Your “better propagandists” statement is completely unsupportable. Period. And we are better off in the sense that whatever Gore or Kerry would have done, someone as incompetent as Bush is still the lesser of 2 evils, or 3. Conjecture, I know, but we are in opinion territory here. Here’s a territory where we are not: we are not in a recession. Look up the definition. Is the economy in mediocre shape? Yep. As to oil prices, it is well documented that the executive branch has little power over same. Apparently, this is also true of the legislative branch. In 2006, Nancy Pelosi promised to address rising oil prices, and look what’s happened since then—the bulk of the barrel price increase. There’s plenty of blame to go around, most of it offshore.

I didn’t parse reenlistment rates into political parties, as you suggest. I recommend that you don’t either. I know what dedication is, and your presumption to preach to me is juvenile. I am a former Marine officer. Your last 2 sentences of that paragraph only underscore my point regarding Iraq veteran reenlistment.

I disagree completely with your “viable option” thesis, and I frankly find it insulting in its implication that that’s why some veterans remain in the service.

Again, I am on the record about Bush; on the other hand, he’s been dealt a pretty rough hand. But his approval ratings are half again better than those of your Democrat congress. And despite everything that has gone bad and all the pie-in-the-sky promises of Monsieur Obama, as well as the Brandenburg bounce, “McSame” is still in a statistical dead heat with him.*

We shall see.

*http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/

Bush had, and still has, better propagandists. And how are we “better off” now? I sure enjoy living during the worst recession in recent memory, paying over $4.00 for a gallon of gas and wondering if I’m going to be able to feed my family and heat my home this winter.

As for your second point, just because they’re Democrats doesn’t mean they don’t reenlist. It’s called “dedication”. Military people have a remarkable capacity to separate their own political beliefs from the causes for which they fight. In other words, they may disagree with the war, but they will also A) support the prosecution of it and B) finish the job if at all possible.

Of course, with the economy in the state it is, the military is the only viable option for a secure job with health and dental benefits.

Yep, Bush sure has done a great job managing the country… into the ground.

How do you know how many Democrats I think there are in the military? Tarot readings? I’m on the record about this war already (“Michael Paul Williams needs an enema”, 3/19/08), and I agree with you there; as to the other, however, I guess that’s why reenlistment rates are higher for Iraq veterans than in the military at large? Check it out.

And for chrissake, quit whining, as you do on your blog, about the so-called Florida vote recount scam. It was 8 years ago, Karl Rove didn’t buy the Supreme Court, and if Al Gore had demanded a recount of the entire state instead of cherry picking the districts he thought would push him over, he’d have won. His bad. He’s better off for the misjudgment. And so are we.

That said, thank you for your service.

BTW, there are a lot more Democrats in the military than you think. They vote in droves. And they DON’T like being sent off to fight in wars as poorly mismanaged and randomly executed as this one was.