Yesterday CNN ran clips of the same 3 or 4 people saying they support Bush, but the clips of the people against the escalation plan were numerous. One clip they ran for support of the plan came from Iraq, where a member of the military thought it was a good idea. Now we got the WaPo with a story of another soldier, who feels it is not a good plan:
A few hours before another mission into the cauldron of Baghdad, Spec. Daniel Caldwell’s wife instant-messaged him Thursday morning. President Bush, Kelly wrote, wanted to send more than 20,000 U.S. troops and extend deployments in Iraq. Eight weeks pregnant, she was worried.
Caldwell, a tall, lean 20-year-old from Montesano, Wash., wondered whether he would miss the birth of his child. He walked outside and joined his comrades of Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Stryker Brigade. They, too, had heard the news.
Moments before he stepped into his squad’s Stryker — a large, bathtub-shaped vehicle encased in a cage — Caldwell echoed a sentiment shared by many in his squad: “They’re kicking a dead horse here. The Iraqi army can’t stand up on their own.”
(emphasis mine)
Before people jump on the “well of course there are a couple of soldiers who disagree” bandwagon, stop and think about this. You have a soldier publicly speaking against their commander in chief’s new policy. This is something that is relatively unheard of. These soldiers are nearing wits end in Iraq, and Bush is doing nothing to help that.
Something else that hasn’t been talked about, and really should be, is the effect this will have on the soldiers. The military must extend the tours of soldiers who have already been in Iraq for months. Sadly, this new policy has a big chance of resulting in new Haditha or Abu Gharib type incidents, something we can not risk having.
Make no mistake – the soldiers are the ones paying the price in this new plan, and that price is very high. The people cheering Bush on seem to not think about that, or the outcome this actions will have.