(From the diaries -- kos)
for•ti•tude, n.: Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Army is now saying 15-month deployments without a proper recovery time are “not sustainable.” Again, this is exactly what the Webb-Hagel Amendment was all about—that is, until it was torpedoed by Republican al Qaeda supporters in the Senate last week.
This story was previously diaried by dday and Lightning Pride in two excellent pieces, but I want to expound on it a little—as well as to keep this story front and center.
So, there’s good news and bad news. I’ll start off with the good news first:
The Army has now essentially come out and said that the Republicans who voted against the Webb-Hagel Amendment don’t support the troops. This is what Ann Scott Tyson of the Post reported yesterday:
Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey Jr., who is scheduled to testify today before the House Armed Services Committee, intends to move as quickly as possible to grant soldiers more relief from the war zone, having argued that the troop rotations of 15 months in combat and 12 months at home -- required by the buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq and the conflict in Afghanistan -- are "not sustainable" for the Army.
Obviously, General Casey, an Army officer, thinks the troops need more time at home than chickenhawk Republican legislators want to allow. Because Casey, like most other soldiers, knows that
Republican Senators like John Cornyn support al Qaeda when they
vote to
weaken our military.
So to me, it’s all there, clear as crystal: Despite what Republicans want America to think, they do not support the troops. And now—finally—the Army officer corps is backing up this assertion.
Which brings me to the bad news:
Where in the hell was George Casey last week when his soldiers needed him to stand up for them? Was he having a lunch with Colin Powell where they discussed the merits of being in a position of leadership without really having the stomach—or, fortitude—to exhibit real, actual leadership? Because, like Powell—who failed to protect his soldiers in 2003 by standing up to the Bush administration—Casey failed the men and women under his command last week. Instead of rocking the boat by challenging the Bush administration and its Republican lackeys in the Senate, Casey chose to remain silent. Instead of speaking up, he waited for over a week to say something on the record. He waited until it was politically safe—and until it was too late to do any good. And for that, he is a coward.
This is not something I say lightly, either. Because I am an Army officer, too. And I have commanded troops in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But it is the truth. The first thing a platoon leader learns in the Army is this: You are responsible for everything your unit does or fails to do. And George Casey knows this. In this case, he failed to step in during the heat of the debate, when his voice could have drowned out the nonsense over the Petraeus ad. Instead, he chose to leave his soldiers’ fates in the hands of ignorant and careless Senate Republicans who took their cues from a stupid and arrogant Commander-in-Chief.
So when Casey finally decided to express concern yesterday afternoon about Army readiness in the face of any new threats, it was too late.
What Casey has done is not what being an Army officer is all about. He has dishonored himself and the Army. He did not have the intestinal fortitude to say something more forcefully when he could have. And the troops know it.
So in sum, I am heartened that the Army is further separating itself from the Republican Party in concrete ways. But I am continually disappointed with the highest levels of “leadership” in the Pentagon. The troops are watching. And they expect more.