Bush using the Military as Backdrop to hide failures as a president

[Ioo]

I am not sure exactly the words I am looking for, but I think there is something fundamentally pathetic how this administration uses the military as tool of propaganda. Tomorrow, Mr. Bush is going to address the nation, an attempt to convince us that he has a plan. While anyone with class would have addressed us in the oval office, the Map Room, or even the Rose Garden, having a face to face, heart to heart with the American people. Not Bush, he is going to use the military as a backdrop, an attempt to use the war, and the warrior to prop up his failures as a president. I am sure that every soldier in the audience is hand selected to make sure that he gets the "Hooo Ahhhs" he wants.

I, as a veteran, find this whole thing deplorable at best. Contrary to the talking point, this president has done very little to help the military, and even less to help those that have served in the past. He has sent our boys over there without the tools they need to win, he has set them up for failure. Years into this effort, we still have soldiers that lack the basics of warfare. There is no excuse for this.

Allow me to show why there is no excuse, WW2, the US was able to manufacture...

* 297,000 planes
* 86,000 tanks
* 6,500 naval vessels
* 64,500 landing craft
* 5,400 cargo ships
* 315,000 artillery pieces
* 4,200,000 tons of artillery shells
* 17,000,000 rifles

So, why can't we get some body armor, and some humvees?

He will not give then the type of hazard pay they should be getting; I am only assume that this would cut into the Halliburton budget. A soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan (Iraqastain) gets $7 a day in hazard pay.

This Commander in Chief will use the service men and women as a backdrop, but has failed to attend one funeral for one of the fallen. Al Franken has visited Walter Reed more often than Bush has.

Bush has advocated cuts to Veteran re-education programs, Healthcare, prosthetics research, nursing homes, and more. Shame on you Mr. Bush, shame on you for using the military to pay Halliburton, shame on you for using them to prop up your failed Administration.

[cally]

1. * does use the military as a backdrop

He's afraid to speak in front of an audience that isn't commanded to show support. The military and the Iraq war are just props to his political goals. The men and women mean nothing to him or his buddies.

We could easily supply proper supplies to those fighting. There is no excuse for the men and women not having decent supplies and armor. It's all about priorities and profits for Haliburton and tax cuts for the elite are much more important to them than the men and women fighting.

[zbdent]

6. Don't forget the "Turkey-Hawk" incident

where Bush did a "midnight run" to present a plastic turkey to the troops (thus overshadowing a visit by Hillary Clinton - and negating it) for Thanksgiving.

There were enough troopers who were excluded from actually getting a hot meal because of the visiting "Turkey-Hawk" being flown in to the VERY secure airbase . . .

[Uncle Joe]

2. Frontline

Had an excellent program last week were they highlighted the private security force that we have in Iraq. Most Americans know that we have 130000+ troops in Iraq but many may not be aware of the additional guesstimate of at least 40,000-60,000 or more paid private (corporate owned) civilian security personnel, it makes me wonder if their part of the reason that we have a problem of getting enough body armor and armored humvees to our troops.
It was also worthy to note mixing military and civilian mercenaries is a high risk venture, they are not in the same chain of command and the civilians can quit any time they want.

[Javaman]

3. Not defending the moron* but...

During WWII congress enacted the full powers of the War Powers act which allow for the gov't to retool manufacturing plants for war use. Car plants to Tanks, etc...
Some of the corporations negotiated simple contracts, for example $1 dollar lease for the conversion and production of war materials, to be later rewarded with future gov't contracts, while others had regular contracts that would be paid upon delivery of X amount of equipment.

What we are experiencing is the republican version of war on the cheap. Substandard equipment to the lowest bidders and rewarding huge contracts to their buddies.

Wars are expensive and not only did this administration* not plan for the peace they didn't plan for the expense of the war, hence our economic problems.

[Ioo]

4. The point is...

If he wanted to equip them, he could...

[Javaman]

5. Oh of course he could...

Instead of handing out huge pay checks to KBR, Bectel, etc, he could have simply put in a larger order for body armor for the troops.

I still maintain, that he doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself.

colossal jackass*