Iraq vent

They'd been in Iraq for a year (!) and were packing up when with less than a week left on their tour of duty, the 172nd Stryker Brigade was told that plans had changed and they couldn't go home. They were redeployed to an area of Baghdad where the civil war has been particularly violent.

You can't help but admire the soldiers who are sacrificially giving 110%. Even though I tend to be more on the pacifistic end of the spectrum I have great respect and even admiration for military people and their families. (They understand mission. They are sacrificing their lives for a cause greater than themselves. They understand teamwork better than most.)

At the same time, though, you've just got to roll your eyes at how short-sighted and half-baked this whole Iraq fiasco has been from before day one. Of course, I developed an early bias on this one. I had decided that George Bush was an incompetent leader when we lived in Texas and he was the managing partner of the Rangers and then was elected governor. So I was convinced that he was hell-bent on starting WWIII.

Actually, I try to not rag on Bush too much. Whiners aren't any fun to be around. Besides, it's somewhat pointless since everyone else thought he was doing such a great job that they re-elected him. But there are times when his ill-conceived policies hurt people I actually know and I feel the need to once again let off a little steam.

Stand by, I just took a deep breath and I'm counting to 10.