So Much For Our Troops

It always amuses me that Republican die-hards like to scream at the left that we hate the troops. I have a feeling that they like to stay at home all day and play with little toy soldiers, trapped in a bubble shielded from the reality that war is hell. They like kicking ass, but tune out the true human costs. Over 4,000 soldiers and contractors are dead, but to them that means nothing more than the hundreds of billions that we are spending (more like borrowing for) on the war itself. On the upside for these sick bastards, they have a friend in President Bush and his new lackey General Petraeus.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is sending strong signals that U.S. troop reductions in Iraq will slow or stop altogether this summer, a move that would jeopardize hopes of relieving strain on the Army and Marine Corps and revive debate over an open-ended U.S. commitment in Iraq. [...]

Petraeus seems at this point to be inclined to declare a pause in troop reductions after July, although no decisions have been made and there are competing pressures from within the Pentagon. The Army in particular wants additional reductions to enable it to shorten Iraq tours from 15 months to 12 months. The longer tours are among pressures that Army leaders fear could break the force.

Petraeus speaks regularly with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other administration officials to keep them informed of his thinking, although he has not yet made a recommendation to Bush. A senior administration official said Petraeus has made clear he is "concerned about a rush to 10" _ a reference to the 10-brigade force level that some administration officials see as an attractive target to hit by the time Bush leaves the White House a year from now.

Well he better keep talking before trying to act on slowing the troop reductions. Our soldiers want to come home and their families want to see their Moms, Dads, and children as soon as possible. Military families realize that their loved ones are fighting a pointless war, so should the President.