I absolutely love how conversatives are trying to shore up support for the Iraq War by accusing detractors of hurting troop morale. "Our troops are listening," they say, and I for one am learning a thing or two.
For one, previous to now, I had been under the impression that the US military was a crack force of volunteer soldiers, specifically a crack force of volunteer adult soldiers. However, I can only surmise from the new convervative message that our military is a group of spoiled little rich girls who lose the will to fight if daddy threatens to take away their pony. Message behind the conservative message? "Our troops are nancy little schoolgirls, so don’t hurt their feelings or we will all die." (Wow. Before this I didn’t even know we paid our troops to have feelings!)
I’ve also learned from the new convervative message that Bush I’s Gulf War did not let us leave the legacy of the Vietnam War behind us (as they had previously told us). Because the fear of troops losing morale because of lack of war ferver at home is a fear founded in Vietnam. Message behind the conservative message? "The painful legacy of Vietnam is still very much with us today, so much so that we should plan military strategy around it."
Which leads to a third lesson. Conservatives have been quick to point out that Iraq is not Vietnam. But, as our second lesson shows, conservatives obviously now believe that Iraq is Vietnam. Message behind the new conservative message? "Iraq = Vietnam. And don’t you forget it."
It’s hard to keep up with all these changes. So much to learn.
Action item for conservatives: Send each US troop stationed in the Iraqi theater a Care Bear doll and a box of chocolates expressing support for the war on the US homefront.
I’m a Liberal who supports Bush and the Liberation of Iraq and find few parallels with Vietnam other than other isolationist bloggers who raised it a lot.
I was involved in the anti war movement in the early 70s in Chicago. Imagine what a Vietnam in 1972 having elections from Hanoi to Saigon would have been like. That’s what’s happening in Iraq tomorrow. It’s nothing like Vietnam.
I also have a lot of confidence in the DoD. I worked with it for five years. In many respects its one of the best institutions we have in the this country. It’s one of the few places where I saw people automatically segregate themselves by rank, not color…. you have to experience it.
I wonder if the troops also hear the hypocritical nonsense spewing out of their mouths; or even better, the fucking consistent idiocracy!! My favorite is how just the other day Bush admitted that we went to war on false intelligence (which would mean, well, we went to war for the wrong reasons, and well, probably SHOULDN’T of gone…), and then in the same sentence defended his decision. This man is a fuckwit. And idiot. A complete and UTTER MORON!!! WTF?!?!?! When other people do this, they get called out on their shit and ripped a new asshole! Why are we not doing the same to him?! I am SOOOOOOO frustrated with this country!
Its the “guilding hand” principle. From the soldiers to the US to the world, if the neoconservatives don’t exercise their influence people wll fall to their weakest behavor and failings.
For the soldiers it would be being the inablity to fight due to ethical misdirection due to antiwar agitators.
For the country it would be failing to protect its interest abroud and spread an Amrican doctrine to lead other countries to a more enlighted state.
For the world, it would be stting up spheres of influence that curtail America’s influence, aids our enemies and tries to keep us weak.
And all that keeps us from all of theose things are the people that make policy now. It’s not big brother, it’s big parent.
Right, Robert. It’s “father knows best.”