Webb for Senate - II

Yesterday’s posting on Jim Webb’s candidacy for the U.S. senate from Virginia included a link to a Washington Post story that described his opponent’s major thrust in attempting to hold off the Democrat. Basically, the Republican intends to pooh-pooh Jim Webb’s initial opposition to the Iraq War as a mere “I told you so,” that will turn off conservative Virginians, particularly its many military residents. Here’s that link again:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=admin/registration/login&destination=logout&nextstep=confirm

I think Webb should hammer his initial and continued opposition to the war and to demonstrate how Bush’s folly has damaged our military. This fiasco has wounded our military forces more than any other segment of our society. Today, I’m posting a news article from the New York Times that has to make all thoughtful military folks consider the adverse impacts of the war.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/us/14private.html?ex=1153540800&en=b19eb45a4c0bee62&ei=5070&emc=eta1

In listening to el Rushbo when running my errands, I find that he occasionally has military officers with hard right wing leanings rant about how they should be given license to really run amok in Iraq. But most of the uniformed people I’ve known over the years have been very even handed in their politics and most realize the down side of what is happening to our forces.

Today’s posting makes mincemeat of the Pentagon’s propaganda on how well recruiting is going. Obviously, age, intellect, physical and moral standards have been compromised in order to hit the numbers. I do not for an instant believe that the standards have been lowered to the point that the subject of the article, the soldier alleged to have raped and murdered a young Iraqi woman and to have killed her family, is anything but an isolated case, but clearly the officers and non-coms have their hands full in dealing with the less qualified people now coming into the force.

I’m convinced that military residents of Virginia will embrace Jim Webb’s candidacy and compare him favorably with the chicken hawks who so aggressively rush our troops into harm’s way but who were themselves too tied up with important things to serve. Webb is a true American hero who put his life on the line in Vietnam. President Bush and many others in the lead in Iraq understand military service from a merely theoretical position. But they’re always ready to stand by as those who really fought are slimed and Swift Boated.

Had Enough? Vote Democrat!

Blog on!

Wild Bill.