does Bush doubt the loyalty of the troops?

[indef]

Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I've been reading over the debate transcript, and a line from Bush struck me:

Bush: "Yes, I understand what it means to the commander in chief. And if I were to ever say, 'This is the wrong war at the wrong time at the wrong place,' the troops would wonder, 'How can I follow this guy?'"

Is this President telling us that the soldiers' loyalty to this country is less than unconditional, and incumbent only when they support the administration? Does this C-in-C doubt the resolve of American men and women who have risked their lives by putting their trust in their leaders?

What kind of mixed message does that send to our troops?

[fugue]

1. Very good point!

"We'll die for our country, but only if the commander in chief is a strong, resolute leader"? Uh, yeah, right. If I were a service person in Iraq, I'd be insulted.

Oh, and welcome to DU! ^_^

[progdonkey]

2. Welcome!

Yes, excellent point. Not only do you have the general "do you doubt that soldiers will do their duty?" but also Kerry can use it personally to hit Bush over the whole TANG deal; "I've actually served in combat zones, and our men in uniform don't stop to question their commander-in-chief. Did you have a different experience in the TANG, Mr. Bush?"

[CarolynEC]

3. Bush has never trusted our troops

... that's why he gave the job of catchinbg bin Laden to someone else.

:grr:

[elehhhhna]

4. Hello? Didn't he call this war "unwinnable" a few weeks ago?