Not enough troops to keep pace, study says -Navy Times

[Rose Siding]

The military doesn’t have enough people for its current pace of missions, according to an independent study commissioned by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. But Rumsfeld said he won’t immediately act on the panel’s recommendations.

As violence grows in Iraq, Rumsfeld also took exception to suggestions that he and other U.S. officials are portraying the troubled country in an overly positive light.
.....
Rumsfeld said he took the DSB study seriously enough that he had it briefed to the Joint Chiefs and combatant commanders. But he also said he supports only the current, temporary increase of 30,000 soldiers to the Army.

He said he’s certain more efficiencies can be squeezed out of the force without a large, permanent manpower increase.

http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-NAVYPAPER-370919.php

[Career Prole]

1. And it's one, two, three, what're we fightin' for?

We want the same deal Dubya had,
We ain't a-goin' to Baghdad...

(with apologies to Country Joe and The Fish)

[saigon68]

2. Love Your Song

I think though, it will get mighty Drafty in here soon.

[Kolesar]

4. Yeah, that is clever

[Career Prole]

5. I'm gettin' all nostalgic now and remembering "What if they gave a war

and nobody came?"
They got away with Vietnam...definitely oughta do that for this war.
It's fairly begging for no-shows.

[Eloriel]

15. Help is on the way

Former soldiers slow to report
By Tom Squitieri, USA TODAY

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-09-27-reserves_x.htm

WASHINGTON — Fewer than two-thirds of the former soldiers being reactivated for duty in Iraq and elsewhere have reported on time, prompting the Army to threaten some with punishment for desertion.

The former soldiers, part of what is known as the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), are being recalled to fill shortages in skills needed for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of the 1,662 ready reservists ordered to report to Fort Jackson, S.C., by Sept. 22, only 1,038 had done so, the Army said Monday. About 500 of those who failed to report have requested exemptions on health or personal grounds.

-- more -

And see this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2422619

[Career Prole]

16. Thanks for that!

A groundswell of common sense is just what we need! :D

[SKKY]

3. If you can get a hold of the most recent Navy Times...

...there's an excellent comparison piece about LT's Bush and Kerry. Although the Navy Times isn't published by the US Navy, or related to the Department of Defense, it's often considered a "lip service rag". The article in there is quite critical of Bush, which I find enlightening.

[saigon68]

6. They (the Navy Times) are really getting trashed on line.

For the chat site they run, they are being compared by the Extreme Right wing hate mongers as servicing Clinton's penis. It's hilarious.

[cliss]

7. I swear there is something really wrong with

Donald RumsFailed. Am I the only one who thinks so? I think the entire media, the Pentagon, and worried people in general are looking for little cracks in the facade, to see if the Old Boy has finally snapped.

And I think the only thing that people use to gauge his sanity is that he speaks coherent sentences. He appears to use sophisticated erudite sentences. I think that's the only reason why they haven't locked him up.

We're all looking for clues about the internal workings of his infected brain. Of course, I believe this happened long ago. He's just so damn good at masking his insanity so he fools everybody.

Just listen to his speeches sometime. Take a close look at his statements, which nobody else seems to do. I think they all give Old Don a very big berth and probably discount 90% of what he says.

Big mistake.

[alecthemad]

8. Rumsfeld

Did anyone see the bit on the daily show where he kept saying Iraq instead of N Korea, Iran, Syria, and a whole bunch of other countries. Even as a republican voter I found it hilarious.

[Rose Siding]

9. I saw him confuse bin laden with saddam

but I didn't think "republican voters" would notice, as so many of them find the two interchangeable.

What made you decide to split from your party in getting Bush out of the WH? Or have you?

[billysauto]

10. Chastise George W. Bush

i just found this web site and i loved what it says and i think you will too
If you had a minute to say anything you wanted to George W. Bush in front of thousands of American voters, what would you say? Chastise him for his foolish military adventure in Iraq? Scold him for domestic policies that hurt average Americans while enriching the few? Or just urge him to be honest with the American people for a change?

At Real Voices we think about that question a lot, because that's our mission: to give ordinary Americans a voice in the political process. In powerful 60-second radio and TV spots, our real citizens address the president in front of an audience of thousands of potential voters. Whether it's a parent who lost a son or daughter in Iraq, a sick child who might be cured by cutting edge stem cell research, or a scientist who knows the truth about global warming and toxic pollution, our "real voices" confront the President directly and honestly about his abysmal record. Filmed by two-time Academy Award nominee Eric Thiermann, our TV spots are powerful, moving and utterly honest, unlike any political ad you have ever seen. With your help, we will have them playing in every battleground state come this fall.

We regard the war in Iraq to be George Bush's greatest betrayal of the American people. It has greatly increased the risk of terrorism, damaged our international prestige, and caused the greatest losses to individual families. Working closely with families who lost loved ones in the fighting we are determined to make sure their voices and stories are told in the upcoming election. The radio and TV spots you see here feature many of their stories, we have others in production that are even more moving. By sponsoring a radio or TV message you are directly giving our "real voices" an opportunity to speak to thousands of voters in key battleground states.

This is a great experiment in American democracy: a chance to give the real citizens of America... the ones George Bush prays you won't hear... a platform to talk back to the President, in front of thousands of American voters. Democracy doesn't get any simpler or more direct than that. And all we need to make it work is you.

Had it with George W. Bush? Tell 50,000 voters why!

http://realvoices.org/rv/index.html

[Palacsinta]

11. A "Real Voices" ad was on CBS

I think, as part of a feature on "attack ads"?!?. The ad featured a woman whose son had been killed in Iraq. She was crying and asking why he died when there was no connection between 9/11 and Iraq. Very moving, I thought.

[Earth_First]

12. From the article:

He said he’s certain more efficiencies can be squeezed out of the force without a large, permanent manpower increase.

McCain said the colonel spoke of a “threshold before which people will say, ‘I just can’t give any more.’”

I'm sure this is going to do wonders in the recruiting and retention offices on military posts worldwide. Mark my words, once the stop loss has been lifted, expect an exodus of fed up soldiers.

Bush 2004 = Draft 2005

[struggle4progress]

13. kick

:kick:

[Eloriel]

14. Ugh. Does "more efficiencies" equal more privitizatioin?

More work for Halliburton, DynCorps, Titan, and all the others?

:grr: