Millitary Support is Deserting the GOP

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   Leta Sposted 14 years ago

   Jon Soltz, former Captain, Operation Iraqi Freedom, writes that military support for the Democratic party:
   
   
   "...is about to be fast tracked, as Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney take control of Republican messaging, ideals, practices, and policies.
   
   Ideals that include torturing detainees, hoping for a "24-like" moment that neatly helps dismantle terrorist networks, instead of giving them their best recruiting tool.
   
   It goes against everything we learn in the Army Field Manual (which forbids torture), and what we know works on the ground. For example, when we urgently needed information about insurgents in Iraq, we didn't bring in a local leader and torture him, no matter what. Doing so would have only inflamed things and made it impossible for us to effectively operate in an area again.
   
   Practices based on use of force first, like Newt Gingrich's odd contention that if he was President, he'd go into North Korea and bomb away to destroy their missiles, unphased by what that would actually mean."
   
   Agree or disagree.

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      livewithrichardposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, and disagree with the Captain.  Torture is affective in only a handful of senarios where there is an eminent threat.  I'm talking hours not days.  It is not condoned by the military, however it is "contracted" out.  And to be honest, as a civilian now, I'd rather not know about it.  That may sound like a cop out but do we really need that much transparency?
      
      He's right that we're not going to go scoop up the local leader and incite more trouble.  We are going to dump boat loads of money on him through small scouting parties.  This is how the new (don't laugh) military intelligence works. 
      
      Gingrich is a fool if he thinks we (Americans) can rush into North Korea, John Wayne style, and blast away without reaping heaps of trouble from China and Russia.  Just like we can't rush into Iran and destroy their nuclear ambitions without them retaliating through proxies on Isreal.  Notice how Iran is building up its warship fleet in the Gulf of Aden. It's like they're showing off their might and tempting Isreal to strike first.
      
      Sorry if I rambled on...

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   AlexiusComnenusposted 14 years ago

   Being military I can honestly say at my time on bases I have only seen 2 republican bumper stickers. The ratio is like 100:1. I'm mixed but I can say that the military is definitely talking "lefter and lefter"

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      Leta Sposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe Colin Powell is their example.  Yeah, Alexius.  From what I've seen of the former military I know, I think you are right.

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   countrywomenposted 14 years ago

   Joseph Stalin said "No man no problem". Look what that hard line approach got him in the end. Even his legacy (the statue) was toppled as soon as people could get there hands on it. There is bound to be backlash sooner or later. And for lasting peace violence can never be the solution. Violence will beget violence. Resorting to military adventurism without exploring diplomatic alternatives is always fraught with dangerous results. I hope we learn from History our mistakes and not repeat them.
   
   PS: I think President Obama is a quick learner.

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      Leta Sposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Very well stated, I think, CW. 
      
      How was your work day? ...I'm tired,

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         countrywomenposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, Lita. I hope folks like Newt Gingrich would never come to the corridors of power anytime soon. I just wish people in power think things through instead of thinking in short time and feeling "mission accomplished" way before any results are realistically possible. I feel that the road to peace is a difficult one but then that is the only one that will realistically last.
         
         Yeah, long day and 4 more days to go

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      puppascottposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I certainly hope we do learn from our mistakes. The sooner we realize that making an honest living in Manhattan makes you deserving of a fiery death by jetliner. We should wrap our collective arms around all those that hate Americans; that'll teach'em. And what a fitting tribute to those that died simply because they got up that day.

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   Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

   Yep puppascott, Just as those hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's arose and died because someone else attacked us.

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      puppascottposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hundreds of thousands? Wow, I must have missed that report.
      
      I suppose informing the Iraqis ahead of time, and expecting them do the right thing to avoid a conflict was too extreme.

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   RKHenryposted 14 years ago

   You know I got asked the other day what my thoughts were on 'ole Dickie Boy.  And I said, "The only reason he is spouting and defending the Bush administration's defense policy- is because he is covering up his tracks, and deterring all directed attention towards him and Bush for war crimes against humanity."  So far, he has managed to do a damn good job of it. 
   
   Now that he has stepped out as a for runner of the GOP party, Cheney has now wiggled his way out of prosecutions sight and has been able to establish his positioning where Obama would never dare press the issue of being a war criminal.  For anybody to think that Dick Cheney is for the American people, and not for himself is well...., is grossly ignorant.
   
   He has raped, robbed and cheated the American tax payers out of so much money, and has been the cause of death for every American who has died over there.  He is as crooked as it gets.  He is a traitor and murderer.  Now, I don't know too many American soldiers who'd follow a traitor like that, for very long.  Cheney counts on the fact that the American people are dumb.  He honestly feels this way. And so far, he is been right.  We just trot along and think nothing about what he has done or what he is doing.  However, the one area that he has made a mistake in miscalculating, was to under estimate the intelligence of our brave American soldiers.  They can smell a rat. And pretty soon- if Cheney doesn't fade off into the shadows soon- he will wished he had.  Because once he loses the support of the military, he is in trouble.  But you wait and see; Cheney is no fool.  He has just about served his purpose for being so out spoken, and in another month- nobody will hear a peep out of him. No, Dickie boy will be sitting in his lazyboy recliner, drinking beer and thinking how he suckers us again.  And after all that's all that Dick Cheney cares about.

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   Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

   How many do you think we killed Puppascott?  And yes we did warn them if they didn't turn over the WMD's they did not have we would attack them.  No matter, many innocent people were killed for no good reason.  I would rather still be arguing with Saddam now than the result we have achieved with our great military action.

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   SparklingJewelposted 14 years ago

   It is interesting how incomplete most people's perception of recent history, or any history for that matter, is. Everyone needs to do more reading on all sides of the aisle, and then come up with their own, still limited perspective-wise, opinion for what "really" happened, in any given historical situation.

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