UH OH, SOMEONE TELL RUSH - 12 MORE "PHONY SOLDIERS"

I hope Rush wastes no time in debasing, smearing and attacking these "Enemies of the State." I'm sure Sean Hannity won't wait.

The Real Iraq We Knew
By 12 former Army captains
Tuesday, October 16, 2007; 12:00 AM

(excerpts)

Five years on, the Iraq war is as undermanned and under-resourced as it was from the start. And, five years on, Iraq is in shambles.

...the U.S. military has been trying in vain to hold the country together. Even with "the surge," we simply do not have enough soldiers and marines to meet the professed goals of clearing areas from insurgent control, holding them securely and building sustainable institutions.

This is what we tried to communicate up the chain of command. This is either what did not get passed on to our civilian leadership or what our civilian leaders chose to ignore.

There is one way we might be able to succeed in Iraq. To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately.

America, it has been five years. It's time to make a choice.

This column was written by 12 former Army captains: Jason Blindauer served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Elizabeth Bostwick served in Salah Ad Din and An Najaf in 2004. Former Capt. Jeffrey Bouldin served in Al Anbar, Baghdad and Ninevah in 2006. Former Capt. Jason Bugajski served in Diyala in 2004. Former Capt. Anton Kemps served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Former Capt. Kristy (Luken) McCormick served in Ninevah in 2003. Former Capt. Luis Carlos Montalván served in Anbar, Baghdad and Nineveh in 2003 and 2005. Former Capt. William Murphy served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Former Capt. Josh Rizzo served in Baghdad in 2006. Former Capt. William "Jamie" Ruehl served in Nineveh in 2004. Former Capt. Gregg Tharp served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Former Capt. Gary Williams served in Baghdad in, 2003.