Iraq Platoon Leader Rails Bush

Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraqi war veteran delivered the weekly Democratic radio address Saturday, taking aim at the Bush administration's war and planning strategy and saying "our mission" -- plagued by "too little support and too little planning" -- "is not accomplished."

The full article is here.

Though Rieckhoff has gotten some limited cable news attention also since his national radio address in rebuttal to Bush's weekly sermon. I just saw the guy on CNN and he seemed quite sincere and level headed...though the Republican attack dog sound bites from Senator McCain that immediately followed would have one think otherwise.

What the hell happened to Senator McShame anyway? He used to be a good guy. The real scandal here is that McCain does not address Rieckoff's assertions, he merely presses the Republican position that it's "wrong" for anyone in the military (even honorably discharged) to criticize the President. BS.

Anyway, the highly patriotic Rieckhoff has very measured things to say about Iraq, mostly dealing with the enormous differences between what Bush says and what Bush does...

"But three days before we were supposed to leave, we were told that our stay in Iraq would be extended, indefinitely. The violence intensified, the danger persisted, and the instability grew. And despite what George Bush said, our mission was not accomplished."

He said the war planning was poor and that "our soldiers deserved better."

Welcome to the Democratic Party, soldier.

[Edited on 3-5-2004 by RANT]