Paper Tigers

"To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;"

If you don't like the Constitution, I suggest that the complainers resign from the military.

Andy,
the issue was with the politicians inserting themselves into logistics, manpower and strategy, not into making rules for the overall size and structure of the military...
Plus, I do not believe the Founders meant those provisions to authorize cutting the troops budget while the troops are engaged in the active conflict. For all intents and purposes the 2 year provision was to eliminate another case of 7-year and 100-year wars the Old World was famous for...

We carry too much crap as it is. Body armor SOP is dictated at theater level, instead of platoon or company level as it should be. Why? Because of the attention that the issue receives from lawmakers such as Sen Clinton. Even the Iraqi Army cruises around in Level 2 or Level 3 armored HMMWVs. Many Iraqi lives were saved by their armored vehicles during my deployment last summer.

Body armor aside (because I think it's a little ridiculous how much the Army stresses force protection), the Democrats do NOT hold the corner of the market on the ol' "we support the troops" line. Both political parties are lousy in their hypocrisy of supporting the troops or supporting the war.

I like the way the Bush administration has consistently cut the VA budget during its term in office. Meanwhile, we have an ever-increasing demand of veteran healthcare (esp. mental healthcare).

I also love the politicians and pundits (esp. William "Let's Conquer the World" Cristol) who've never served a day in uniform and want to get into fights with every country on the block, not knowing the true consequences of sending men to war and never having been willing to fight themselves. I would love, absolutely love, for just one pundit to say, "you know what... I believe in this war so much I'm going to pick up a rifle and fight in it." Maybe then the Republicans could have my vote back in the next election. That was the sole reason I voted for Jim "Combat Boots" Webb instead of George "Cowboy Boots" Allen. Yeah, I think the Democrats are a bunch of idiots, but so are the Republicans. At least the politician I voted for has actually worn a uniform and bled for this country a little. He can say the war is f--ked up and actually have experience to back up that statement.

F--k the politicians. They've screwed this country up so bad, I don't even know if the course is reversible at this point.

But what do I know... I'm just a grunt.

Putting aside the logistical realities, let's remind each-other about the fact that Clinton and all her cronies yapping about increasing armor for the troops now are the same ones who slashed and gashed defense budget spending for the military when her husband, BJ Clinton was in office.

It's so touching that she cares so much now. Only it's her fault that the Army was lacking almost $100 billion in armor and protection when the War on Terror began. Exploiting the military is a ploy they use only when it suits them. I guarantee you right here and now that if a decmocRAT like Hillary is put in the White House in '08, she WILL cut the defense budget spending, and she will take away all that precious body armor she's crying about now.

Oh yeah, and Andy, nowhere in what you wrote does it say that Congress should dictate the strategy and tactics of battle. It just says that they should pay for it. Maybe you should read the Constitution a little bit better before you go spouting it off. There's a little more to it than the 3 sentences you put in there.
-OC

Puh-leeze,

I don't like the Democrat political posturing either, but the suggestion in this post is that somehow the Republican's are free from politics when it comes to the military.

Congress will make a political point at anyone's expense.

And for the record, the 2 year limit in the constitution was designed to prevent a standing army, but the single-fiscal year budgets are an easy way to get around that.

OC--Good point about DerShclickmiester (Hillary's Hubby). I was in the Marines when he was President, and besides the defense budget hitting all time lows, the level of "humanitarian" missions (to keep those poll numbers up) went up also. By the way when are the libs gong to demand our troops in Kososvo/Bosnia come home? Or they supposed to stay since Bill sent them and sending them was "right" thing to stop a civil war? Isn't that the excuse for us to lose in Iraq--calling it a civil war.

Joel--since you voted for Webb, did you also vote for Kerry in '04? He was in the military to, even got a purple heart.

Ben

I voted for Bush in '04 because I thought things were still being handled well (and this was before I went over to Iraq myself and saw what a mess it was).

Had the election been in in '06, I very well probably would have voted for Kerry, again for more of a protest vote than anything else. As I've said before, while I think Democrats are idiots, I really hold the Republicans in little more regard. I think both parties are so out of touch with middle America and reality that neither deserve to hold power.