Bush shouldn't get military vote

From TEXAS A&M "The Batallion" (Yeah, I said TEXAS)

see http://tinyurl.com/2d98k

Bush shouldn't get military vote

Iraq war, refusal to attend soldiers' funerals should haunt him in 2004
election
By collins Ezeanyim
Published: Wednesday, February 4, 2004

By Tony Piedra


On May 1, 2003, the sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln were delayed
getting to port after a 10-month voyage because President George W.
Bush, who was scheduled to make a speech declaring the end of major
combat operations in Iraq on the aircraft carrier, was sleeping.
Unfortunately, this incident was only one in a disturbing pattern in
Bush's disregard for the needs of America's military. Although most
voting members of the military are expected to support the president in
his reelection bid this fall, the president has not earned their vote.

Twice, Bush has attempted to manufacture photo opportunities using the
military as a backdrop. The USS Lincoln incident, when the president
unnecessarily donned a flight suit and arrived via jet (even though the
carrier was in helicopter range), was the first. Later that year, Bush
was shown carrying a fake turkey while visiting troops in Baghdad
during Thanksgiving.

Preposterously, some soldiers who walked as much as 15 minutes to the
Bob Hope facility to see the president and get a Thanksgiving meal were
denied entrance for security reasons, according to a letter to the
editor in the military newspaper, The Stars and Stripes. Bush's visit
to Iraq was supposed to be a morale builder for the troops, but how can
turning soldiers away when they come to see you build morale?

Regrettably, Bush has made even worse decisions regarding the
uniformed men and women in Iraq. In one case, it has literally been a
life and death matter. When the war in Iraq was starting, only ground
combat troops were issued potentially life - saving Kevlar vests. Only
now is the Pentagon working to get these vests to all soldiers in Iraq,
nearly a year after the war began. As commander in chief, it was Bush's
responsibility to ensure that all of the troops in Iraq had these
vests, but he failed miserably.

Last summer, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Bush
administration approved a Pentagon plan to rollback an increase in
"imminent danger pay" from $225 to $150. A wave of negative publicity
ensued. This included a scathing editorial by The Army Times on June
30, 2003, titled, "Nothing but Lip Service," which stated, "President
Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress have missed no opportunity
to heap richly-deserved praise on the military. But talk is cheap - and
getting cheaper by the day, judging from the nickel-and-dime treatment
the troops are getting lately." It was only after receiving negative
media attention that Bush signed a bill that kept the combat pay raises
in place.

The Bush administration has also been malicious when it comes to
veterans' benefits. In 2003, Bush submitted a proposal to Congress that
slashed funding for a veteran's health care program by $1.8 billion.

Current Democratic presidential candidate and Vietnam veteran John
Kerry criticized this move, according to The San Antonio Express News.

But he wasn't the only one, as several veterans' groups also
criticized the cut. As if his policy decision concerning the military
wasn't bad enough, service members must suffer the indignity of knowing
Bush has not - and will not - attend any funerals of those killed in
Iraq. Some have argued the president can't show signs of weakness
during his campaign on terror and attending funerals with large amounts
of media coverage will only encourage more attacks by Iraqi insurgents.


But this reasoning is weak. It would be better if Bush attended
funerals and delivered the message that the United States will get the
job done in Iraq no matter what. Nonetheless, Bush is willing to send
Americans to die in an unnecessary war but is not willing to attend any
of their funerals.

This is a slap in the face to those willing to make the ultimate
sacrifice for their country.

Despite all this, Bush will most likely be supported by the majority
of military voters. The biggest reason why this is so is the stronghold
Republicans have over U.S. service members. The Army Times reports that
while only one-third of Americans identify with the GOP, a whopping 57
percent of service members surveyed by The Military Times consider
themselves Republican. And even though the military is increasingly
composed of women and minorities - groups traditionally loyal to the
Democratic Party - even they lean conservative, according to Salon.com.

Still, military members should seriously consider the actions Bush has
taken in his three years in office. Any honest appraisal will reveal
Bush doesn't deserve their valuable votes.