Bush Pull Out Like Your Father Should Have

Congressman Murtha spoke out and said that the Military and its equipment are being worn down. The neocons on the Right are all over the media blathering about how he is wrong. How can anyone doubt what Murtha is saying?

Unlike previous wars, where there was some sort of downtime between engagements, these men and women have to be ready against attack from any direction all the time. It has to be exhausting to be on constant alert.

Wanting them to come home alive does not mean a lack of support.

I have the utmost respect for our troops and am ashamed that we have placed them in this impossible situation. I am embarrassed that they could be horribly injured or killed serving our country in this senseless war.

Real support would have been to give them the tools they needed to get the job done.

It is our President and his cohorts that did not properly take care of the military as they should have. From the beginning they were shorted: in number of troops to do the job; in armor for both their bodies and their vehicles; and in being told the truth over why they were there.

Watching History Repeat Itself

I came of age during the late sixties. I had classmates and neighbors that died in Viet Nam. We now know that the administration and military already knew that war was a lost cause by the time they died. These young men and women perished because no one could reach a decision on how to bring the situation to a close.

The Same Arguments Were Used Then:

"We will weaken morale."
As if it wasn't undermined already. As if watching your friends die around you is a great confidence booster.

“We owe it to those who have already died to finish the job.”
Estimates are that over 50,000 of our troops died, and about 30,000 more were seriously injured in Viet Nam AFTER our leaders knew that the war was a lost cause. I'm sure all those that died before then are grateful for the company.

"The rest of the world won't respect our leaving the job unfinished."
They got over it. We never forgave ourselves for what we did.

R E S P E C T

Can you name a country that has any respect left for us? I don’t mean fear. I mean respect.
For the United States of America whose leaders lied about WMD; lied about Al Quaida’s ties to Saddam; lied about the length of the war and the response of the Iraqi people to our being there and lied about Iraqi oil paying for the war.
Reverence for the United States of America that brought the world Abu Ghraib, secret prisons and a Vice President pushing for sanctioned capability to torture?
Admiration for the United States of America who couldn’t take care of their own people when a devastating hurricane struck?
I can see why we should worry about their high esteem.

We Shouldn’t “Honor” Troops By Slashing Their Pay, Dis-Respecting Their Honor and Giving Them Years Of Suffering When They Remember Their Time In Iraq

What about the self-esteem of our troops today as they watch independent contractors being paid higher wages to do military jobs? How great was morale after they hit Fallujah with phosphorus? How did the average honorable soldier feel after the photos of Abu Ghraib?

We now know about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. When you combine all the factors our troops have been facing undoubtedly most of them will suffer from some range of this once they are out of the danger zone. What a lovely legacy we have given them for serving us so well.

Most Of Them Just Wanted To Go To School

Our troops in Iraq are primarily reservists. Yes, I agree that they took a risk signing up, that they rolled the dice and lost when they were called up for active duty. But that doesn’t disguise the fact that they were joining a reserve. Not the active military.

They have done an outstanding job in unbearable circumstances. It is wrong to keep them there longer than necessary. And it is no longer crucial.

Bush Pull Out, Like Your Father Should Have

It has become pretty clear that Iraq is going to implode the minute we leave. Trying to have our troops stay around long enough to prop up some sort of government and train up a military isn’t going to change that inevitable eruption. The only difference between that day and this one is the number of Americans that will die and the billions of dollars that will be spent.

Today we can say that Viet Nam was wrong and we should have left sooner. But my schoolmates didn't live to hear that mea culpa. Let's not do the same thing to our young men and women today. Even if they don't thank you, I am sure that their grandchildren will.