More Evidence on Getting "Stuck in Iraq"!
Most of the smoke has cleared from Senator Kerry's unintentional mis-statement that was mis-interpreted by the right-wing hit-squads to suggest if students didn't study they might get 'stuck in Iraq'.
But what hasn't disappeared is the evidence that more and more brave young men and women are indeed getting stuck. Stuck in a war that we started. Stuck in a war advanced on false pretenses. This 'back-door draft' involves units of the military and now of the National Guard who are having their tours of duty extended and repeated, beyond the 'deals' they anticipated when they enlisted. As reported today in the USA Today:
Not only has this become an endless war for our nation, our soldiers are being asked to serve in an endless fashion for their country!
It is time for you to speak to America once again Senator Kerry! America needs your leadership at the helm.
Democrats now control the House and the Senate. We need a Democrat at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue who can work to bring America home once more. Home to a leadership that respects the Constitution, respects international laws, respects our Allies and who believes in the possibilities in the good of mankind that regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds also yearn for peace and a future for their children and their children's children.
Keep on Coming John!
Bob
But what hasn't disappeared is the evidence that more and more brave young men and women are indeed getting stuck. Stuck in a war that we started. Stuck in a war advanced on false pretenses. This 'back-door draft' involves units of the military and now of the National Guard who are having their tours of duty extended and repeated, beyond the 'deals' they anticipated when they enlisted. As reported today in the USA Today:
""We are doing contingency planning for one or two (units), and we have contingency plans for more than two if necessary," Blum said on Wednesday. The North Carolina brigade, he said, is being considered since it was one of the first to go to Iraq after the war began in 2003.The repeated tours of our soldiers may be something they accept, for that is the chance they took when they enlisted, but it will likely adversely affect our ability to continue to attract talented young people to the service whether in the National Guard or the regular armed services.
Blum also said defense officials have been discussing whether they need to adjust their policy that limits the deployment of reserves in the war to 24 months.
"When that policy was originally formulated, I seriously doubt anyone thought we would be where we are today, at the level of commitment that is necessary today," he said.
Just last month, defense officials said the Marines are drawing up similar plans that would for the first time send some reserve combat battalions back to Iraq for a second tour.
Under the authority by which Bush ordered a call-up of the Guard and Reserve after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, troops could be mobilized an unlimited number of times as long as each mobilization is no longer than 24 consecutive months.
Until now, Pentagon officials have interpreted that as 24 cumulative months.
While the ultimate goal for the National Guard is to deploy one year overseas and spend six years at home, Blum said the current demands could force soldiers to deploy as often as one year every three or four years."
Not only has this become an endless war for our nation, our soldiers are being asked to serve in an endless fashion for their country!
It is time for you to speak to America once again Senator Kerry! America needs your leadership at the helm.
Democrats now control the House and the Senate. We need a Democrat at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue who can work to bring America home once more. Home to a leadership that respects the Constitution, respects international laws, respects our Allies and who believes in the possibilities in the good of mankind that regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds also yearn for peace and a future for their children and their children's children.
Keep on Coming John!
Bob
posted by BobsAdvice at 1:43 AM
6 Comments:
"We need a Democrat at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue who can work to bring America home once more"
That's right, you got the right man, cut and run kerry!
Michael,
Thank you for your informative comment. I suppose you are still figuring on "fighting for victory" or some sort of nonsense. If we had used your philosophy in Vietnam, we would have had another 60,000 dead Americans on top of the losses we had.
Iraq is in the midst of a civil war. Which side are we on? Is that our role? Are you willing for more young American men and women to die for a mistake?
I think that Kerry should not run in 2008. I will vote for a Democrat and I voted for Kerry/Edwards BUT I think John Kerry still has too much baggage to overcome and whoever the Democrats field this time must not have the same hot button issues to enable the GOP to distract the voters the way they were able to in 2004. I'm not saying the issues they attacked him on are accurate or worthy, just that there is such glee in the Republican party to attack a man that served while suppporting those that didn't and we need to give them as little fodder for such distractions as possible.
I would like the see the primary field for the Democrats be a small, quality group of candidates rather than be the circus-like atmosphere we had last time around. We need to be "on message" from day one, not still trying to define ourselves when we get to the convention. Fielding a small number of candidates would enable the party to focus on who we are within the context of those quality candidates.
I'm interested in what you think on this point-of-view as a Kerry supporter. Do you think certain potential candidacies like Kerry's should be abandoned for the sake of the party to minimize distractions during the primaries?
Anonymous,
I believe that we all travel with baggage. That the point about Senator Kerry was not the baggage that he was carrying but the baggage that was placed on his shoulders by Republicans.
As long as we seek to hide from our baggage, we shall not be successful. Tell me who out there has less baggage as you say? Who out there will be able to slip through the Republican slime machine without injury?
I am not prepared to drop my support for John Kerry due to anyone's perceptions. This blog is dealing in a reality of Iraq that is difficult to grasp. This blog deals with environmental and fiscal and educational crises that have been brought on us by irresponsible leaders.
As long as Senator Kerry is interested in pursuing the White House, this blogger shall be standing right there with him in his pursuit. If he should announce anything else, of course that would change everything.
But I am not about expediency. I am not about keeping things simple. I am not about looking for a Red State Governor, or someone not from the Senate.
America faces incredibly difficult challenges today. I believe Senator Kerry is up to the task of leading this nation. That is why the Republicans continue to target this decorated Vietnam War veteran who understands how to get us where we need to go.
Bob
"I suppose you are still figuring on "fighting for victory"
Isn't that the reason countries go to war? Oh wait a minute, I almost forgot, you're a democrat!
"If we had used your philosophy in Vietnam, we would have had another 60,000 dead Americans"
If we were allowed to bring all our might to the fight in Vietnam we would have saved thousands of American lives. But thanks to a democrat controlled Congress thousands died needlessly!
"Is that our role?"
At times I am dumbfounded by you liberals. We are at war with people who hide in mosques, behind women and children. If we leave this country Iran will control the middle east and if you think we have problems now just wait until that happens. And if the dems get their way, it will happen.
"That is why the Republicans continue to target this decorated Vietnam War veteran"
If kerry is going to run again he is going to have to explain (because he is going to be asked over and over again) why did it take him 5 years to get his honorable discharge? Why did he remove all his military records from his website after he realized that a letter he posted there caused him much embarrassment? He won't escape any of this.
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