If Republicans were truly interested in the troops they’d be screaming bloody murder for them to come home on the basis that a nation must be attempting to win a war for it to be ethical to ask its military members to shed their blood.
Agree, xzins. The Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan were modified in July of 2009 by Stanley McChrystal. Even after McChrystal resigned, Petraeus kept these same restictrive rules.
Congress to scrutinize rules of engagementThe idea was to "win the hearts and minds" of the Afghanis by limiting any and all civilian casualties. It didn't work. They never changed strategies to try to win the war/peace in Afghanistan.
The rules of engagement, as you point out, have been used to the great harm of our troops. On reflection they are additional proof that our leaders, both Republican and Democrat, have despised our troops. To permit such an egregious betrayal of a soldier’s right to defend himself to continue, beyond say a very brief “cease fire” agreed to by both sides in a conflict, is to give an enemy license to kill your troops.
That is betrayal.