Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

The soldier did not like my words criticizing the President:

I am sorry; you cannot support me if you do not support my commander in chief. I do not want your "support." Leave me alone.

It's not that simple, soldier, and you must know that.

To me, Support the Troops isn't a battle cry - it's a responsibility. And I personally don't think the President and his administration are doing all they can in their power to honor your service. They're talking the talk - but they're not walking the walk.

I think that the incessant Support the Troops meme covers up the blameworthy fact that, in reality, ribbons and rhetoric are doing more harm than good for the people who serve our nation. They use it to cover up the fact that magnets and words of honor and glory don't do much for a soldier returning home with severe physical or psychological wounds. Money and a commitment to their welfare are what's needed most by our troops -- on and off the battlefield --  not poetic devices that stir national pride.

Fortunately, we've found a measure of common ground on this one when you wrote:

Those yellow magnets just anger me in general. The real reason people get those things is so they won't feel guilty about making absolutely no sacrifices to help America win the war. People who display them think that paying a few bucks for a magnet constitutes "supporting the troops." Well, how about doing something useful, like sending a deployed soldier a letter or, better yet, join the military. This war is truly a war that asks for the sacrifice of only a small fraction of America. This is why people were apt to support the war at the beginning, and now they can so easily decide not to support it. [...] Given that the main thing the general public is doing to support the war is to slap a yellow ribbon on their car, how can you expect people to realize what is really going on?

Man, you really said it, soldier. No mincing words. Can you believe that we're in agreement?

One question: how often do you hear our President or other Republican leaders say the same thing you just said? Where is the call for enlistment coming from their side? Where is their call for a letter-writing campaign to our troops serving overseas? The President just had a perfect opportunity before him on Tuesday to ask more of our nation; to ask others to serve as you have; to put out a call for shared sacrifice. Why didn't he?

16,420 of our severely wounded OIF veterans deserve better. At least 16,000 of our OEF and OIF returning veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] deserve better, too. You deserve better, soldier.

Do you remember hearing the phrase 'Put your money where your mouth is' as a kid? Well, President Bush isn't doing it. The Republicans in charge of funding the VA aren't doing it. And yet, you're mad at us liberals?

Honestly, a lot of liberals who say they "support the troops" simply use the phrase as a political tool to oppose the war. When Michael Moore throws numbers around on soldiers killed and uses their names and pictures, he really doesn't give a damn about the soldiers, but he knows he can stir up emotion from the public.

Woa, now. I'm going to have to disagree with you, soldier.

How do you know for a fact that Michael Moore doesn't care about the soldiers? Can you see into his brain, into his heart? What about his deeds? Do you see anything in this man's background that might show that he consistently cares about the common man -- about the union worker, the soldier, the small communities around the country?

Yet, you think that President Bush has got your back. What examples of that do you have, soldier?

::

Don't Support the Troops - Just Support the Mission

Did you happen to notice what was missing in Tuesday's State of the Union address?

Re-read what the President had to say about you. These lines are the only lines I found in the entire speech directly speaking to the needs of our men and women in uniform:

Our men and women in uniform are making sacrifices -- and showing a sense of duty stronger than all fear. They know what it's like to fight house to house in a maze of streets, to wear heavy gear in the desert heat, to see a comrade killed by a roadside bomb. And those who know the costs also know the stakes. Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay was killed last month fighting in Fallujah. He left behind a letter to his family, but his words could just as well be addressed to every American. Here is what Dan wrote: "I know what honor is. ... It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to.... Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting."

Staff Sergeant Dan Clay's wife, Lisa, and his mom and dad, Sara Jo and Bud, are with us this evening. Welcome. (Applause.)

Our nation is grateful to the fallen, who live in the memory of our country. We're grateful to all who volunteer to wear our nation's uniform -- and as we honor our brave troops, let us never forget the sacrifices of America's military families. (Applause.)

Did you notice that none of the following words were uttered by the President on Tuesday?

• wounded
  
• injured
  
• veteran

No mention of the number of troops killed to date (one woman wasn't afraid to do this, even though they did their best to humiliate her for daring to do it). No mention of Congress' need to fund the underfunded Veterans Administration fully.  Not one word given to show that our President cares about issues affecting our wounded soldiers. No specific thanks even given to those same wounded troops. And of the fallen, all he had to offer was the statement that "we're grateful." Of course we're grateful. That's it?

Yet, you paint liberals as the ones who don't have your back?

If you do not support my mission, you do not support me.

Well, the President seems to be channeling your view on this one, soldier.

