The Bull has been paying attention to the Report that General Petraeus has offered to Congress and I have a few things that came to mind that I’d like to share. Some will want to attack me on my stance, so I’ll try to stop some of the critics before they start…
- I hold no elected office, nor do I want to in the future.
- I am not, nor have I ever been, a military officer. I was just another enlisted puke in the USN back in the early 1980’s. Over the years I have lost friends and loved ones over the years to stupid accident, illness, in training accidents, shipboard mishaps, and combat. I did my bit, enough to where I am under the care of the medical arm of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, (spinal injuries), probably for the rest of my life.
- I am the father of three fine children and step-father to three more, (though that last three call me “Dad” just like the first). One of my children recently enlisted and three more want to when they reach the proper age.
All of this – as well as being a Voting, tax-paying Citizen of the U.S. and being subject to the Constitution of the U.S. – I figure gives me the Right to speak without too many snide remarks from the peanut gallery.
***
On Congress: Frankly, I’ll take the word of any General (or any other military puke) over that of any politician – any day.
Why?
Because my personal belief is that our political system has one major flaw – no term limits for the fools in Congress. They get in there, get dirty, and stay. Politicians tend to forget that they work for us, where as Generals are always hearing from someone above them. (Note: I do recall that the politicians got a ‘reminder’ of who pays their salaries with the Amnesty bill they tried to sneak through!)
Further, doesn’t the Senate have to confirm the appointment of Generals, and didn’t the Senate confirm this General for the position he now holds? So, does that mean that they can’t trust the guy they put into the job? 
Congress gets to keep the purse. That is their Constitutional roll. If they have the political will, let them de-fund the war, but keep out of areas that are not theirs!
On Bush: On the economy, Bush has done exceedingly well for us. Gas is up, but that would have happened anyway. He screwed the pooch when it comes to Iraq. Period, end of report. (He’s been pretty bone-headed about immigration as well…)IMO, his worst mistake was in not taking his case to the American people and keeping us informed. This isn’t the 1940’s. Americans are used to having more info at their disposal than Pres. Bush has been willing to give. (Perhaps we are too used to having all the info avail.) Where I will give points to the President is in his refusal to conduct the war via poll numbers and his willingness to fight Congress as they attempt to seize powers granted to the President by the Constitution.
On the War: I do not consider ‘the war’ to be Iraq. Nor is it Afghanistan. It is a war against terror and terrorist. I’m no general, nor do I generally go around arm-chair quarterbacking other folk’s games, but it doesn’t take much to see that this war is going to be different from anything we’ve ever seen before. The ‘old’ rules do not apply and we are going to have our hands full for years or maybe decades and in a lot more areas that just Iraq. I keep hearing the ‘talking heads’ on the tube saying that it is better to fight them there rather than here. I agree! I don’t want that carnage on the streets of Mobile, AL among my wife and kids. It may be a different kind of war, but it remains a war. People die and things get broken. Such is the nature of war. Yet, still better there than here! Better anywhere than in America.
On our Military: Three kinds of people like to talk trash about our people in the Armed Services: 1) Hippie left-overs, 2) Liberal idiots from the FAR Left, and 3) Service personnel themselves.
As far as I’m concerned groups #1 and #2 can take a long walk on a short pier.
Group #3 retains its Right to self-abuse and inter-service rivalry due to their continued Loyal service and Sacrifices of blood, limbs, and lives for our Freedom.
It is often said that the American kid is the most spoiled, over-fed, over-sexed brat on the face of the Earth. American kids have everything. Life it far too easy and it makes them soft. I think those that say such things are quite right. What they failed to mention, though, is that those soft and tender kids – when put to the test – become the meanest, hardest, best trained, most intelligent fighting force the World has ever seen. War after war, decade after decade, American kids in uniform perform above and beyond any call of Duty and willingly sacrifice themselves for Freedom’s sake. No better men and women are to be found anywhere on Earth nor in any other time.
Final Thought: The one thing that the politicians, in their haste to smear a good man, Petraeus, and their eagerness to make political hay by abandoning the troops in a war that they voted to start, tend to forget is these facts:
- The Armed Services also have the Right to Vote.
- They also tend to have long memories.
Bull, out!
Those idiots in Congress (well, we’re the idiots for putting them there) have only one goal, getting re-elected and they’ll step on anybody, including an outstanding General and our troops, to achieve that goal. Shame on them. There are exceptions, of course, which gives me (precious little) hope.