"It just doesn't make sense to me"

"Troops here say they are increasingly frustrated by American criticism of the war. Many take it personally, believing it is also criticism of what they've been fighting for," reports CBS embed Richard Engel. The YouTube video of Engel's report (above) provides a perfect counterpoint to MoveOn.org's VoteVet TV ad.

"When it comes to the war in Iraq, America's divided," goes MoveOn.org's new cut-and-run VoteVets TV ad -- "a montage of Iraq war veterans against escalation" -- scheduled to run during the Super Bowl if they manage to raise $91,000 over the next couple of days:

On one hand, you've got two thirds of the American people. A bipartisan majority in congress, the Iraq Study Group. And veterans like us, all opposed to the escalation. On the other hand, there's George Bush, who supports escalation. If you support escalation, you don't support the troops.

That last bit is debatable, but the assertion that the Iraq Study Group doesn't support escalation is just plain wrong. 'Guess our Soros-funded [is the old boy still secretly backing this "grassroots" group?] friends on the wrong side of the aisle had already put their ad in the can by the time ISG co-chair James Addison Baker III told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday to give the President's "surge plan" time to work before declaring it a failure:

The general [David Petraeus] you confirmed 81-0 just the day before yesterday, this is his idea. He's a supporter of it. He's now the commander on the ground in Iraq. Give it a chance.

Good for him. Meanwhile, whether or not MoveOn's ad makes it to the Super Bowl, it's already all over YouTube, posted by Presidential hopeful Wesley Clark among others. Can you say preaching to the choir? As for production values and emotional impact, its visual device of having one vet lift his right arm and say "on the one hand" and then having an amputee lift his left arm -- amputated below the elbow -- saying "on the other hand" struck us as effective on a gut level but somehow disrespectful. It takes all kinds.

On the other side of the debate, a news clip of a report by NBC [!] embed Richard Engel of brief interviews with men currently on the front in Iraq has caught fire on the right side of the blogosphere. As a member in good standing of that particular choir, we say "Hallelujah!" The NBC report's you-are-there, unrehearsed quality struck us as more authentic -- and hence more profoundly compelling -- than the obviously staged and scripted VoteVets ad. As one of the soldiers told the reporter:

One thing I don't like is when people back home say they support the troops, but they don't support the war. If they're going to support us, support us all the way.

"It just don't make sense to me" says 21-year-old Specialist Tyler Johnson.

Comments

[goomp]

As a member of the so called "Greatest Generation" I have to think a great many of the "Boomers" are striving to be known as the "Ignorant Generation." History and a study of the human race clearly indicate that we must win the war against the Islamic-Fascist or perish. Wake up America!

[Teresa]

You gotta love how the leftists have taken the "American people don't like how Bush is handling the war" and turned it into "the American people want the war to end right now".

It seems none of the lefties understand that most American people think Bush isn't doing enough or enough in the right way in prosecuting the war. Most Americans think we should be doing a better job over there - NOT that we should cut and run.

That's Mr. Bush's fault for not getting out there on television and telling us how things are going. They are going much better than the reporters tell the story - but unless you read Milblogs - you won't know that! It's very frustrating.

[hnav]

thank you for this fine post.

in regards to a comment, i don't know how someone can blame this President...

the Man has clearly, repeatedly, defined the mission, the stakes, etc...

but the MSM just slanders every aspect.

in fact, they even still have many convinced this is NOT a healthy economy.

i never expected the President to wage the GWOT on his own.

the liberal democrats have done everything they can to undermine this Presidency, and the admirable efforts made by the USA in the GWOT, including the liberation of Iraq.

we, as in 'we', have to do better to combat the unethical manipulations of the liberal partisan greed.

[Gayle Miller]

The miracle of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, is that he IS waging the GWOT and will continue to do so, regardless of the bomb throwing, spineless wimps of the MSM, the Democratic Party leftists, and the anti-American nutroots crowd. I have never admired a man more than I do our President. He is strong, determined, faithful to his perceived mission, and utterly committed to protecting even those who heap calumny on his head.

God was truly guarding our nation when George W. Bush became our President.

[hnav]

Gayle MILLER !

i have to sincerely agree, and appreciate seeing this positive expression about a Man so unfairly vilified.

thank you.