Saddam's goons beat up the Shia for generations, and al Qaeda blew up the Gkolden Mosque, and this jackass in Boston wants to blame us?
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Jay,
Please don't slander the pigs. Calling Tammy a pig is doing a dis-favor to the hogs. She's worse than that.

And McCain wouldn't know a consequence if it came up and bit him in the ass.
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There isn't enough anti-nauseant available to treat the quease that the sleaze impose upon meeze with this Boston Globe tripe. Plueeze, JT, put a Not Safe 4 Yur Stomach - NS4YS - at the top of these so I can avoid having to down another bottle of Pepto.

Now don't knock my Tammy, there, Allen. Just try to find a more womanly woman. And I hear her ex-husband's turned Christian. Well, it can happen to the best of us.
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McCain's so copacetic with Democrats and the press 'cuz they recognize a victim in full whine.
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Am I beating a dying horse? Oh, now I feel bad.
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First you get this....

the deputy Army chief of staff, told Congress that about 8 percent of the force's junior officers -- captains and lower-ranking lieutenants -- left the Army in 2006

The next paragraph we get this.......

"From my microview of the Army, the junior officer attrition is unreal," the officer, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, wrote in a personal e-mail from Iraq and provided to the Globe. "In my battalion alone, one of 10 officers in my year group is staying in the Army. All the rest are leaving with me."

8 percent is the attrition figure given by deputy Army chief of staff, yet the author of the article felt compelled to exaggerate that figure to 90 percent based on an anonymous officer.

Funny how that works, huh?

Reporters understand statistics, in this case an anecdote, just well enough to lie with them. Well, lots of reporters, certainly this one.
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I mean, he even says, "microview". Maybe he means the view expressed by a 'microbrain'.
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Exactly what is it that as US citizens those who see the Iraq war for what it is, a looting of two nations perpetrated on lies, have invested in seeing such a debacle continue unabated?

In what regard does anyone who sees the continued death, destruction and imposition by force of a foreign governments coporate exploitation of regional resourses a win-win?

Oh,my bad, it doesn't require a reason or jusification other than knowing that a withdrawl of those said same resources would cause a more immediate implosion of American lifestyle. Guess that's reason enough to continue such shared sacrifice.

civil:

Exactly what is it that as US citizens those who see the Iraq war for what it is, a looting of two nations perpetrated on lies,

A looting? Quite honestly 'civil behavior', with every successive drive-by-posting you get a little more unhinged.

Once again, I must ask you to explain this point since it's really quite an incredible accusation.

it doesn't require a reason or jusification other than knowing that a withdrawl of those said same resources would cause a more immediate implosion of American lifestyle.

Is this our "pimped" lifestyle that your lamenting again?

Ok, let's actually look at some facts.

CANADA is our top oil supplier.

Unfortunately for you, Iraq comes in 8th.

Heralder, civil behavior has been unhinged for quite some time now.

What's the old British Army saying?

"Here's to bloody wars and sickly seasons."

Eisenhower was a major from 1920 to 1936 (1936 was when Hitler started sending troops to the Spanish Civil War). Eisenhower was a Lt. Col. until 1941. So from 1941 to 1943 (roughly 3 years) he went from a Lt. Col. through the temprary ranks of Col., Brig. Gen, Maj. Gen, Lt. Gen, and General (aka four stars) in 1943. Think about that. We had a guy whose permanent rank was Lt. Col. wearing four stars after two years because of war time promotions. The idea was when the war was over, he would take off the stars and return to being a Lt. Col.

So there is some precedence to the idea of war time creating rapid promotion opportunities. If the 16 years it took Eisenhower to go from Major to Lt. Col. was used as a guide, then Eisenhower would have made one star Brig. Gen. in about 1968. But of course putting in this sort of context would have required the MSM to have a clue.

Now don't knock my Tammy, there, Allen ... I hear her ex-husband's turned Christian.

What, again?

The surge is working, and likely will work in the end, if we recognize our power to make it happen.

To deny the possibility of success is really just a way to express the hope that it fails. Nasty stuff.

Many positions almost require combat experience.

It takes much longer for many to jump in rank if they do not have it.

In peacetime, many officers thus get to the point where they would jump in rank right away once they have combat experience. When we start fighting it is never a surprise to see a bunch of promotions.

Longstanding tradition.

"First up is the ugly one -- attrition. In wartime, soldiers get killed."

There is another form of attrition that you do not touch on and that is competence or the lack thereof. Combat puts you not only in harm's way but also puts you under constant pressure. The pressure of leadership under the most stringent of times - combat.

Many officers shine in peacetime. Administrative requirements exceed leadership skills in promotions; Whether you have that Master's degree; Whether you have that PME (Professional Military Education) completed - not only on time but ahead of the curve; Whether you have that Efficiency Report "Pegged to the Right" with the highest possibler endorsements; Whether you have all the checkmarks in a row such as Officer's Club Membership, the proper clubs and associations, the currently beneficial affiliations - All of these are the hallmarks of the peacetime promotion system.

War boils officer promotions down to the simplest of tests - Combat, and the success or failure of your leadership.

Eisenhower / Patton/ Hodges etc. had junior officers who couldn't cut it end up unloading (physically unloading, not supervising) cargo as it came across the channel. They were often replaced by battlefield commission corporals-msgts who could cut it.

We're 'looting' Iraq?

What the hell are we stealing - sand? It sure isn't the oil!

You think he was Christian before? Riding that big fat camel? And I don't mean Tammy, either.
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Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 03/13/2007
A short recon of what's out there that might draw your attention.

This is non-news and you don't have to go back to WW2 to see it. I was active duty from 88-95 and because I was in the first Gulf War (Viper driver) and had some 200 combat hours I was higher up on the promotion ladder than other pilots who had not seen combat. Beyond the rank of Captain (O-3) promotions are far more competitive and anything you do to distinguish yourself (like combat versus flying a desk) gets you ahead. Always been that way.

As for junior officers leaving, that is also not new. Typically, they leave at the 4 year mark (because of either academy, ROTC or OCS commitment) or the 8 year mark. Why at 8 years? Because you are really making a career choice. At the 8 year mark you are almost certainly looking at another tour of duty at a new squadron/station with an added commitment of 2+ years. If you are over 10 years you are over half way to retirement so you may as well stay in. Unlike the enlisted ranks officers don't "re-enlist" for any set period of time. You encounter commitments based on what you do. PCS to a new station? Add at least one year commitment. Get certified in a new aircraft or change career fields--more time added. Some of the commitments run concurrent and some are added on the end. It forces you to make long term plans rather early in your career. Even after the first Gulf War junior officers rotated at those points at relatively high rates compared to civilian life. When I left in 95 (at 7 years 10 months) I'd say 30%-40% of my peers did as well and that was during peace time.

If there is doubt to what I'm saying I'd be happy to have Jay contact me and I can provide a copy of my DD214 to prove my service time. They should be able to get my email addy from this post.

Well, in Jim Bakker's last incarnation as a "Christian", $158 million in donor contributions went missing and unaccounted for, and he did jail time because of it. God only knows what he'll do this time around.

My point, as labored as the overburdened camel, was that he wasn't Christian before, but may be now.
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