"Supporting the Troops"
Well, no actually. Supporting the war is too important to let a little thing like the troops' mental health interfere with it.
Senate Republicans have blocked a bid by Democrats to give US troops in Iraq more home leave - a plan strongly opposed by the Bush administration.
The Democrats wanted US troops to have time off between tours in Iraq equal to their 15-month deployments.
The measure needed 60 votes to pass in the Democratic controlled Senate but received only 56 votes with 44 against.
With the lengthening tours and shorter rest periods, the soldiers fighting in Iraq are facing more combat deployment time than any previous American army, mainly because there are no reserve force available. It's a combination of bad planning and poor leadership. Despite rhetoric of this being the great battle of our generation, a new World War or "Clash of Civilizations", there's been no call for greater sacrifice except for the small minority of people serving in the military.
On Sunday I linked to an article by Glenn Greenwald about the revolting arrogance of the war supporters who oppose lessening the burden on the troops without any knowledge of just what that burden entails. They've succeeded, and America's suffering will continue apace.
