Tthe current dissatisfaction of military/vets/families with bush/repubs...

[vi5]

I see a lot of talk about this, in particular how it will play out come '04. And I'm glad this contingent of people are finally seeing bush and the repukes for what they are: all talk and no action chickenhawks of the highest order.

But come '04 do you honestly think it will mean anything? Like most americans, and like many other demographic groups in this country I'd be willing to bet that this group operates on a "what have you done for me lately" basis. This isn't a dig at this particular group. I would say in general at least 40% of the middle of the road US population thinks this way.

My point is that it's pretty obvious that sometime between I'd say March and October of next year, bush and his cronies are going to trot out some token gestures or acts or programs designed to placate this important, normally republican demographic. And my feeling is that like most people by and large the vets/families/military will allow themselves to forgive bush for the first 2 and a half years of benefit cuts, improper use, taking for granted, and all around chickenhawking because of whatever their latest dog and pony show is.

I want to believe that they will all be smarter than that. I hope they will all be smarter than that. But I've often hoped that the general public many times over the past 2 years would be "smarter than that" and they haven't been so I'm not sure if I should assume that any one particular group (any group for that matter) will buck the trend.

In fact the only reason I really picked this group right now is because at this moment their dissatisfaction is running particularly high (justifiably so) and is coming around to the message that many dems and liberals were trying to spread before the war.

[bandy]

1. I have to believe

that the families of our troops are as informed, maybe more so then we are, as to what our * administration is up to, and they will not forget in 2004. We are talking about their children, spouses, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. This farce of a war is not going away for them or me. My children are to old for service but if they were involved, trust me - I would never change my mind, no matter what.