Military Down On the War

[hardtravelin]

This article pretty much mirrors what I am observing in the Active Duty Military (I am Army, 12+years, active)

Down on the war
Poll: More troops unhappy with Bush’s course in Iraq

By Robert Hodierne
Senior managing editor

The American military — once a staunch supporter of President Bush and the Iraq war — has grown in creasingly pessimistic about chances for victory.

For the first time, more troops disapprove of the president’s han dling of the war than approve of it. Barely one-third of service members approve of the way the president is handling the war, ac cording to the 2006 Military Times Poll.

When the military was feeling most optimistic about the war — in 2004 — 83 percent of poll re spondents thought success in Iraq was likely. This year, that number has shrunk to 50 percent.

Only 35 percent of the military members polled this year said they approve of the way President Bush is handling the war, while 42 percent said they disapproved. The president’s approval rating among the military is only slight ly higher than for the population as a whole. In 2004, when his popularity peaked, 63 percent of the military approved of Bush’s handling of the war. While ap proval of the president’s war lead ership has slumped, his overall approval remains high among the military.

Just as telling, in this year’s poll only 41 percent of the military said the U.S. should have gone to war in Iraq in the first place, down from 65 percent in 2003. That closely reflects the beliefs of the general population today — 45 percent agreed in a recent USA Today/Gallup poll.

Professor David Segal, director of the Center for Research on Mil itary Organization at the Univer sity of Maryland, was not sur prised by the changing attitude within the military.

“They’re seeing more casualties and fatalities and less progress,” Segal said.


Link: http://www.militarycity.com/polls/2006_main.php

[mike_c]

1. "less progress" toward what...?

I mean, that is the real question the military should be asking. What are they attempting to achieve? What are their strategic objectives?

[hardtravelin]

3. Exactly!

I have spent time in the ME, and the culture is not set up for (nor yearning) for American imported "Democracy".

Too many friends blown up for f-ing nothing.

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Their society has been around for a lot longer then ours

Who the hell are we to try to tell them how to live?

Welcome back. Glad you can be here.

:hi:

[Olney Blue]

2. It must be difficult to have to worry about the competence of your CIC.

Welcome to DU, travelin! It's important to have your perspective in this discussion of the war.

[hardtravelin]

4. Thanks!

I lurk, mostly. I am wary of people taking me the wrong way, so I post mainly on military matters. I'm Infantry, with a Special Operations background...and it kills me to see our leaders piss this talent away.

[Olney Blue]

5. I agree totally about the "pissing talent away" shame to our military.

My nephew just returned from Iraq and will be redeployed to Afghanistan. I am trying to better understand what he is going through and why he is there. I am full of rage at this administration over injustices to the troops-including the veterans. But mostly,
I just feel frightened at the lack of competence in this administration that carelessly puts troops- and civilians- in harm's way.

[hardtravelin]

6. The war seems to never end.

The problem is, with no clear goals and mission, all of us fear that we will be constantly sent into the meat grinder until our "number" comes up.

I am hoping that a new administration will see the light and bring us home. I pray that your Nephew keeps his head down and comes home safe. The Afghanistan mission, especially, is a self-serving funnel of lost promises and obfuscation.

When our deployment becomes the root cause of the problem, we need to go home.

[Olney Blue]

7. Thanks, hardtravelin. You stay safe too.

:hi:

[opihimoimoi]

8. Bush does NOT WANT PEACE...He wants an ongoing conflict

He needs it to feed his ego...him being the CIC...

He is a Bully, an Abuser, and narcissant....he is a pyscho posing as normal....

[flyarm]

10. THEY ARE NOT JUST PISSING TALENT AWAY..THEY ARE

THEY ARE GETTING 20 YR OLDS KILLED..

they are snuffing out our youth's lives..

tonight i sit with a decision that was made to take life support off my mother in law..who is a victim of malpractice..she is a 86 yr old former WAC officer from WWII...she has been fighting since October for her life..and fighting with all she has..

and i have watched this woman fight for her.. will to live... and with everything ..beyond belief...and then i sit and watch cnn do a show tonight about 20 yr olds and 24 yr olds that were killed in Iraq..and i think..why??

why the fuck are our kids over there...they will never be married..they won't have children..and if they are already married and already have children..their children will never know them..and why??

what was this all about??

other than bold faced lies..what was it about????????

forget plans..forget everything else..what was this about and why have so many had to die for nothing?? for * hes fucking lies..and for greed...and for the wealth of a few...

and yet this nation has lost our greatest treasure..for what???????

iraq did not declare war on us..they were no threat..not when we attacked them..i see us as no better than when the japanese attacked us..we are no better ..in fact we are worse..because we should have known better as a nation and as a people!

we should never have let this monster get into our white house to begin with..and then we should have en mass taken to the streets and stopped this mother fucker...

we as a nation allowed propaganda..we allowed the lies..we allowed the deciet..and we ..all of us ..we killed those kids in uniform..because we did not say no...oh yeah some of us did ..but we did not as a nation say ..no...

we played the fucking patriotic bullshit game...

and we let a coward send our kids to die...how fucking smart are we as a nation..and how smart are we as a people????????

not very...

fly

[PsN2Wind]

9. The military support would drop even further

if the REMFs were required to take a turn on patrol to take some pressure off the frontline troops

[Disturbed]

11. Many Troops are finally starting to understand

that Busholini and his War Criminals don't give a shit about them. It must be a real crappy feeling. I know what it feels like because I was in that situation many years ago in another War.

[hardtravelin]

12. You said it, Brother! n/t

[Supersedeas]

13. Nothing to see here--feed them more buzz words: escalation/acceleration