Out of Touch With Reality in Iraq

[erpowers]

Today, at the blog Think Progress it was mentioned that in an effort respond to the American people's displeasure with Bush's plan to add more troops in Iraq Tony Snow, the White House Spokemen said Americans are out of touch with the reality of the war in Iraq. To Mr. Snow I say no, the American people are not out of touch with to progress or lack thereof in Iraq. No, the mothers, fathers, sons, daugthers, husbands, wives, brother, sisters, cousins, friends, and other community members are not the ones out of touch with the reality of the situation in Iraq. They are the people who see the soldiers, saliors, airmen, and marines ranging in ages from 17,18-60+ come home in coffins. They are the ones who hear the stories of how their children were captured, tortured, and/or mutlitated. They are the one who read the letters from their sons and daugthers about how the food makes them sick, how the water is not always that good, the equipment is not properly fitted or made, and how they are just heartbroken that their tour which was supposed to end today just got extended. They are the people whose family member died the day before they were supposed to come home or 10 days after their tour of duty was supposed to end. They are the ones to whom the 3,000 dead soldiers and thousands wounded are not just numbers or names. They are the ones to whom John Q. Public really has a name. They are the one to whom G.I. Joe is not good enough, his/her name is... They are the ones who know the 18 year old kid who had a scholarship to go to college, but decided to join the military only to return home in a coffin. They are the ones who know the losses and actually have to live with the losses every day of their lives. They are the ones to whom the one, two, three, four, or more blue and/or gold stars actually mean something. They are the people to whom those stars mean a scarfice is being made and yet another may have to be made. They are the one to whom those stars mean at least one son or daugther may never walk through the door again or at least one son or daugther will never walk through the door again. They are the mothers, fathers, sons, daugthers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, and other community members who have to see the kids they one knew, young, vibrant, and full of life move around with limbs missing. They have to look at them every day. In addition, they may have to think what would have been if not for Iraq. What about the former basketball player, the tall handsome football player who was a gentle giant, the beautiful cheerleader, the book worm who rarely took their head out of a book. Yes, see those people in the camaflouge uniforms actually had lives before they joined the military. The American people have to live with all that, while Bush and his team get to be isolated in the White House in Washington, D.C.

No, it is not the American people who are out of touch with the reality of the war in Iraq. They have to live with it every day. It is Bush who is still in the fantasy land thinking America did not lose 3000 young people or spend 100s of billions of dollars fighting the war in Iraq. I know he knows this country actually lost those soldiers, but for him it is just a number with no meaning. For others it is more than a number. He still gets to live in his fantasy world. It is Bush who needs to wake up out of his sweet dream and join the rest of America in living the reality of this war. It can be debated whether or not 20,000 troops in Iraq would make the situtation better, but it cannot be debated whether the American people are out of touch with the reality of the war. The day the blue and gold stars started going out and the day the first soldier was lost Bush lost that debate.

[bigtree]

1. well said, erpowers

:kick:

[On the Road]

2. I Have Heard This is What Hitler Was Doing at the End of WWII

pointing at various parts of the map of Europe and ordering his generals to send nonexistent troops to all kinds of places.

[hashibabba]

3. Well, Bush won't wake up from his sweet dreams (delusions) on his own,

so its up to us to change things. He just can't continue to kill our men and women (not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis) with reckless abandon. Its up to us Dems to be even more proactive in the next two years!
Thanks, great post.