Right as rain.

By the time you factor in the "teeth to tail" ratios as well as the fact that ground soldiers run two "shifts" -- they do have to sleep -- there aren't 130,000 soldiers walking around in Iraq at any one time, there are somewhere between 15, 000 and 25, 000. A joke for a country with the size and population of Iraq.

No wonder the check point was manned by three soldiers instead of a full squad -- the rest of their squad was probably manning one or two other checkpoints. And note the ranks -- two Pvts. and a Spec. 4. There should have been an NCO there as well. You can bet that if an NCO had been available he would have been there.

Go Jo.

That is what bites my balls the worst. When Shinseki testified we needed "several hundred thousand" to successfully occupy Iraq, he was effectively testifying that we could not do it at all. We didn't and don't have that level of troops. And the byproduct of any undermanned combat mission is unnecessary casulties.

Christ I would have supported targeted strikes aimed at Saddam and his sons. But the fact is that the top uniformed guy in the US Army gave his sworn testimomy that conventional invasion and occupation was impossible.

I know why Rumsfield refused to listen, he wanted to get his war on. But anyone who opposes the war now that supported it any time in the past should be looking at themselves in the mirror and asking why their judgement was better than a four star general with thirty years of service.

Clusterfuck predictable - because predicted. And not just by a blogger or two. By the God Damn Chief of Staff of the Army. All you had to do was open your ears and listen.

Three soldiers, no NCO's, a road checkpoint in a hostile area and the whole clusterfuck is beig run by chickenshits who never did the job in the first place because they were too scared/busy/"important" to learn what it takes to do it and do it right and come home in one piece afterwards. I'm saddened for the families who are finding out that their loved ones are being squandered like this. I'm sickened by the a-holes who made the decision to waste all these lives like this.

The Right (surprise) is saying that the left is stating these soldiers deserved this fate. Huh? No way! Our troops have done their damned BEST to save a bad situation. Now if they want to say that I, personally, am saying that I'm not surprised then go right ahead. For some time now I've wondered and worried (my stepson is on his second trip to the area, last year Iraq and he just reported into Afganistan) when someone would be captured. I worried about what their treatment would be. ...and if you're a rightwinger you're suspecting right now that I'm going to mention Abu G and GITMO... and you'd be right! Commanders themselves have warned the administration about the need to follow the Geneva Convention. But, the right will counter, they would have done this anyway. Possibly/probably. But our leaders certainly have done little to prevent this sad episode... and future ones that will also possibly/probably happen. Sad. Bush had the power to end this years ago by aggressively taking on bin Ladin and the Taliban in Afganistan. That opportunity seems long gone. Now when will it end? What/where is the Republican Plan to win this?

1. Bunnypants ... Lying Decider
   
2. Five O'Clock Follies, West
   
3. The Royal "We"
   
4. Bad Policy, Bad Results. It's that simple.
   
5. Too funny...well not really
   
6. Oh, yeah. That war.
   
7. Timely
   
8. Strategery
   
9. Webb wins
   
10. Huh?