The ‘Support the Troops’ Republicans

The “Support the Troops” Republicans

Pat Tillman (left) and his brother Kevin.

You can't say that with a straight face anymore.

It just rings false, because now we know the truth. We've seen it through their
actions, or rather, their inactions. Iraq has pulled back the facade
for all to see.

I wrote this
almost two years ago. This
almost one year ago. This
post written in June 2006.

Between and beyond those posts I have written countless others about the damage
done to our military
through Republican negligence. Among them are these posts here,
here, facts
on the 2007
Defense budget, with more on weaponry
and defense, which doesn't even include all the swiftboating
done by Republicans, most of whom never wore the uniform.

VoteVets is now
going on the air against
Jim Talent in Missouri, as they have against
George Allen, too. The myth
about Republicans “supporting our troops” is finally being dismantled,
with more Democratic veterans running for office this year than at any time
in modern history.

The generals
helped push back against Republican policies, but then they became targets
of the “support
the troops” Republicans, with more here,
here, here,
here, here.

But the Republican legacy from Iraq will take years to fix, with evidence here.
Not to mention where this
kind of foreign policy is leading our country, which is also covered here,
here, here.
Who can forget “Operation
Swarmer”? Or using
our troops in photo ops, also covered here.
Then there is the damage to our troops physical and mental health, like PTSD,
due to a policy that abuses their pledge to serve. More here,
the backdoor
draft, more here,
which is why Republicans are losing
our soldiers, while not
counting them all.

Today, Kevin Tillman offers a stirring tribute to his brother. Tillman cites,
with outrage, how Bush and the Republican led Congress have betrayed the troops'
trust. I offer part of what he said below to remind everyone that when Republicans
talk about “supporting the troops,” it's an election year slogan,
not a pact or pledge.

… Much has happened since we handed over our voice: Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that. Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is. Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military. Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat. Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes. Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground. … After Pat’s Birthday, by Kevin Tillman

NOTE: The photo is courtesy the Tillman Family. “Pat Tillman (left) and his brother Kevin on the righstand in front of a Chinook helicopter in Saudi Arabia before their tour of duty as Army Rangers in Iraq in 2003.”

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