Voinovich Backs Bush, Screws Troops Again

Senator Jim Webb, (D-VA), sponsored legislation to require that troops spend as much time at home as they spend in Iraq. The bill came up for a vote today. Webb needed 60 votes to cut off debate on this bill. He got 56. Among the 43 voting against his legislation was, you guessed it, Ohio's own George Voinovich. Despite the fact that last week he indicated he might vote for the Webb legislation, in the final analysis he couldn't just bring himself to do something that Bubble-Boy didn't want him to do. Good to know where Voinovich stands when it comes to really supporting the troops.

Supporting the Troops: Bush Administration Opposes House of Representatives Planned 3.5% Raise for Military Personnel

The Army Times reports that the Bush Administration is opposing a 3.5% pay raise that the House Democratic Leadership wants to give to American military personnel. Apparently the Bush Administration thinks that a 3% raise is sufficient. The reason why the House wants to give a bigger raise is to close the existing 3.9% gap between civilian jobs and military service. The House raise would close the gap to about 1.4%.

So let's see: if you are a Democrat and you want to get American troops out of the middle of a civil war you are not supporting the troops, but if you are the Bush Administration and want to limit a pay raise for American troops, you are supporting the troops. Does that make sense to you?

Of course, this is all consistent with the Bush Administration's philosophy that people who earn their money are less worthy than those who get their money from investments. This is shown by the fact that the Bush's tax cuts dramatically reduced the tax rates on investment income, especially when compared to earned income. This administration simply doesn't value people who work for a living, even when they serve in the military.

Laura Bush on Iraq: "No one suffers more than I do or the President"

If you click on the link in this entry's title you can look at a video clip of First Lady Laura Bush telling Ann Curry of NBC's Today show that no one in America suffers more about Iraq than her and the President. Now here's the question: does this woman really believe the bs she is putting out? Does she really believe that she and her husband suffer more than the parents of the American military personnel killed in Iraq? Does she really believe that she suffers more than the parents of the wounded? How about the spouses and children of the dead? How about their brothers and sisters? Does she really think that she suffers more than they do over Iraq?

There are two possibilities about her comments. One is that she realizes that she was just mouthing platitudes and that she didn't really expect anyone to believe what she was saying. The other is that she is totally delusional and believes her and her husband are suffering just as much as those who have lost someone they love in Iraq or seen them come home wounded. Given those two bad choices, we hope that it is the first, because if it is the second, then the Bush family really is delusional about what is happening in Iraq.

Military Personnel's Doubts about Bush Growing

The Military Times, a newspaper that circulates among military personnel, conducts a poll every year in late December. This poll, which is done by mail, is sent to personnel of all the armed services. This year's poll shows waning support for President Bush and his handling of the Iraqi War.

Here are some of the results:

Percentage of respondents approving of Bush's handling of the war: 37%
Percentage of respondents disapproving of Bush's handling of the war: 42%

Percentage who think that Iraqi War is part of the War on Terror: 47%
Percentage who think that Iraqi War is a separate military action: 47%

Percentage who think that number of troops should be increased: 38%
Percentage who think number of troops should remain the same: 13%
Percentage who think that number of troops should be decreased: 26%

Percentage of respondents who think that it will be more than two year before large number of Iraqi troops are ready to replace American troops: 70%.
Percentage of respondents who think that it will be 10 years before large number of Iraqi troops are ready to replace American troops: 12%.

This poll shows a sharp decline in Bush's support in the military as compared to two years ago. Then 63% of American troops polled supported Bush's handling of the Iraqi War. The full results can be viewed by clicking on the arrow next to the post title above.