Reality check on popularity of war in Iraq

Military Update: Personnel chiefs talk around war's unpopularity
BY TOM PHILPOTT

(Excerpt from Daily Press) Thanks to Buzzflash

Snyder, the panel's senior Democrat, finally raised what other lawmakers, two senior defense officials and 10 star-rank officers ignored in their remakes - perhaps in deference to President Bush or to protect troop morale.

"I don't think I agree with the view that somehow all we have to do is change the news reporting that comes from Iraq and Afghanistan, and that's going to take care of our problems," Snyder said. "First of all, there ain't no one in this room going to change the news reporting. These folks are professional journalists. They're reporting what they think is the news. But there's a deeper issue."

An advantage of civilian control of the military, he said, is that the commander in chief and Congress - not the military - are responsible if force is used in ways not supported by a large segment of society. That division in the nation doesn't make military service any less noble or honorable, Snyder said, but it shouldn't be ignored. He hears about it, he said, from parents who have children serving in Iraq but who opposed the invasion of Iraq.

"We need to step forward and recognize that even in this time of disagreement over where our foreign policy is going, it helps all of us to have the military be as strong as it can be," he said.

(My Comments)

Congressional Democrats have nothing to lose and everything to gain by standing tall and speaking truth in the hallowed halls. Dennis Kucinich has shown the way since the Iraq invasion began, and it is always good to see others testing the waters.

The difficulty is never with the truth...it is always in the energy required to maintain the lie (as Karl Rove and his pack of butt buddies are beginning to understand).