McHugh Watch

As of this evening, I can reliably report to you that our soldiers in Iraq have still not been told of the extension of their tour of duty. To them it is “still a rumor.” They are finding out from their families. This by an administration that has continually treated our soldiers as expendable commodities. The armed forces are stretched to their limit. West Point graduates are leaving the Army at record levels after their five year commitment is completed. It amounts to a brain drain when 46% of the service academies’ graduates leave after a minimum of service. Compare that to the thirty year running average of 25%.
So the Army is being degraded to fight Bush’s personal war that our congressman with whom Mr. McHugh has not broken. After today’s bombing in the Green Zone, the President and those who fall in behind him attribute it to al Qaeda. It is called staying on message. They teach you that, and the most successful politicians are those that can continually bury their heads in the sand and “stay on message.” It is if keep telling the lie over and over again, it will eventually be accepted as the truth. Continue Reading »

It is time to clearly enunciate the argument for Congress to cut off funding for combat operations in Iraq.

We are involved in a momentous battle for the truth, with the war hawks able to manipulate the language and distort the logic that it should convey. They would have us believe that cutting funding for the war is cutting funding for our soldiers who are presently fighting that war. On the surface, it is a very seductive and compelling argument that has put fear in the hearts of Democrats who campaigned on ending the war. The distortion must not be allowed to stand.

We must understand the distinction between “the war” and “combat operations.” They are not the same. By lumping “combat operations” under “the war” the Republican hawks intend to manipulate the opposition into a corner that they fear they cannot escape. There is a world of difference between the two. Combat operations and war are not synonymous. Just as offensive operations are part of war, so are defensive maneuvers and tactical retreats. It takes as much planning and resources to conduct a tactical retreat as it does to wage an offensive attack. If the situation is futile, a seasoned military commander orders a tactical retreat. Not a surrender, but a conservation of resources to win another way. That other way in Iraq is political not militarily. Continue Reading »