For the Troops

In the middle of all the campaign rhetoric about "the troops," I wonder: "Who ISN'T for the troops?" Sarah Palin's son is heading to Iraq. So is Joe Biden's son. "The troops" are not Republican; "the troops" are not Democratic. They are individual citizens with various political persuasions. The Republicans would have us believe that only Republicans are patriotic, only Republicans are "for the troops," and only Republicans have values. (Off message, I know, but I'm really, really tired of the phrase "values voter," as it always means someone who is going to vote Republican. I'm a values voter, too, and I'm--usually--a Democrat.) So--for "the troops," here are some voices you're not likely to hear from--and some information you're not likely to hear about--at the Republican National Convention:

• Brandon Friedman, "Republicans Use Fake Troops for RNC Video," posted at VetVoice: A Project for VoteVets.org.
• Jon Soltz, "Is the McCain-Palin Campaign Violating Operational Security?," posted at VetVoice.org. (Hat tip to Steve Bennen, whose link at Political Animal led me to the VetVoice website.)
• Information on troop-giving to the presidential candidates at OpenSecrets.org: "Troops Deployed Abroad Give 6:1 to Obama."

Just saying: "The troops" don't fall into one category of any kind.