "enlistees into its ranks more quickly than usual, depleting the number in the pipeline for next year to less than 7,000 -- the smallest in more than a decade." In a press conference Monday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey stated the Army would continue to be "out of balance" as long as significant number of U.S. troops occupy Iraq.

Did You Know - Soldiers Tell It Like They See It

As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)...

In short, we operate in a bewildering context of determined enemies and questionable allies, one where the balance of forces on the ground remains entirely unclear. (In the course of writing this article, this fact became all too clear: one of us, Staff Sergeant Murphy, an Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head during a "time-sensitive target acquisition mission" on Aug. 12; he is expected to survive and is being flown to a military hospital in the United States.)

While we have the will and the resources to fight in this context, we are effectively hamstrung because realities on the ground require measures we will always refuse — namely, the widespread use of lethal and brutal force....

From Daily Kos reporting on Joe Klein reporting on an op-ed by some American troops.

Video - Olbermann on Bush's Progress

Keith Olbermann does a fine job of pointing out GWB's continual referencing of progress in Iraq - always just enough to warrant staying in Iraq, never enough to begin drawing down troop levels.

Did You Know - Screw Our Troops

I can't help but wonder how many of those who preach "Support Our Troops" really know and understand what they are saying. Do they mean it? Or, like President Bush and his administration, is it all lip service and no substance?

It is known as a "Chapter 5-13" — "separation because of personality disorder." The Army defines it as a pre-existing "maladaptive pattern of behavior of long duration" that interferes with the soldier's ability to perform his duties. In practical terms, this diagnosis means the personality disorder existed before military service, and therefore medical care and disability payments are not the military's responsibility. But some veterans and veterans' advocates have been vocal in their belief that personality disorder is being misdiagnosed in combat veterans.

From ABC News

Did You Know - Save the Iraqis

If it were'nt so tragic, this would make me laugh. The Iraqi's have done virtually nothing to try to bring peace to their own country, but some high ranking muckety-muck thinks it would be OUR fault if things fall apart when we pull our troops out.

Iraq’s Foreign Minister gave warning yesterday that a hasty US withdrawal could plunge the country into full-scale civil war and ultimate collapse, just as President Bush faces mounting domestic pressure to pull out.

Amid a growing Republican rebellion over the President’s “surge” strategy and intensifying pressure from Congress for a troop withdrawal, Hoshyar Zebari said that the US had to stay the course or face catastrophic consequences. He was responding to reports that the White House was discussing the possibility of announcing a gradual withdrawal of troops from Baghdad before September’s pivotal progress report. The aim would be to halt Republican defections before General David Petraeus, the US ground commander, reports to Congress.

From TimesOnline.

Video - Supporting the Troops

Horny Country Girl Pulls Her Panties Down for U.S. Troops. Adult themes and language.

Did You Know - Troops Are Quitting

President Bush calls for the American people to support the U.S. troops. I'm not sure how we're supposed to do that. I pay my taxes. I say nice things about the troops. But what else should I do? Put a yellow bumper sticker on my car that was made in China? If he asked, I'd tolerate a raise in taxes to help pay for the armor and equipment needed in the Iraq/Afghanistan war.

But the real support needs to come from the Government - provide enough troops to allow for regular tours of duty and rotations home - provide them with the tools they need to do the job - curb corruption so that rebuilding funds actually rebuild the economy in Iraq so that the Iraqis tolerate us being there.

But does GWB provide enough support? I think not. The following is from the Boston Globe - click here to read the entire article...

WASHINGTON -- Recent graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point are choosing to leave active duty at the highest rate in more than three decades, a sign to many military specialists that repeated tours in Iraq are prematurely driving out some of the Army's top young officers.

According to statistics compiled by West Point, of the 903 Army officers commissioned upon graduation in 2001, nearly 46 percent left the service last year -- 35 percent at the conclusion of their five years of required service, and another 11 percent over the next six months. And more than 54 percent of the 935 graduates in the class of 2000 had left active duty by this January, the statistics show.

Did You Know - Too Few Troops

Sometimes even the biggest losers, the ones at the very top of the pyramid scheme known as the Republican party, have to admit their own stupidity. The following is from Raw Story - click here to read the entire article...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is admitting that the White House erred on the number of US troops first sent to Iraq, the Associated Press reports.

Rice on Monday "staunchly defended going to war in Iraq, but acknowledged the Bush administration likely erred by failing initially to send enough troops to quell the civil strife that followed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein," writes Ben Feller for AP.

Political Cartoons

The surge in troops sent ot Iraq could be very costly. From The Progress Report...

"IRAQ -- BUSH ESCALATES WAR BY EXTENDING DEPLOYMENTS, REMOVING TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN: New reports show how President Bush plans to escalate the war in Iraq despite the U.S. military being overstretched around the globe. The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon "has abandoned its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty, ...a major change that reflects an Army stretched thin by longer-than-expected combat in Iraq." Until now, the Guard and Reserve policy "was that members' cumulative time on active duty for the Iraq or Afghan wars could not exceed 24 months. That cumulative limit is now lifted; the remaining limit is on the length of any single mobilization, which may not exceed 24 consecutive months." Additionally, the Boston Globe reports that a U.S. Army battalion "fighting in a critical area of eastern Afghanistan is due to be withdrawn within weeks to deploy to Iraq." The move comes despite "an urgent appeal" from U.S. commanders in Afghanistan for more forces. "Army Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata and other US commanders say [the diversion of forces from Afghanistan to Iraq] will happen as the Taliban is expected to unleash a campaign to cut the vital road between Kabul and Kandahar."

Bush Pushes Forward

It is so sad that we've allowed GWB to kidnap the military of the U.S. Government.

From the Progress Report of the Center for American Progress - 12/3/2006.

CNN reports that President Bush is "expected to announce his new Iraq strategy in an address to the nation early next week ." According to the BBC, "The speech will reveal a plan to send more US troops to Iraq ." The Pentagon is already drafting plans "extending U.S. military units already in Iraq and moving troops from other locations" in anticipation of the announcement. One thing that hasn't been decided: what the extra troops would do in the middle of a civil war . The BBC reports "The exact mission of the extra troops in Iraq is still under discussion ." Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) says Bush's plan for escalation in Iraq is "Alice in Wonderland ," adding, "I'm absolutely opposed to sending any more troops to Iraq. It is folly."