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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 07/11/2003 3:20:49 PM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl
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L.T. SMASH
LIVE FROM THE SANDBOX
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A couple of weeks ago, they introduced something new in the chow tent: television.
There are a couple of TVs hooked up during meal times, and they’re tuned in, via satellite, to the American Forces Network News Channel. AFN News shows a variety of live and recorded programs from all of the major broadcast networks, plus CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News. It’s a nice addition to the chow tent, and a quick and easy way for most people to catch up on what’s going on at home.
Today during lunch, I saw Chris Matthews on Hardball. As usual, he was all huffy and worked up over something, but it took a while for me to figure out exactly what it was. He spent a minute or two kissing up to his guest Ann Coulter, then started asking her about whether she thought the President should “apologize” for “misleading the American people” in his State of the Union address.
Huh?
I put down my fork, and listened more closely. Apparently President Bush made a statement in his speech to Congress back in January to the effect that Saddam had been attempting to buy uranium for his nuclear program from various African countries. It came out later that the intelligence reports on which he had based this statement were no longer considered credible.
OK, I thought, so what’s the big deal? As a person who reads intelligence reports on an almost daily basis, I didn’t find this the least bit surprising. “Intelligence” is just a fancy word for “making an educated guess,” and sometimes even that definition is a bit generous. It’s often amusing to compare intelligence summaries from one week to the next—something that appears solid one day will later be revealed to be completely fictional, while the wildest sounding reports sometimes turn out to be understatements of the true situation. (A excellent example of this phenomenon in the media is this story about a missing 727—it changes almost daily). I’ve seen many an officer be embarrassed by passing on “hot” intel reports to the troops as gospel, only later to be proved wrong. It’s even happened to me.
But the crux of the debate on Hardball was whether that faulty intelligence was used to sell the war with Iraq to the American people—in other words, as one pundit put it, whether “we went to war on a lie.”
I wasn’t sure whether I should be amazed or amused by this argument. Today was the first time I’ve heard of this debate, which apparently has been going on for a while now. When Bush made those remarks in the State of the Union Address, that bit of intel didn’t even register with me. In fact, I didn’t even watch the speech.
You see, I wasn’t home that night. I was here in the Sandbox, busy getting ready for war. A war, I might add, for which I had been actively preparing for two months. A conflict which had been debated—and authorized—in the United States Congress last October.
You can read the Congressional Resolution here. Not once does it mention the words “uranium” or “Africa.” It does talk quite a bit about Saddam’s failure to live up to his responsibilities after the First Gulf War, his well-documented support for terrorists, and his brutal treatment of the Iraqi people, however.
But why confuse the issue with facts, when there are political points to be made?
From the Ground Up
| June 30, 2003 | L.T. SMASH
IT’S NOT OVER YET
| June 23, 2003 | L.T. SMASH
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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This issue will backfire on the Dims because debating this puts national defence back as the front burner issue and Bush owns the issue. The Dims did the same stupid thing before the 2002 midterms, criticizing Bush on Iraq and on "where's Binny." Their playbook is "me too" the war on terror and attack on domestic policy and the economy, but they're too stupid to stay on their own script.
Not me.
He dishonors his uniform and all of us who have gone before him who had partisan urges but maintained our silence to keep the strict lawfully commanded separation in place. It is not merely a whim, the necessity of civilian control of the military demands non-involvement and an absolute refusal to become part of any partisan debate or issue.
If this eager young stud wants to wrestle in the political arena he should have stayed away from military service or obtain a release from active duty.
Should I have ever discovered a partisan young Turk like this in any of my commands, he'd be in hot UCMJ-water and could count on being a lieutenant for his entire career.
*At that time, after retirement or release, he can grouse all he wants about things political, he can take side and get down with the rest of us and he can call anyone the names he thinks appropriate. His model should be General Ric Shinsicki who just retired as Army Chief of Staff. It was common knowledge that he was bursting at the seams to jump into political comments but he waited until he retired to enter the controversial fray. Any good, effective and loyal officer would do the same. One cannot say that about this clown Lt. Smash.
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If you think that fool Eric Shinseki is a model for anything but stupidity, then you need a nap. Shinseki almost DESTROYED the Army with his stupid Beret nonsense, and his COMPLETE political involvement in Army procurement programs. At the very least, you might get your facts together before spewing such drivel. As long as the LT remains under the name "smash" he has no problem with the UCMJ. You should know better.
LT Smash is doing a service for the troops and for the country. He isn't giving away state secrets. Far from it. He shows the world by his words and deeds the character of our honorable military men and women. With a massive press corp - both American and international - and anti-American forces (EU-UN-DNC pro-international socialism, anti-American sovereignty) with majority VOICE on the world stage MISREPRESNTING both our TROOPS and OUR country - and absolutely lying daily about the situation in Iraq - L.T. Smash is keeping some, I think, from tarring and feathering a reporter.
If our troops have no one defending them - they had BETTER, by GOD, speak up! They know why they risk their lives. LT Smash is not only willing to sacrifice his life for OUR freedom, he's TEACHING the world about honor - and America.
So are you. Thank you.
Despite whatever UCMJ code or Congressional law says, there's nothing in the Constitution that says the First Amendment is "not applicable to military personel". Despite that, I think it should be stongly hinted that higher ranking military people should keep their partisianship to themselves. I doubt "L.T. Smash" is even a leutenant. And might not even be an officer. I like his post.
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