Anyone with moderate intelligence should be able to see that pulling out of Iraq would only make things worse and that we need to see this to the end.

How does this manifest itself?

In typical fuzzy thinking, the military is just another group of folks that need help.

According to them:

We that have joined the military only did it because we are poor white trash or minorities trapped in the ghetto.

We didn't have the money to be art majors or study philosophy at a well bred school, so we became the equivalent of serfs to the government to get ahead.

We are only useful as long as we can be shown to be helpless... the ongoing reports about PTSD, homelessness, "body armor", the VA hospitals, etc.

We are only useful as long as bogus statistics can be used to portray the military as racist, sexist, etc...

In essence, the military is useful as a jobs program  for all us yahoos that live between the coasts.  And social experiments.  And as a bludgeon to attack Republicans.

One thing I'd like to point out, before I really start rambling, is how sick I am of the reports that attack the military and Pentagon for the many, many stupid things that they do...  and blame Bush personally.

The treatment at VA Hospitals is awful, pulling someone's benefits for not serving their full term (because they got their arm blown off and could'nt fulfill their contract) is despicable, and sending re-enlistment paperwork to deceased soldiers families is horrifying--- but are not new, and didn't begin with this administration.

I'd like to point out that the Pentagon is just another government agency, and does the same sorts of things that all the others do.  In other words, the Pentagon is a bureaucracy--whose mission, rather than "protecting the environment" or providing assistance, is to kill people.

And I can't help but laugh watching MSNBC or reading the blogs, as they rail against the administration because of some awful snafu the pentagon did... and then turn around and talk about mandating government health care, or increasing government generally.

Something there just does not compute.

Finally, I'd like to point something else out.  I've been around good people, bad people, smart people, dumb people, all kinds of people because of my enlistment.

And I'd take every one of them over any of these idiots that don't understand us and want to use us to advance their causes.

I joined because I believe in this country.  I joined because I wanted to do something more than sip lattes and talk about the Nazi influences of Bill Milliken's administration.

And I still cry when I hear that Lee Greenwood song. Or sing the National Anthem. And I still take a moment to reflect whenever the casualty figures are announced.

I've known two of those guys that lost their lives over there.  They weren't political pawns.  

But we did sign up to defend the Constitution, so technically the scolding was correct.

But regardless, the overall point was correct.  The Pentagon is another government agency.  And it proves how screwed up the government is... but that has to be ignored, so the left can:

1. expand government
   
2. beat up on Republicans