Obama: Give troops respect, not surprises

[DeepModem Mom]

Des Moines Register: Obama: Give troops respect, not surprises
JASON CLAYWORTH
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
October 4, 2007

Waterloo, Ia. — American soldiers should not encounter unexpected war extensions, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a crowd of about 450 people here today. The Illinois senator also said, as president, he would advocate for more crackdowns on employers who fail to hold jobs for Guard members. Too many soldiers are finding themselves out of work when they return from a deployment, Obama said.

He also emphasized the need to extend federal leave acts that allow family members to care for injured troops, enhance educational benefits and provide mental health care at every stage of military service.

He specifically highlighted Iowa National Guard's 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, whose members learned from friends and family early this year of their 4 ½ month deployment extension. The troops came home in July after almost two years in Iraq.

Obama said unexpected deployments and extended tours “shortchanges” the rest of the country who depend on the troops for homeland security.

“I won’t be a president who extends tours for our Guard units overseas, while Americans are stranded on rooftops right here in the United States of Amerca ,” Obama said at the Boys and Girls Club of Black Hawk County in Waterloo.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/NEWS/71004025/1001

[FormerRepub]

1. Respecting our troops

My take on this is that we're headed toward ramping up the selective service and G.W. knows it....he just wants the next administration to have to do it.

I was watching a CNN report this morning about the widespread corruption in the Maliki govt that we're supposedly supporting. I can't help but wonder that, if the next U.S. President begins pulling down our troop force immediately, the Maliki govt, the U.N. and Iraq's neighbors would HAVE to come to terms in order to avoid a complete destabilization of the area that would harm them all. Even Iran is starting to have to deal with cholera crossing their borders from Iraq. I think the only reason we haven't begun pulling out of Iraq besides Bush's stubbornness is that the Bush-Cheney gang wants to stay in Iraq permanently so we can influence who gets and keeps the rights to Iraqi oil. This is what Greenspan said, basically, isn't it?

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Good points, FormerRepub -- thanks for posting. nt