If you were not watching Bill Maher last night, here is just a small part of one of the most articulate military critiques of Republicans and the pajama-clad, dribble-pantsed warriors of the Bush Administration I have ever heard.
It was delivered by retired Army Major General Paul D. Eaton who was the original Commander in charge of training Iraqi troops. Note to Democrats: This man should be encouraged to run for office (VP anyone?).
The reticence of many retired military officers to call a spade a spade, makes Eaton the easy choice to be the latest recipient of The Jim Webb, which as you may know we award to those public servants who stand up to the bullies on the Right and tell them where to stick it in very plain language (previous winners: Eliot Spitzer and Carol Shea-Porter):
We've got this thing that so many military believe that Republican administrations are good for the military. That is rarely the case. And, we have to get a message through to every soldier, every family member, every friend of soldiers that the Republican party, the Republican dominated Congress has absolutely been the worst thing that's happened to the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps.There is much more where this quote came from. John has the video over at Crooks & Liars.
Watch it.
posted by Cliff Schecter @ 2:40 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I just watched that video and Bill had asked the one thing that has been driving me crazy for the last 4 years, and that is, what in the world endears these military families to George W. Bush. My husbands cousin is a recently retired career military man. He retired as a General. This guy thinks the world revolves around this president and that he is the best thing that could ever happen to this country. It boggles my mind. He also is a real fan of Fox News.
Is there some kind of de-programing some of these guys need or what? This guy isn't just a desk puppet either. He used to fly helicopters into heated battles in Viet Nam and retrieve the wounded. Sometimes, he would use his helicopter as a decoy to bring the fire away from other helicopters going in. Yet, he thinks that Bush did the right thing by starting this war.
It just boggles the mind....
Cliff, can you drop me an email? I have a question for you about your book.
comments@ohdave.net
Mary Ellen
I agree with you - I've never ever been able to figure out why it is considered positive for the Military when a man who has never ever served, and in fact, ducked his military service, sends their children into a meatgrinder for an ideology.
I believe there is a programming going on in the military - or maybe it's just hard to separate supporting the troops from supporting Draft Dodger Dick and Gunshy Bushie.
It seems a bit shortsighted for the people who are being sacrificed to actually not see what is happening to them, or maybe they are just totally frightened to look at their circumstance.
They are simply pawns in the game of Bush War. Perhaps that reduces their "mission" in their own minds, which would not allow them to function?
After all, if you don't believe it's ok to murder women and children for an ideologue, why would you be there? Kind of makes serving in Iraq a bit fat lie.
Sniff... That makes me so happy!
I thought he was the best thing on the show Friday night. Roseanne was good too, because she stuck to her through-line like a, you should excuse the expression, bulldog.
I know a kid who just got back from Iraq, alive and unharmed (!) who went NOT because of the usual ideological stuff, but because he needed to prove something to himself emotionally (a struggle with his father, his own manhood, and more). He wasn't "for" the invasion, this was personal. It was rather startling to me, that he'd put himself in the line of fire in this particular war, for those reasons.
Maybe there was more to it, but that's what his mom told me.
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