Betrayal

(Emphasis added) LS

The troops are speaking out and they seem confused and mis-informed. In a recent Zogby poll, "An overwhelming majority of 72% of American troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and nearly one in four say the troops should leave immediately..." "The wide-ranging poll also shows that 58% of those serving in country say the U.S. mission in Iraq is clear in their minds, while 42% said it is either somewhat or very unclear to them, that they have no understanding of it at all, or are unsure." Perhaps the most telling piece of information for me is the following, "While 85% said the U.S. mission is mainly "to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks," 77% said they also believe the main or a major reason for the war was "to stop Saddam from protecting al Qaeda in Iraq." For the Bush Administration to claim that they never put forward a connection between Saddam and 9-11 and then see these numbers reflected by the troops in the field simply defies belief.

Asking our troops to engage in combat and risk life or limb has got to be the most solemn act of any Commander in Chief. In so doing, the level of trust between our government and our troops must be without question. The commitment of these brave men and women in defense of our country must never be politicized or trivialized and yet, nowhere in these poll numbers is there any sense of "defense of country" amongst the rationales expressed by these troops when asked why they are in that country: "Ninety-three percent said that removing weapons of mass destruction is not a reason for U.S. troops being there," said Pollster John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International. "Instead, that initial rationale went by the wayside and, in the minds of 68% of the troops, the real mission became to remove Saddam Hussein." Just 24% said that "establishing a democracy that can be a model for the Arab World" was the main or a major reason for the war. Only small percentages see the mission there as securing oil supplies (11%) or to provide long-term bases for US troops in the region (6%). " To read the information contained in this latest poll must lead you to believe that there is a rising sense of betrayal felt by more and more of our service men and women.

For those who say "Support the Troops", I say now more than ever we must join together in that effort. Support the Troops - Bring them Home! They deserve nothing less.

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue