So, in the eyes of the military and a large part of the American populace, the Democratic party lags way behind the Republicans in terms of supporting the troops. I am not making this up, it is the public perception for right or for wrong. Which makes the current plan of attacking those who support the war, and the troops, all the more politically retarded.

I admit freely that the nickname of the Republicans as the 'stupid party' is as apt as it gets. The problem is, the current crop of democrat supporters makes the current crop of the stupid party look like brainiacs.

Perhaps someday, a smart Democrat will figure that out and we can get back to having 2 actual parties in this country.

David, that post reads like something written by a punk kid.

Maybe some of those folks need to get glasses... Then they can see all the Republicans who are lined up behind an agenda of, "Make sure the troops have proper body armor and armored vehicles, and when they come home, treat them decently and with respect."

It was. Hehe.

"Maybe some of those folks need to get glasses..."

Perhaps, but then this argument is part of what the problem is with the party. If the problem is merely perception, then it is imperitive for the party to change this perception. Simply calling the masses undeducated or wrong will not help you win elections, it will merely alienate more of the public and ensure continued losses in elections. Insulting the populace is not the way to change their minds.

Read Jeff's comments after his post. This guy is crying for attention. I tend to only go after someone like Glenn Reynolds. This guy is not worth the trouble. The Nutty Professor is linked by WSJ and Howie Kurtz all the time.

David, who have to understand. You're dealing with a very immature man that has no concept of the war. It's just a Doom video game to him.

Yes, but I so enjoy playing with the morally challenged and hypocritical.

I like going after the misinformed.

No one has had to have body armor bought for them by family for a long time. Early reports may have been true, but I'm not even prepared to say for certain that they were.

I know of two cases where soldiers, preparing ot leave CONUS, had not yet been fitted for or issued their Interceptor Body Armor (IBA), told their parents this and then the panicked parents ran out, bought substandard vests and sent them to their soldiers overseas.

Once they arrived in Kuwait, where there is a stock of IBAs amounting ot two per soldier, they were fitted and were issued. The other vests arrived a week or so later.

I'm certain that a sufficiently diligent researcher (journalists used to do research) would find that this is the template for this persistent myth.

In case you want to attack me for being an administration apologist/hypocrite/chickenhawk, I am a Sergeant in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. I've deployed to Afghanistan once and I'm preparing for a second trip.

Bill I am not going to attack you at all. I am going by consistent reports in the media, including one of less than two weeks ago that say that this is still the case.
If it is not, then I do not understand why the Military does not dispute it, since it has been reported on CNN and other major outlets.
And as indicated by the article, it seems that the vehicle armor issue continues to be a problem.

Just bear in mind that reporters in Iraq aren't beating the pavement.

They are hiring stringers to do their fact finding for them, writing and filing thier sotries form the "safety" and comfort of their hotel lobbies.

I suggest you look at Soldier's blogs--people that are actually there. The anecdotes I've provided come from two members of my platoon who were in Iraq with the Arkansas Guard, a friend in Public Affiars that is there now and a Senior NCO that recently returned. You have to forgive me if I'm more willing to accept their word than what I read in a newspaper.

As for the "military" disputing the story that depends on what you expect to see and hear. I know that the established mouthpieces of the military, Gen Myers, Gen Petraeus, Gen Abizaid, and Sec Rumsfeld dispute it routinely. Perhaps you aren't receptive to it.

Just a word about the large quote from Newsweek you have in another post that you rely on. The first paragraph sets off my bullshit alarm. The "author" describes the scene for us and in teh need to illustrate the chaos developing tells us about Humvees swerving onto sidewalks rolling on the rims of flat tires....

Humvees have runflat tires. They will lose presure, but they won't go so flat you can't drive it out of where you are unless your tire has taken massive damage. They certainly won't ride on the rims. That kind of license makes me wonder how much else is being embelished. Like a 300 pound woman in a size 3 mini-skirt; its a stretch and you just can't ignore it.

Keep in mind to when you turn to our fearless, unbiased newsmedia for information that it ain't news when the neighbors build a new barn. Heck you probably won't even know thay had a new barn until it bruns down, because *that's* news.

Bill thanks for another viewpoint. There have been a number of Active Duty Soldiers who blog from the Left who dissagree with your assesment. What is truly disturbing to me is that the subject has become so politicized that EVEN news from the war from actual participants must be filtered as it comes through partisan lens...
Honestly... I dont know what to believe. I only know what I see, and what I see is soldiers coming back to broken homes, and constant reports of how the war is being mismanged.
As for the Rove comment, you are more than likely right, but I dont care anymore man. I am totally burned out on this shit. Tired of my country being torn apart, and there is one thing I can say for certain. I still see more leftist with flexibility in viewpoint, than Right Wingers, who for the most part seem to be blind to anything BUT the Party line.

If you don't mind, what AD leftleaning blogs are you reading? I've never found one.

If you want to find the folks who have open minds on either side you have to look past the Roves, Deans, Pelosis and Frists.

I find myself in the strange position of being a Democrat (always have been) who supports the President on the war even though there are a great number of issues in his and his party's platform that make me cringe (or worse).

My party has major problems right now and that doesn't help. It balkanizes all of us when the top level is so radical. Those like me end up looking like we're moving right.

Sorry Bill, I almost missed this. Here are a couple I read:

http://atease.blogspot.com/
http://www.godlesskinser.com/blog/

And THIS ONE is of particular interest:

http://leonardclark.com/blog/

Free Will:

Will is wish, and liberty is power. A free will is an expression absolutely void of sense, and what the scholastics have called “will of indifference,” that is to say, willing without cause, is a chimera unworthy of being combated. [Liberty] is the power to do what one wills. Liberty…when accurately defined…, is the power of acting.

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

URL:
Remember me? YesNo

Subscribe to this comment thread.

Comments: