Bush has lost the military, and with good reason.

[G_j]

http://www.blah3.com/article.php?story=20070715104846784

Bush has lost the military, and with good reason.

Sunday, July 15 2007 @ 10:48 EDT
Contributed by: Stranger

Today's New York Times article, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/us/15protest.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin,
about rising anti-war sentiment within the military is a real eye-opener. Families of soldiers, and even soldiers themselves, are coming to the conclusion that Iraq is a lost cause, and there are more of them every day. A few snips from the article:

Cpl. April Ponce De Leon describes herself and her husband as “gung-ho marines,” and in two weeks she deploys to Iraq, where her husband has been fighting since March.

But she says she stopped believing in the war last month after a telephone conversation with him.

“He started telling me that he doesn’t want me to go and do the things he has been doing,” said Corporal Ponce De Leon, 22, speaking by telephone as she boxed up her belongings in their apartment near Camp Lejeune, N.C.

“He said that ‘we have all decided that it’s time for us to go home.’ I said, ‘You mean go home and rest?’ And he said, ‘I mean go home and not go back.’

<...>

[aquart]

1. Yeah. I'd stop worrying about Bush declaring martial law.

The last thing he wants to do is lead a parade with armed American soldiers.

[John Q. Citizen]

16. He will use mercenaries.

[seemslikeadream]

2. They say

The War on Error

[Contrary1]

3. This is the first time I have read anything like this:

"In the 2006 fiscal year, the Army reported that 3,196 soldiers had deserted, compared with 2,543 in fiscal year 2005 and 2,357 soldiers in fiscal year 2004. In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1,871 soldiers deserted."

The wheels are falling off Lil W's wagon.

[cassiepriam]

8. The desertions have been happening for some time now.

But it has been kept quiet.

[Subdivisions]

9. I wonder how that compares to US defections during Vietnam &

World Wars I & II. I'll try to find out but if anyone has a source for these figures already, I'd appreciate the help :).

[mopinko]

13. your sig pic sucks, man.

disembodied tits? wtf.

[TahitiNut]

10. The increase in desertions probably has as much to do with lowered recruiting standards ...

... as it does the administration policies. :shrug:

[TomClash]

4. He didn't tell them what the real mission was

In three parts:

1. Get him re-elected

2. Increase profits for Big Oil and Defense

3. Increase the power of the Executive - in effect, create a road map for a fascist state

[americanstranger]

5. Thanks for the link, G_j!

That Times article is scathing - you've got military members actively speaking out and military family members lining up against Bush's War.

For all that Congress has not been able to do against this war, it's articles like these that will further turn the tide against Bush. Most of the public probably still believe that the military is in Bush's corner, and this will make the scales fall away from many an American's eyes.

The Bush dead-enders will have two choices - get on the bus and admit that Bush lost his tragic crusade, or criticize the military they claim to respect. Sadly, I think we can predict which road they'll take.

-as

[G_j]

21. this is why military censorship has increased

blogging is now a no-no

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. Senator Webb mentioned this article on MTP this morning. Graham's response:

"The soldiers keep going back to Iraq because they've seen the face of the enemy."

God, I hope Graham's blathering get some exposure, what a weird scary guy.

[w8liftinglady]

19. he kept going on about the high re-enlistment rate,too-

that'll come to an end when there's no one left to re-enlist

[Danieljay]

7. Bush has lost his mind, and can't reason. n/t

[Frances]

11. "I am not going back"

That's what a soldier sitting next to me on an airplane said last month.

I had not said a word to him the whole flight because I wanted him to be able to rest. But when we were just 15 minutes from landing, he began talking to me.

I didn't say much except that I was just happy he had made it home safe. He said his group lost someone every day. I think he was focused on two things: the ones that won't be coming home and the ones that would be taking his group's place. He said his group was on the way to a training session so that the replacements wouldn't have it as hard as his group did.

He said he would fight and die for his country but that he wanted to fight and die for a reason. He said that the only reason we were in Iraq was to make Bush's pals rich.

So sad.

[Mrs. Overall]

12. I guess the troops aren't supporting the troops.

[cui bono]

14. Yeah, well that's no surprise. Look at their last name. Damn French!

:sarcasm:

[K8-EEE]

15. I noticed in 2004 they weren't bragging about the military vote

Having met so many Iraq war vets at protests I think I know why. They lost them years ago, these are the people paying the price for the planned "catastrophic success" of the BushCo Oil Corp.

[Swamp Rat]

17. Yes, he's killing them.

[Vincardog]

18. That explains why the rePIGlickins are caging the military

[mod mom]

20. but he has a militia in Blackwater.