I found this photo and wept because my husband is going to Iraq for fifteen months and I know this could be me. On any given day, out of 455 (minimum that he will be gone), someone could come to my door and make me a widow. I look at this woman and I can barely breathe.
And then there was the vote to produce and send mine resistent vehicles to Iraq. Vehicles that the Marine Corp and the Army had been asking for since 2005 because they cut down on casualties and deaths by up to SEVENTY PERCENT. (Think of it for a minute, 2,500 less widows.)
Biden was the only candidate with enough courage to cast the vote for these vehicles (it was in the supplemental war funding bill). Biden said there are some things worth losing elections over and before you ever run for office you need to know what those are. My husband's life was one of the things he was willing to lose an election over. No other Democratic candidate can say that to me, or any other military wife.
When Senator Biden said those troops were worth losing for, I knew his candidacy was worth fighting for.
__________________________
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.
You have my warmest best
You have my warmest best wishes for your and your loved ones. We all hope this madness ends soon!
__________________________Work and struggle and never accept an evil that you can change -- Andre Gide
My prayers are with your
My prayers are with your husband, mydragonflies, but I think the Supplemental Funding bill kept our soldiers, our fellow citizens in Iraq longer and that keeps them in harms way.
They should get the protective gear AND be pulled out. It shouldn't be either or.
__________________________You are absolutely right,
You are absolutely right, but that wasn't a choice to be had. The only way to get the right equipment to them almost immediately, he had to sign the bill with the emergency funding. That was the rock and the hard place of it, and he had to do it knowing he would be accused of voting for the war when in fact, he has been just as vocal about ending the war as any of the other candidates.
THe cold hard facts are these: Biden, in my mind, is the only one who realized that our troops, our husbands and wives, sons and daughters, need protection WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN IRAQ just as much as they need the protection of getting out of Iraq. Both needs are of equal important and both needs, if met, can save their lives. Biden is willing to meet both those needs...at a cost evidently deemed too high by Clinton and Obama.
__________________________"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.
Hang in there, take a deep
Hang in there, take a deep breath, and find some confidence in the odds: as sad as every death is, there are very few compared to the amount of troops in Iraq.
Although this is a terrible situation, the odds are your old man will come through just fine.
I really appreciate your spreading information about how Congress and the President are treating our troops, and I share your concerns. Please continue to keep an eye on these issues and inform us when bills that will protect your dude come up. Your concerns are our concerns.
I think it's totally unfair that the deployments are for so long, and multiple deployments are unacceptable, but I agree with eppie, and believe we should leave.
Biden, like the rest of the Dem Candidates, are ALL talking about how we will be in Iraq for years. This LINK goes to a NYT article of 8-12-07 which lays out their sad positions. I have a poor quality draft essay on this issue on my site. I track developments in Iraq, so you may want to review the headlines that come across my site.
I hope for a swift and safe return of your old man,
Alex