From the Webb campaign...Jim Webb goes after George Allen for his "blind support of the Bush Administration's failed strategy in Iraq." (bolding added for emphasis)
+óGé¼+ôThe news of a terror plot uncovered and foiled in England today highlights the continuing need to stay committed and strong in our fight against global terrorism. This fight cannot be won by simple intimidation. America must continue to make funding and executing the war on terror a priority. British authorities should be commended for their excellent work in foiling this terrorist plot.+óGé¼+ôThe war on terror is global and we must confront it wherever necessary, with the full array of military options available. Winning this war will make America more secure. A victory requires a mobile fighting force, one that is capable of responding to threats wherever they emerge. The occupation of Iraq keeps our military locked down in a civil war in the Middle East, and consumes resources that can better be used in the larger fight against global terrorism.
+óGé¼+ôAs recently as yesterday, George Allen conflated my long-held warnings against invading and occupying Iraq with being +óGé¼-£against +óGé¼-ª the war on terror.+óGé¼Gäó Mr. Allen knows full well that he is misrepresenting my views in order to protect himself politically from his blind support of the Bush Administration's failed strategy in Iraq.
+óGé¼+ôBeginning more than a year before the invasion of Iraq, I consistently stated that the Administration's misguided effort to drag our country into an ill-advised occupation of Iraq would hurt, not help, in the war against international terror. I am deeply disappointed that Mr. Allen is now so clearly and deliberately misrepresenting my views. He knows exactly how I felt about this because I personally explained my views to him in September 2002, five months before the Iraq invasion.
+óGé¼+ôAs the events of this morning demonstrate, the stakes in the war on terror are too high for people such as Mr. Allen to be using them as cheap political props.+óGé¼-¥
The truth hurts. Ouch.
Let's go Webb!!
Webb is miles ahead of anybody in this current administration in his understanding of the true nature of the Middle East conflict. He's absolutely right. With our military trapped in a no-win situation in Iraq, we can't use our forces properly to fight the on-going war with Terror.
For all the Republican talk of having a quick-moving flexible military able to deal with conflicts where ever they pop up. The Republicans are stuck in another insurgent mess that will slowly bleed our Army and Marine Corps to death. Already, we're seeing the best and brightest of our officer corp and high-ranking enlisted men leave the miltitary because of the repeat deployments. I have a friend, Marine Major in the reserve, who is presently serving his 4th tour in Iraq. He's a successful patent lawyer in New York. Guess what he's gonna do when he gets the chance?
We'll end up with the best of us out of the military and I remember after Vietnam bad it got.
We have to get Jim elected. We need his sane voice speaking out for what's right for our miltary and this country.
The only thing today does , it proves that the blair-Bush project is working.
If you cant stop all terrerists, you can make political hay out of it
And this one is personal because my husband is flying back from an international labor conference in Durbin, South Africa. The last I heard from him this morning, he was in Johannesburg and headed for a connecting flight in Frankfurt. I've been fielding calls all night from worried friends and relatives. I'll exhale when he arrives home tomorrow.
Meanwhile, it's time for leaders who understand military strategy and the uses of diplomacy. Jim Webb seems to have a better grasp of both than our current Senator. It's time to give George Allen an early retirement.
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http://www.usatoday....
Center for War-Related Brain Injuries Faces Budget Cut
By Gregg Zoroya
USA Today
Tuesday 08 August 2006
Congress appears ready to slash funding for the research and treatment of brain injuries caused by bomb blasts, an injury that military scientists describe as a signature wound of the Iraq war.
House and Senate versions of the 2007 Defense appropriation bill contain $7 million for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - half of what the center received last fiscal year.
Proponents of increased funding say they are shocked to see cuts in the treatment of bomb blast injuries in the midst of a war.
"I find it basically unpardonable that Congress is not going to provide funds to take care of our soldiers and sailors who put their lives on the line for their country," says Martin Foil, a member of the center's board of
directors. "It blows my imagination."
The Brain Injury Center, devoted to treating and understanding war-related brain injuries, has received more money each year of the war - from $6.5 million in fiscal 2001 to $14 million last year. Spokespersons for
the appropriations committees in both chambers say cuts were due to a tight budget this year.
"Honestly, they would have loved to have funded it, but there were just so many priorities," says Jenny Manley, spokeswoman for the Senate Appropriations Committee. "They didn't have any flexibility in such a tight fiscal year."
George Zitnay, co-founder of the center, testified before a Senate subcommittee in May that body armor saves troops caught in blasts but leaves many with brain damage.
"Traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of
the war on terrorism," he testified.
Zitnay asked for $19 million, and 34 Democratic and six Republican members of Congress signed a letter endorsing the budget request.
The House of Representatives approved its version of the spending bill June 20. A vote in the Senate is pending.
Scientists at the center develop ways to diagnose and treat
servicemembers who suffer brain damage. The work is done at seven military and Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, including the center's headquarters at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, and one civilian treatment site.
The center has clashed with the Pentagon in recent months over a program to identify troops who have suffered mild to moderate brain injuries in Iraq from mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs - the most common
weapons used by insurgents.
Preliminary research by the center shows that about 10% of all troops in Iraq, and up to 20% of front line infantry troops, suffer concussions during combat tours. Many experience headaches, disturbed sleep, memory loss and
behavior issues after coming home, the research shows.
The center urged the Pentagon to screen all troops returning from Iraq in order to treat symptoms and create a database of brain injury victims. Scientists say multiple concussions can cause permanent brain damage.
The Pentagon so far has declined to do the screening and argues that more research is needed.
Some evidence against the people in England is that they visited Pakistan and received money from Pakistan. Amazing, and they happen to be Pakistani. Anyway, the Brits are not so sure about this. They have lived through witch hunts. log onto democracynow and listen to reports from England.
When bush gets done, will we even have elections in 2008. Certainly he has given the world enough reason to want to take revenge. I hope he makes people mad enough with this one.