Herbert: Someone Else's Child (Calls out Chickenhawks)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/20/opinion/20herbert.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

It has become clearer than ever that Americans do not want to fight George W. Bush's tragically misguided war in Iraq.

You can still find plenty of folks arguing that we have to stay the course, or even raise the stakes by sending more troops to the war zone. But from the very start of this war the loudest of the flag-waving hawks were those who were safely beyond military age themselves and were unwilling to send their own children off to fight.

It's easy to be macho when you have nothing at risk. The hawks want the war to be fought with other people's children, while their own children go safely off to college, or to the mall. The number of influential American officials who have children in uniform in Iraq is minuscule.

Most Americans want no part of Mr. Bush's war, which is why Army recruiters are failing so miserably at meeting their monthly enlistment quotas. Desperate, the Army is lowering its standards, shortening tours, increasing bonuses and violating its own recruitment regulations and ethical guidelines.

Americans do not want to fight this war.

[assclown_bush]

1. Until Babs Jr. and Jenna (and Tonic) Bush join the frontline...

the enlistment numbers will continue to stay well below par. Why in the world would anyone enlist when it is pretty much a guarantee that one will have to go to Iraq to fight?
Anyone who gets caught starting the Draft is gonna get nailed big time. Democrats must not vote for the Draft. Or there will be hell to pay. If the U.S. goes to war with Iraq, then the Draft is pretty much guaranteed. Let the rePUGS take the fall. They broke it....they own it. And if the Draft comes? HELL NO I WON'T GO!!!

:mad:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[Stuckinthebush]

3. In the meantime

Can we impeach and imprison Bush for causing such a colossal failure based on "fixed" intelligence? Or do we just let him get a pass?

I'm for setting a date in the near future that we will begin to pull out, go to the international community with our tail between our legs and ask for help, agree to pay the majority of costs for the UN and international community to clean up our mess, and get the hell out.

As long as we stay there, we are a magnet for anti-American fighters - and believe me, there are many around the world. Nothing good will come from our staying in Iraq. We are hated there and in the rest of the world now, and our presence is fuel to a raging fire.

We need to publicly apologize to the world and begin to find a way that the world community will help us get out of this mess. But first, we have to imprison the criminals who started this thing before the world will take us seriously.

The reality is that our country is too weak to do the right thing in that regard.

[geckosfeet]

5. How do you end a war wrong ?

We either stay there and impose our occupation indefinitely, continue the crazy policy that is in place, or make it clear to the Iraqis that they are on their own asap.

There are more Iraqis being killed daily now, than US soldiers and insurgents. Why are the Iraqis ignored in this equation of evacuation?

We went in there, killed thousands, and have caused thousands to die. The country is destroyed.

When we left Viet Nam the country healed. Iraq may not heal the same way, and indeed a fundamentalist regime may slide right in, but that is the consequence of our ill advised aggression.

Saddam was a bastard, but at least he knew what was going there and was able to control it. Bush is a simple arrogant rich kid with some new toys. Leaving this in his hands is probably the worst thing for the Iraqi people and the future of the United States.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Then Nobody Should Fight This War

[phantom power]

6. "I would not want my children to go."

"I would not want my children to go. If there wasn't a war it would be different. I support the war and I think we need to be there. But it's not going well. It's becoming like Vietnam. It's a very bad situation. But we can't leave."

What the hell is the matter with people? "I would not want my children to go, but I support the war."

How can you say something like that, and look at yourself in the mirror? She should try saying that to the face of the mothers who've already lost a child in Iraq.

[Puzzler]

7. Yeah...

... the fact that people can be that hypocritical about something so screamingly obvious and unfair, is proof-positive of the GOP's culture of greed and arrogance.


-P

[neverforget]

8. entitlement or something for free, that's what is wrong with these people.

[Danmel]

9. Ridgewood is WAY upscale

Real mansions, and Mcmansions too. Not at all surprising that that is the attitude I think everyone who voted for Bush and his wet dream war should march right over to the recruiting stations and sign themselves and theirs kids up. They bought it- they should pay for it.