Monday, July 09, 2007

I agree

Yglesias:

"The soldiers think they can win," reads Bill Kristol's subhead in The Weekly Standard while "some Senators lose their nerve."

This conflation of the actual physical courage exhibited by soldiers risking their lives in a war with the alleged courage demonstrated by pro-war pundits and politicians in advocating that the lives of others be risked is surely the most annoying tick of America's War Party. War is hard. Favoring war is easy. The distinction isn't difficult to grasp.

This coincides with the difference between supporting the troops and supporting the President. If the President were actually on the side of our military, then he wouldn't be cutting their benefits and extending their tours on a regular basis. I support the efforts of our servicemen, here and abroad, but I cannot put even an inkling of support in the asshole in charge of them. He's not my Commander in Chief, and I feel sorry for the brave men who have to have him as boss.

I'm also going to comment here on something I've talked about before. "The soldiers think they can win" is the first quote of this post and I think it's worth mentioning that every soldier in battle should think they can win. Everyone who ever puts an effort into a cause should strive to believe it's worthwhile. This is why propaganda is so strong in our military. Whenever Bush speaks to a military base, it's their job to support his ideas. It's their job to tell him they believe they can do it. That's what being a soldier is, following orders to the best of your ability. Every person I've known who's served time in Iraq has had two different opinions. The one they take with them in battle and the one they know in their heart. They may show good face and give their all, but underneath all of that, they want this over too.

No comments: