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September 01, 2007
Clue Train, The Sequel
In an amusing update to yesterday's WaPo story about the Congressional delegates who felt "slimed by their own words and deeds", the good folks at ThinkProgressyve are up in arms because they feel the bios circulated in Baghdad were unacceptable "military spin"... unlike the official bios on the Representatives' congressional websites (which of course would have been far more informative, in addition to being completely unbiased and nonpartisan).
So let's look at an example of what ThinkProgressyve thinks "either ignore(s) or completely misrepresent(s) the lawmakers’ record". Had a young soldier or Marine gone to Rep. Moran's website, what would he have seen? Under Issues -> Iraq:
Congressman Moran believes that the war in Iraq is the most pressing issue facing our country today. An early and outspoken opponent of the war, Congressman Moran voted against authorizing the President to go to war, co-authoring the Democratic alternative resolution which required President Bush to fully exhaust all diplomatic options before taking military action. He was also the original author of legislation that required the Defense Department, for the first time, to begin providing Congress with regular reports detailing how military operations were progressing in Iraq.A member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, the Congressman continues to be a leading voice for the immediate redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq. His view is that our troops are caught in the crossfire of an Iraqi civil war, one which is putting their lives at great risk for an undefined mission that cannot be won militarily. The U.S. has lost roughly 3,000 lives and has spent over $400 billion in Iraq, with no signs slowing.
Congressman Moran is also concerned that the war in Iraq has damaged our country’s reputation as the leader of the free world, which is imperiling our ability to fight the global war on terrorism. He believes that the military is stretched too thin, with vital resources being diverted from the mission in Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden and efforts to stop the growth of global terror groups.
A senior member of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, Congressman Moran will be working with other top Democrats and Republicans to devise a new way forward on Iraq. He will continue pressuring the Bush Administration to change course and begin the drawdown of our forces in Iraq.
So just how does this conflict with the "cherrypicked statements" listed on Moran's bio? Answer: it doesn't. How would the Representative's own statement play with the average person deployed to Iraq? Answer: not well. Let's take a look at his proposed legislation:
12. H.AMDT.197 to H.R.1585 Amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees a report that contains a plan for the transfer of each individual presently detained at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under the control of the Joint Task Force Guantanamo, who is or has ever been classified as an "enemy combatant".
Wow - that's going to win him a lot of friends among the military. How about his voting record? Here's where things really get interesting.
ThinkProgressyve, evidently not understanding what it was saying, fulminates:
Moran’s bio says that he “[v]oted NO on legislation requiring the withdrawal of U S troops from Iraq within 120 days of the bill’s enactment.” In reality, Moran voted “yes.” He also voted for Tauscher’s dwell-time legislation.
Now correct us if we're wrong, but wouldn't voting "NO" to stop the Surge be a GOOD thing in the eyes of most deployed troops? Are the folks at ThinkProgressyve seriously complaining about what appears to be a clerical error that made Rep. Moran appear BETTER in the eyes of most military folks than either his actual record or the material on his congressional web site would have?
Some nefarious plot.
You know, it's really incredible what the antiwar Left will stoop to. They can only explain our troops' continuing high morale and commitment to staying the course by telling themselves the troops are stupid, uneducated, and ill-informed. But when they hear that the troops are finding out the voting records of their elected officials and reading their statements about the war they are fighting (surely relevant information), they scream like wounded banshees. Biased information, they scream! They don't want the troops to see this kind of spin.
Instead, they'd like the troops to see the brand of spin the candidates produce for themselves. It's so much more honest and unpartisan.
Then there's the problem of inaccuracy. Someone made a mistake with Rep. Moran's voting record... that made him look BETTER! It's a conspiracy, you know.
And then there's the sinister matter of leaving off a vote that took place only a few weeks ago:
She did vote that way — in May. On Aug. 2, Tauscher voted in favor of her own bill, which mandates that troops be granted a leave from combat at least as long as their last combat deployment before being shipped back to Iraq. That vote might have been a little too popular with the soldiers she was meeting, Tauscher said.
Soldiers are so easy. You can buy their loyalty with just a few weeks' leave, you know.
The point about Tauscher's combat leave bill only highlights how poorly the antiwar left understands the military. This is what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs had to say about a similar provision floated earlier this year:
The Democrats' plan, which centers on the withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces by September 2008, includes requirements that until then troops spend a minimum amount of time at their home bases before being redeployed.The required rest periods would stop the U.S. military from reaching its plan of having 20 combat brigades deployed to Iraq. And at times, it could leave as few as 14 brigades on the battlefield, Pace said.
"We would have 45-day gaps, which would mean that part of a territory would basically be vacated to the enemy and ... you would have to fight your way back in," Pace said.
This is what happens when you have Congress trying to usurp the job of the Executive branch and micromanage the running of wars. Refighting our way back in means twice as many Americans die to hold the same ground. Just so Ellen Tauscher (pronounced TAU-sher) can say she voted to let them go on leave.
Thanks. But no thanks. As a Marine wife whose husband is currently deployed to Iraq, helping the Democrats win the 2008 election just doesn't seem quite that important to me.
Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a clue train
Oh clue train take this country,
come take me home again
Clue train sounding louder
Glide on the clue train
Come on now clue train
Yes, clue train, holy roller
Everyone jump upon the clue train
Come on now clue train
Get your bags together,
go bring your good friends too!
Cause it's getting nearer,
it soon will be with you
Now come and join the clueful,
it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer,
soon it will all be true!
Posted by Cassandra at September 1, 2007 12:53 PM
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Comments
Refighting our way back in means twice as many Americans die to hold the same ground.
Gee, just like the Lib complaints about the way we fought in Vietnam.
Except we weren't fighting to hold ground, at least in the hinterlands. We'd go in, clean house, then leave. We'd wait for a while, knowing the VC or NVA would re-occupy, then we'd go in again. Then leave.
The strategy was to attrit the enemy, not hold ground and make it safe for the population. Letting him re-occupy territory he'd previously been evicted from saved a lot of time going looking for him.
Sometimes it was worth the price we paid, but once the Gang of LBJ assured the North Viets that Haiphong port operations wouldn't be interrupted, the rail lines from the PRC would not be attacked and they would be allowed to build as many SAM sites as they wanted without being disturbed, the attrition strategy should have been abandoned.
Iraq is a different war against a different enemy and we can't play nice. The troops are tough and they understand what's at stake; tell them to do something and *explain why* and they'll come through every time.
In Vietnam, we (meaning us, the dogtag-wearers) didn't fight for national political intangibles. Our world was narrowed to "club members" -- guys in our own units, neighboring ones and those we flew out to support. In this particular war, as far as the troops are concerned, every American is a club member. You may not be able to see or feel the dogtags around your neck, but they're there.
Al-Q sees them, even if you don't...
Posted by: BillT at September 1, 2007 05:59 PM
Told ya!!!!
Actually, I cheated: I had seen that over at Think Progress from a leftard link on a forum I frequent.
I guess Think Progress doesn't think those in the military should have the Free Speech rights that they fight to protect for nutters like Think Progress.
Posted by: William Teach at September 1, 2007 09:22 PM
guess Think Progress doesn't think those in the military should have the Free Speech rights
No, it's worse than that. It's the projection that is so typical of them: "Bush lies to the troops, and treats them like drones and pawns in his ego-driven war." Meanwhile, they get bent out of shape when, despite their constant accusations of ill-informed automatons doing Bush's bidding, it turns out that our military volunteers are quite well informed.
I've long lost patience with our so-called leaders not possessing even the modicum of honor and honesty required to stand up for their votes, decisions and rhetoric, and the media that runs cover for them. It's about damned time that they are all held to a standard that imposes responsibility and accountability for their power-at-any-cost craven political posturing, even in this relatively small arena.
More of the same, please.
Posted by: Daveg at September 2, 2007 09:17 AM
Meanwhile, they get bent out of shape when...it turns out that our military volunteers are quite well informed.
They can't *handle* the truth!
How about a hot, steamin' cup of STFU, ThinkProgressyve?
Posted by: BillT at September 2, 2007 09:49 AM
How about strapping them on a clue train bound for another train, Bill? Then we could have one of the old Western train demolition expositions.
Posted by: Ymarsakar at September 2, 2007 11:05 AM
I'd prefer an Addam's Family standard train ending, myself, Ymar.
Posted by: Sly2017 at September 2, 2007 11:15 AM
Amazing how some pols actually believe that our military is comprised of conscript trailer trash who coudln't make it in the real world.
How disconcerting when confronted with a straight-talking, well-informed, volunteer soldier holding them accountable for their duplicity. It would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic.
These pols live out where the 'clue' trains don't run. In fact, these democrats missed the train (of thought) long ago.
I'm proud of our men and women in uniform who roasted their butt! I wish I could have been there! Any of this on YouTube by the way?
Posted by: vet66 at September 2, 2007 01:28 PM
I just noticed that law that Moran is so proud of getting passed about forcing the DOD to provide timely updates on how the war is progressing. Since one of my duties while I was stationed at the Pentagon during the Kennedy and early LBJ era was pulling together the briefing books for the generals, SecDef, etc as well as the ones forwarded to the Congress, Senate and President, I know that the kind of information he was demanding was a part and parcel of what went into those books so that was such a feel-good, looks good in print law that actually accomplished nothing. Moran is a disgrace to the Congress in the first place and this just shows him up for what he is.
Posted by: dick at September 2, 2007 08:01 PM
I'd prefer an Addam's Family standard train ending, myself, Ymar.
I can contribute 100 feet of parachute cord and an e-tool to excavate between the ties, Sly...
Posted by: BillT at September 2, 2007 10:13 PM