The Democrats In Congress- Holding America's troops For Ransom

I dislike the sort of partisan rhetoric that seems to be par for the course in this political season, but I can't help agreeing with John McCain

When he was asked what surprised him the most about the behavior House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with regard to Iraq, he had a simple answer - "their lack of patriotism."

What McCain was referring to, of course, was the wholesale attempt by some of the Democrats in congress to legislate a defeat during wartime in Iraq and Afghanistan by literally starving our troops of funding..simply because a debacle and a shameful retreat works for them politically, regardless of whether it's in America's best interests.

I've chronicled several of these attempts, including a shameful instance of Harry Reid petulantly behaving like a spoiled five-year-old and tabling in committee a badly needed war funding bill that included vital equipment and a pay raise for the military, simply because he couldn't muster the votes to include a written-in-stone surrender date.

The latest instance is even worse. Because President Bush said he would veto a bill tying funding for our troops to millions of dollars in pork and once again rejected a guaranteed withdrawal date, the House and Senate Democrats, led by Reid and Pelosi sent a revised version up for a vote without the pork and without the $50 million in badly needed funds for our warriors.

At a press conference afterwards, Congresswoman Pelosi came out with a this memorable gem:

"They {the Republicans} like this war," she said. "They want this war to continue. That was a revelation to me. I had thought they would listen to their constituents and change their position." She later tried to play catch up on this outrageous freudian slip by saying she meant to say that Republicans like Mr. Bush's strategy — not that they "like" the war.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has still hasn't received the money they need to continue funding the war....something that directly affects every soldier in the field. The Defense Department is trying to shuffle things around by temporarily laying off 100,000 civilian military employees next week in an attempt to free up money for combat troops.

And those `compassionate' Democrats are quite aware of the Christmastime layoffs. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England sent letters to senior Democrats, among them Mrs. Pelosi and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin warning them about the pending layoffs and writing that they "will affect the critical support our civilian employees provide to our war-fighters — support which is key to our current operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq." Army and Marine command facilities in the US and abroad with civilian employees and contractors were also warned about the civilian layoffs at their bases.

Again, I agree with John McCain - the lack of patriotism of these people in wartime, the lack of basic support and appreciation for the men and women who pay the price to defend their perks, freedom and lifestyle is astounding.

It is, quite simply, craven, disloyal and conduct unbecoming.