Scoop’s Views

While listening to the the Senate hearings last week on the conflict in Iraq, I became sick to my stomach by the way the politicians were demanding clear cut answers, but also by comments that were made.

Congress — both the Senate and the House — have responsibility to all U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else U.S. troops are deployed. They, along with the president, should be holding the U.S. troops with higher regard than anyone else in this country, yet it seems just the opposite.

It’s sickening, also, to see all three “presidential” candidates back in Washington for the faux hearings with General David Petraeus as one of the main people the senators all want to skewer. The three “candidates” have avoided their Washington duties — the jobs which they are currently being paid to do, yet are neglecting while raising millions of dollars for their presidential bids — to the point of missing key votes in recent months. Let Gen. Petraeus come to Washington to talk about how things are playing out in Iraq, and well, all three make a bee line back for D.C. I guess it’s true that the rain really does bring the roaches out — or home.

The U.S. troops in Iraq are doing a fine job, although sometimes with one arm tied behind their back. They are supposed to be, at this point, anyway, acting as little more than “police officers” in what’s basically a war zone, though no war has been declared. If they act to defend themselves, God forbid they accidentally shoot an “innocent” civilian who was in the middle of the firefight.

For all the elected officials in this country, as well as every citizen, skipping over all who are combat veterans of land warfare: Do you support the troops? Would you stand beside the U.S. troops? Would you stand beside them — shoulder-to-shoulder in Iraq or Afghanistan? If you don’t want to stand behind our troops, as the sign below says: please, by all means, feel free to stand directly in front of them — in Iraq or Afghanistan. Your choice.

For Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), let’s issue each of them an M16A2 rifle, a Kevlar vest and helmet, put them in an armored HumVee, and send them into Tikrit for a month or so — just so they know, as potential Commander-In-Chief, what ground combat is all about.

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