Mike, don't hide behind a "you're a pacifist" defense. Everyone knows that mistakes are made. The issue isn't whether those who conduct wars should be perfect The issue is whether this administration, conducting the war in Iraq, has met even minimum standards of competency, not perfection.
The answer to that question is clearly that it has NOT. The reasons articulated for the conflict were erroneous, the "what if this happens" planning was an utter failure, the speed and efficiency of its reactions to events occurring on the ground were dismal, it has done little or nothing to hold those who have failed in this process accountable, and now it is making serial excuses and has evidently placed a greater value on holding a budget than on ordering life saving armor for the men and women who fight the war. That's all WAY TOO CLEAR to ignore.
The question is why you alternate from one day criticizing such incompetence to the next day excusing it as "not all wars are perfect?" At least I am consistent in my "soldiers up" view of the war and in placing the highest priority on going, and staying, at war only when it is absolutely the only viable solution and then only when the mission can be accomplished through force of arms.
If you believe that my opposition to a war which was not a "last resort," which was doomed to failure from it's inception, and which has proven multiple times to have been based on fallacious assumptions, makes me a "pacifist" then you need to rethink your definition of pacifism.
If you think that my assessment of the Rumsfeld and Bush as not being truly "compassionate" toward the soldiers who are fighting, killing and becoming casualties of the war because they don't do enough to protect the troops and say such things as "bring em on" and "you go to war with the army you have," and "soldiers always complain," is erroneous, then you haven't been listening to their words or you simply don't hold the same "compassion" toward the soldiers that I hold.
If you think my criticism of them for not doing more to get the best body and vehicle armor for the soldiers is just my trying to place a "perfection" standard on them, then you fail to understand the difference between perfect versus competent.
I repeat my earlier statement, "You evidently think this is good enough. I don't think it is nearly good enough." Ed |
