Monday, July 16, 2007

Sen. Webb the only one in Congress who is actually supporting the troops

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) took on Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) on Meet the Press on Sunday, and tore him a new one. (And why is it called Meet "the Press" when the only reporter on the show is Tim Russert? That's a question for another day, I suppose ....)

Webb, as you'll recall, sponsored an amendment to the defense spending bill currently being debated in the Senate. Webb's amendment called for US troops to get as much time off as they spend on deployment. Before Iraq, troops who were gone for a year got 2 years back. That long-standing policy has been thrown out the window in the Bush-Cheney “war on terror.” The amendment supporting the troops never it made it to the floor for a vote. That is pathetic, Senators.

According to Webb:

“The traditional operational policy has been if you’re gone for a year, you get two years back. We’re now in a situation where the soldiers and the Marines are having less than a 1 to 1 ratio.” Webb said. Turning to Graham, he added, “And somebody needs to speak up for them rather than defending what this President has been doing.”

1 comment:

Allison said...

Sen. Lindsay Graham is wrong wrong wrong according to all but ONE military person I can think of... and his views may have changed by now. According to every military member I know, according to myself as former military... Webb is right. I also agree that "politicians who try to put their political views into the mouths of soldiers" are some of the most obnoxious people alive. I said it myself in my tribute to Trista ("They fight for each other, not a cause, not their government"). People still reenlist due in large part to huge tax free bonuses, not because they've "seen the face of the enemy". What a crock of shit. Patriotism, love of country, love of the military, tradition, all that... NEVER POLITICS!!