"Reinforce Baghdad" with College and Young Republicans!
Two pro-war neocons, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol and National Review editor Rich Lowry, urged President Bush to send more American troops to Baghdad:
We are at a crucial moment in Iraq. Supporters of the war, like us, have in the past differed over tactics. But at this urgent pass, there can be no doubt that we need to stop the downward slide in Iraq by securing Baghdad. There is no mystery as to what can make the crucial difference in the battle of Baghdad: American troops.
Mr. Lawrence J. Korb (former Reagan-era Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Installations and Logistics) and Peter Ogden of the Center for American Progress said it's just not possible. [No money quote; click here to read the whole thing.] But Lowry betrayed his own chickenhawk/Yellow Elephant roots in his response, aptly labeled "Troop Nonsense" [seriously]:
Korb: Already, the stress of Iraq and Afghanistan on our soldiers has been significant: Every available active-duty combat brigade has served at least one tour in Iraq or Afghanistan, and many have served two or three.
Lowry: This speaks to a strain, no doubt. But just because a combat brigade has served once in Iraq or Afghanistan, it doesn’t mean that it can’t go back. The same is true for brigades that have been there more than once. This is a hardship, but I’m guessing if you asked most soldiers if they’d rather avoid the strain, or win in Iraq, they’d take the strain and the victory. (Which is just one of the reasons why they are so amazing.)
[Lowry obviously doesn't know any soldiers. If he did, he'd have said "our soldiers." And, he would have understood the deployment cycle: At best, a unit can only be in the field a third of the time. This was also a problem in the Clinton Administration.]
There is one thing that both Kristol and Lowry can do, right now, to add credibility to their article: Write editorials in their magazines supporting Operation Yellow Elephant in urging all healthy heterosexual Americans 41 and under who support the war to volunteer for military service.
If they won't do even that, then they're just blowing smoke.
posted by Karl @ 9/16/2006 09:47:00 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Karl I thank you and the General for this site. I enjoy it very much. That guy Bill Kristol is a piece of work, I don't much about that guy Lowery. I saw billy boy on Steven Colbert, I am pretty sure you saw it also. Steven asked billy boy why he did serve in Vietnam, billy boy said he was to young to serve. Steven corrected him, you were 19 years old Bill. The look on billy boy's face was priceless and till this day that fool still dares to show his face on TV. Billy boy has four sons of military age, send them to Bagdad, if you get a chance Karl ask billy boy why his kids are not in Iraq. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the tip. I'll follow it up.
It's been a while since we've Asked The Question of someone ineligible to serve who has clearly identifiable eligible relatives and friends.
I just sent that bitch lowery a e-mail, I told him to serve or shut the fuck up.
I suspect that the typical conservative, regardless of physical ability, age, etc., will not enlist to fight in the war their president initiated on false pretenses and which they of course now support.
They should take a lesson from pro-war, conservative Christian Pat Tilam, who gave up a lucrative career in the NFL to enlist, and who, sadly, made the ultimate sacrifice.
Oh, wait - Tilman at best a moderate and also an atheist...
My mistake.
Karl, I need to make a correction, I said that Bill Kristol had four sons. He has one son in the Marine ROTC, two daughters. He is the money quote from Q&A with Brian Lamb on C-span. LAMB: How old are your three kids and what are they doing?
KRISTOL: Our three kids are Rebecca and Joe – I’ve got to get this right because in case they watch this I’ll be in trouble. Rebecca is 23, she graduated from Duke a year-and-a-half ago, almost two years ago I guess now – is working in New York and is engaged to be married in a year to a very nice young man who is at NYU law school. So right now she’s looking for places to get married here in Washington which is so far as I can tell a full-time job for both her and Susan.
Anne is a junior at Wash U. in St. Louis and enjoying it very much, studying history. And Joe is a freshman at Harvard and enjoying it very much and studying politics.
I watched that interview live. I thought he had said he had four sons, must have been someone else. But I did need to correct what I said earlier. He informed me in a e-mail that his son was in the Marine ROTC, and my reply to him, was what about your daughters?
If he e-mail's back I will let you know, what he has to say.
freder421-
Thank you very much for the clarification.
If you'd like, please let me know his e-mail address. You can find mine by clicking on "Karl Olson" on the upper right. I previously sent something just to the generic e-mail address to the Editor of the Weekly Standard.
Our military is 85% male. The greatest needs are for men rather than women, given that not all military jobs are open to women. If William Kristol has one son who is in Marine ROTC, he and his family, though not the Weekly Standard, are off the hook with OYE in my book.
After all, isn't one of our slogans, "Be A Man! Enlist!"?
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