Antiwar Liberal Democrat Attacks Troops Visiting Capital Hill
This was posted by DM at the Power Line Forum:20 May 2008 - http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/05/liberal-democrat-attacks-troops.html
A class of senior Army War College officers (all of whom are either Iraq or Afghanistan combat veterans with multiple deployments) were taking part on a tour of Congress. All of this was officially approved and part of the Army War College curriculum. The officers observing Congress hold multiple bronze stars between them; and other citations too numerous to mention. Congressman Pete Stark observed them in the gallery, and below is his official letter of outrage. Below is the text of a letter sent today to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates by Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), regarding the possible abuse of military officers’ time.
May 16, 2008
The Honorable Robert Gates
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Secretary Gates:
Yesterday, while voting on the war supplemental spending bill in the House of Representatives, I couldn’t help but notice a contingent of approximately 20 flag rank Army officers sitting in the House Gallery watching the debate and vote for a couple of hours. I was looking from below so I thought they were Army, but there could have been other branches present.
It’s possible they were on leave time or vacation. If so, I obviously have no concern. However, if they were doing this on military time, I want an explanation of why they were there.
At a time when our nation is at war, our troops are over-extended, and the Administration is literally asking for emergency military spending, what good to the “war on terror” is having US Generals and other top ranked officers - who were likely accompanied by staff and escorted by their chauffeurs - spending hours sitting in the gallery of the House of Representatives?
Please provide for me the name, rank, branch, and duties of each of these officers, as well as the number of additional staff and drivers that were used to facilitate their attendance yesterday. I would like this information by Monday, May 19th.
If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war.
Sincerely,
Pete Stark
CC: The Honorable Ike Skelton, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services
CC: The Honorable Jack Murtha, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense
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Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) is the same liberal democrat who said that:"US soldiers were getting their heads blown off for the President's amusement."
see video of that at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lTUB5_l0Mg
UPDATE: Jordan has a great comment below on Stark's rank ignorance of military missions, priorities, and the duties of officers.
8:26 AM jordan said... Good God. Who are these people and what are they doing in my government. He says they were all flag rank. Was it twenty Generals?
This letter reveals Stark's rank ignorance of military missions, priorities, and the duties of officers, yes, in this tumultuous time of war. Of COURSE they would visit the Congress as part of an Army War College course or symposium. Military aides and attaches serve in embassies around the world, and are often assigned to Congressmen and Senators as aides and liaison officers. Part of their training MUST include learning the mechanics, the nuts and bolts, of the military-political process.
I can't think of a more appropriate, more fitting occasion to observe this process in action than than the voting on the war funding bill. In fact, I would see it as negligent had an Army War College course for flag officers NOT included such a tour.
I don't know what committees Stark has served on, but individual officers are posted to their assignments according to what meets national requirements, and adjusted to their time in rank, military occupation (MOS), etc... These officers were assigned to the War College as part of DoD's careful maintenance of warfighting and national security responsibilities.
Stark seems to think you can just take 20 flag officers out of the visitor's gallery and plop them down into Iraq. Is he daffy?
That's not how it works. Leaders with knowledge and expertise in the upper levels of government have to be in the pipeline, and this is what courses and tours like these are -- the pipeline.
Generals don't live forever, they have to be replaced every once in a while. You want to prepare them for the duties and missions they might be assigned across the spectrum of military jobs -- from the political inside-the-beltway, to field command.
Stark's letter shows the danger of handing our government and national security policies over to the control of the Democrats. These people have no clue, and are led around by their rabid emotions.
This reflexive hatred of all this military (until you need them, of course) is insane, backwards, and self-destructive. But then, logic has never played a big part in the Dem Party's view of national security. This is excellent fodder for campaigning against the Democrats this fall. Thanks, Pete Stark. You really stepped into it this time, and can blame no one but yourself.
I'd like to see how many earmarks, wasteful trips and wasted taxpayer time and money Pete Stark has overseen during his years "in service."
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It only took a few hours for the man to look like an ass:
Stark’s office released that letter around noon Friday. About four-and-a-half hours later came a shorter release in which Stark said he’d been informed that the onlookers weren’t generals, but a class from the war college in Carlisle, Pa.
Readers, I know this story left a bitter taste in the mouth, so I'll attach the following joke I saw in the "Daily Inbox," which is e-mailed to me on a regular basis:
An elderly couple had been shopping at a grocery store, and the wife decided to steal a can of peaches. The inevitable happened and she was caught. Upon her court date, the judge asked her what she had stolen.
"Your Honor, I stole a can of peaches."
The judge replied, "How many peaches were in the can?"
She said, "Six."
The judge then said, "I will sentence you to six days in jail."
Her husband stood up behind her and replied, "Your Honor, she also stole a can of peas."
--Eric Thompson
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