Testimony from war czar Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute reconfirms the fact that it is politicians, and not military men, who scream “Support the troops!” as a political attack against their enemies.
When asked about the debate over the Iraq War that has consumed Washington and the nation, Lute said at his confirmation hearing today, “I don’t believe it undercuts [the troop’s] morale.” The troops “understand the democratic process,” he said, “and, in fact, that’s what we’ve sworn to protect and defend.”
It sounds a lot like what Gen. Pace said on the subject: “As long as this Congress continues to do what it has done, which is to provide the resources for the mission, the dialogue will be the dialogue, and the troops will feel supported.”
Or what Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said: “I think [the troops are] sophisticated enough to understand that that’s what the debate’s really about.”
Of course they are. The troops, after all, debate the merit of the war as much or more than anyone else. They know the same thing goes on at home, and that the mere existence of debate doesn’t mean liberals somewhere want them to die. To assume otherwise is an insult to their intelligence.
So who’s doing the insulting? Republicans in Congress like House Minority Leader John Boehner, who said, “Think about the message we have sent them… We have undermined their efforts, lowered their morale, and clearly sent the wrong message.” Or John McCain, who said, “if we voice disapproval and send our young troops on their way… what message does it send to the troops? That we disapprove of what they’re doing but we still support them, but not their mission?”
Or the dark lord himself, Dick Cheney, who said straight up that questioning the war is “detrimental to our troops.” I suggest the vice president fact-check that with his generals, his Secretary of Defense, or any one of the troops fighting on the ground.
Think Progress has video of Lute’s testimony.
