Why I Support the Troops:

What Bob Harris said over at This Modern World:

Still, one last aside. To those who repeat the current GOP spin that opponents of the war are motivated by a hatred of Bush or a desire to see America disgraced, I would like to respond.

I can speak for no one else, but it seems obvious to me that it is the war which disgraces America. It is the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people which disgraces America. It is torture which disgraces America. It is imprisonment without trial which disgraces America. It is the use of chemical weapons which disgraces America. It is disdain for international law, the use of military power as a first resort, the intentional confusion of the Iraqi people with terrorists thousands of miles away in Afghanistan, and the corruption of the very word “democracy” which all disgrace America.

As an opponent of the war, I am trying to stop my country from being disgraced any further.

As to hatred, yes, I will confess: I hate the actions of everyone involved — including Bush and his entire team, who are obviously most responsible, but also including plenty of Democrats (Biden, Lieberman, Clinton, etc.) — in creating the current fiasco. My anger and disgust extends even more intensely to the actions of murderous extremists on all sides — like, say, these death squads, for example — but as they are not elected officials representing and theoretically accountable to the very public which reads this blog, I rarely go into much detail on the point.

I would also eagerly forgive anyone able to admit that what they have done is wrong. I forgive John Murtha. I forgive Walter Jones. I forgive John Edwards. Forgiveness is, after all, one of the most important things we can offer.

I could be wrong, but I also believe the majority of humanity would agree.

And if that isn't support for our men and women in uniform - rather than insisting that they keep dying in a war we started while their equipment, training, and medical benefits are slashed - then what the hell is?