He called Americans to "stand behind the American military in this vital mission." Is he saying we're supposed to show our support of the troops by supporting the Iraq War policy -- no matter how ineptly planned, anemically equipped, monetarily mismanaged, or unnecessarily ventured into to begin with? That's the supreme way to support them? That seems like a convenient deflection, doesn't it?

Does this mean that supporting the troops no longer means actually adequately providing for them in battle or upon their return home to us? We can best support them by giving our blessing to the mission itself (and by implication, its architects) and not worrying about what happens to the solidiers and marines after they get back from this mission? How self-serving is this of the President and his party? I'm not buying it. Supporting the troops means a lot more than merely supporting the policies that sent them into harm's way.

To me, supporting the troops means supporting each individual airman, sailor, soldier or marine -- not merely the mission they've been sent on. Each and every one deserves our nation's support in both words and deeds -- the tangible kind.

What a difference a year makes, soldier.

::

Their Rhetoric Before Reality Crashed Down on Them

The rhetoric: Last year, in 2005's State of the Union, President Bush said:

I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory.

The reality: The New York Times tells us that:

[A] secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor." Body armor "has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field.

The rhetoric: Bush, again in his 2005 SOTU said:

The volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day they are making our nation more secure. Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover.

The reality: Just last week we heard of the Pentagon's proposal to triple Tricare insurance costs for retired military families. Army Times explains:

The plan, being considered as part of the 2007 budget request to be unveiled Feb. 6, would increase Tricare fees for retirees under age 65 beginning Oct. 1.

Increases would be substantial -- as much as $1,200 more a year by 2009 -- with no end in sight because the plan calls for annual rate hikes in 2010 and beyond that would match inflation.

More reality: The Republican-led Congress (under the leadership of our President) has left the Veterans Administration [VA] underfunded by $1 billion last year alone. Looking at one issue specifically, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] -- an important issue that I've been reporting on since September -- the Bush administration has greatly underestimated the funds needed by the VA to detect and treat it. All the while a national crisis brews.

From the Washington Post:

The Bush administration, already accused by veterans groups of seeking inadequate funds for health care next year, acknowledged yesterday that it is short $1 billion for covering current needs at the Department of Veterans Affairs this year.

The disclosure of the shortfall angered Senate Republicans who have been voting down Democratic proposals to boost VA programs at significant political cost. Their votes have brought the wrath of the American Legion, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and other organizations down on the GOP. ...

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee covering veterans affairs and the lead sponsor of Senate Democratic efforts to add $1.9 billion to the VA budget, accused the Bush administration of unwillingness "to make the sacrifices necessary to fulfill the promises we have made to our veterans."

In a rare display of bipartisanship on the polarized issue of veterans spending, [Sen. Larry E.] Craig [R-Idaho] appeared with Murray at the news conference and said he agreed with many of her comments.

Did you catch that, soldier?

Both Democrats and Republicans are less than thrilled with the President's attention to veteran's issues. Even Senator Kerry -- a former combat veteran himself who was smeared by the Bush Administration -- is doing more for you, soldier, than our current President.

These were his recent comments:

Of all the things I've thought most about over the last year since the election, what's most disgusting to me is how ignored and forgotten and discarded the people I fought for have been by Washington. I'd love to have a debate about whether patriotism is giving speeches about veterans and then having a 1.2 billion dollar hole in our veterans budget, or whether it's actually going out and providing for veterans who come home from a war with all kinds of scars from the battlefield, visible or invisible.

There's a lot more we need to do, but it will only happen if we raise hell about it and organize around it. I int[r]oduced a Military Family's Bill of Rights as legislation in this Congress and I've been able -- piece meal -- to pass parts of it to do things like improve housing benefits and death benefits for military families. But talking about PTSD and funding treatment programs and counseling programs is something Washington remains pathetically incompetent at really getting done. It requires pressure -- real pressure -- to do it. Please follow what I'm doing on it, and what people like Rep Lane Evans and others are doing on it because we really need your voice on it. 2006 will be a moment of accountability on this issue if we make it so, and we can especially with so many Iraq War vets running as Democrats.

by John Kerry on Sat Jan 21, 2006 at 12:38:56 PM CST

Sure, the Republicans paint him as though he's not fit to lick the President's boot heel. What do you think, soldier? Does Sen. Kerry have your back or does President Bush?

In my book it's simple: actions speak louder than words.

::

P.S. We may disagree on the war, soldier, but I still thank you every day for your service and sacrifice. My world is not filled with merely black and white -- it's filled with all of the colors of the rainbow and shades of gray, too. I don't consider you or anyone in uniform to be the enemy. Even if you disagree with me. And I pray that someday you'll see that we were fighting for you, not against.

P.P.S. Mr. President, do more for the troops you alone decided to send to war. And stop tearing our nation apart by pitting us against one another.