McCain, Clinton clash over troop morale

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16773074/

Congressional criticism of President Bush’s troop surge in Iraq threatens to erode the morale of American soldiers and Marines serving there, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., implied Tuesday at a Senate confirmation hearing for Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, Bush's choice to be the new commander in Iraq.

McCain’s raising of the morale question was quickly disputed by one of his potential 2008 presidential rivals, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

McCain and Clinton may get a chance to put their clashing ideas to the test of the electorate in the 2008 presidential election: they are leading contender for their respective party’s nominations.

McCain raised the morale issue in a question he posed to Petraeus, saying, “Suppose that we send additional troops and we tell those troops, ‘we support you, but we are convinced you cannot accomplish your mission… we do not support the mission we are sending you on’? What effect does that have on morale of the troops?”

“It would not be a beneficial effect, sir,” Petraeus answered.

[napi21]

1. There's a simple solution gentlemen! Don't send them!

I happen to agree with you both. Sending additional troops andthen sayingwe don't think you have a chance to wins just plain stupid! Nobody spends time, money & blood on a losing venture.

The answer then, of course, is DON'T SEND THEM!

[gratuitous]

2. They're being sent over without adequate equipment

There was a letter just this morning in the Oregonian from a woman who's husband is about to go over to Iraq (Third or Fourth rotation, as I recall). She said that the men are not getting adequate equipment. Her husband is with a sniper unit, and they don't have enough sidearms for everyone in the patrols, and the patrols are being sent out with two men instead of three.

The upshot of one less man on a sniper patrol is that there is literally nobody there to watch the sniper's back. How do you suppose that might affect morale, Mr. McCain? After all, Bush is sending almost exactly the same number of troops you not so very long ago said would be adequate to win this whole thing.

Kind of a pandering little weather vane, aren't you Maverick John?