Slimed in the Green Zone
I can’t improve on the original title of the Washingon Post piece, which describes a disturbing phenomenon:
The sheets of paper seemed to be everywhere the lawmakers went in the Green Zone, distributed to Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank. So when Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) asked a soldier last weekend just what he was holding, the congressman was taken aback to find out.
In the soldier’s hand was a thumbnail biography, distributed before each of the congressmen’s meetings in Baghdad, which let meeting participants such as that soldier know where each of the lawmakers stands on the war. “Moran on Iraq policy,” read one section, going on to cite some the congressman’s most incendiary statements, such as, “This has been the worst foreign policy fiasco in American history.”
The bio of Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) — “TAU (rhymes with ‘now’)-sher,” the bio helpfully relates — was no less pointed, even if she once supported the war and has taken heat from liberal Bay Area constituents who remain wary of her position. “Our forces are caught in the middle of an escalating sectarian conflict in Iraq, with no end in sight,” the bio quotes.
To put it more simply: The military is handing out opposition research notes on the lawmakers who visit Iraq. This is very wrong on a number of levels, but just to have a little fun with it, what would they say if they were about our own local Congressmen? Would it say of Reynolds: “Likes to do press conferences while surrounded by children”? Would Kuhl be described as “Likely to be packing“?
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One of the hallmarks of our military is not to be politicized although it has slid that way over the recent years. This is another form of intimidation.
Are we going on the road to this?
A mortar round hits the green zone, multiple causalities, one of the congressman is hit. Eventually, the Congressman ends up in the Hospital where the Doctor pulls out his political triage card for to determine the level of effort this particular congressman should receive?
Does anyone know if the troops still only receive Limbaugh and such of Armed Forces Radio or do they receive any balance?
Has anyone ever done an analysis of the percentage of Congress’ children who are in the armed services, meaning are more Democratic Congressmen’s children in the military or more Republicans? Same for the Congressmen themselves. How many ex-military in the Congress are Dems and Reps? I would love to know this.
Good point, stlo7.
The US soldiers in Iraq come overwhelmingly from poor backgrounds and only five members of Congress have sons or daughters serving there.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200701220030
Although I also found this list, which is more than 5:
*Senator Tim Johnson (D- South Dakota)
(son, Brooks, Served in Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and now works as an Army recruiter. )
*Former Senator & Attorney General John Ashcroft (R- MO)
His son, Andy, is in the Navy and has served in the GulF in support of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.
*Senator Christopher Bond (R - Missouri)
(son, Sam, is in the U.S. Marines and is currently serving in IRAQ.)
*Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California)
(son, Duane, is a U.S. Marine and Served in IRAQ)
*Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina)
Three sons in military:
- Alan is a captain in the Army National Guard served in IRAQ,
- Addison is serving in the Navy,
- Julian is in the Army National Guard)
*Senator elect James Webb (D- WV)
Son is a U.S. Marine and serving in Iraq.
*Senator John McCain (R- AZ)
Son is a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq War. John McCain’s support of the troops Surge has actually sent his own son, Jimmy, to Baghdad.
*Rep. John Kline, (R-Minn)
(son, Dan, is a Black Hawk Helicopter pilot in the 101st Airborne and serving in IRAQ)
*Senator Joseph Biden (D- Delaware)
( has a son who is a Lawyer and a First Lieutenant in the Delaware Army National Guard.)
*Rep. Jim Saxton (D- NJ)
nephew, a Marine rifleman, served in Iraq.
*Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colorado)
(son, John, serving in the Navy and sent to Iraq)
*Rep. Ike Skelton (R-Missouri)
(has a son serving in Army serving in Iraq)
*Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri)
(has a son, Perry, in the Marine Corps who is a combat engineer serving in Iraq.)
*Mayor Daley’s (of Chicago) son is currently serving in Iraq also.
Thanks. I didn’t know McCain willingly/knowingly sent his own son to Iraq. Hmmm…don’t know what to think about that.
I often wonder what would happen if the children of the wealthy were drafted in as great numbers, or even as aggressively recruited as the children of poor people. I think we’d have a much shorter list of wars if that were the case.
That was Charlie Rangel’s angle in wanting to reinstitute the draft.
It wasn’t always the case. The wealthy used to have family in battle, often leading the battles. George Bush, Sr. fought and was shot down and had to be rescued at sea and in past wars men eagerly enlisted. I wonder if the reality of war due to tv coverage has decreased this desire b/c now people know what it looks like. Vietnam changed everything.