This is a letter that I sent to the Editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and of The Southbridge Evening News on 03/01/2007.
Editor:
The administration and Republicans in Congress want to escalate the level of troops in Iraq without the new troops being properly trained.
Rep. Jack Murtha is introducing legislation that requires the proper training and rest periods between rotations before troops can be sent. For this heroic effort, the Republicans and certain media outlets are branding Murtha as out of touch and not supporting the troops. This is the most outrageous lie that has been attempted since John Kerry was Swiftboated during the election. Only this time we see the construction of the lie happening in plain sight.
Apparently it is too inconvenient for the administration to run this war effort competently. They have themselves in a fix because they did not gear up properly to conduct the fight. Instead of trying to repair the damage, they would rather send in troops for on-the-job training. On-the-job training for the military means being trained where mistakes are likely to be fatal. What kind of a way is this for our President to support the troops? His military inexperience is dangerous when he makes the decisions while ignoring the advice of people who really know how to wage war. This is far beyond being laughable. This is tragic.
/Steven Greenberg