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POLITICIAN DOESN’T BREAK PROMISES, WINS VOTES
Two election promises from George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign:
“Morale is low because our troops are underpaid and over deployed and poorly housed. We must pay our troops.”
“My plan says we’ll make sure we pay our military a decent wage. My plan says our military will be housed.”
So John Kerry wasn’t the only candidate in the last couple of elections who was hot for plans. Six years on, however, Bush appears to have delivered:
One short test drive and Army Spc. Todd Strange is gushing “Oh, sweet! I love it!”
He’s been home from Iraq a little over 30 hours and already he’s trading in his little 2001 Dodge Neon for a muscle car — a 2006 Mustang GT, V-8 engine, price tag $26,320.
“I’m buying the car to show off, pretty much,” admits Strange, 26, of St. Louis.
Business has been booming in this southeast Georgia town since just after Christmas when thousands of 3rd Infantry Division troops from neighboring Fort Stewart began returning from a yearlong tour in Iraq and finding their bank accounts flush with combat pay, tax breaks and bonuses.
Loren B. Thompson looks at other Bush military pledges in a 2003 column. The media struggled during 2004 to understand the military’s support for Bush—but he sent you to war! you! soldiers! to WAR!—which might explain the surprise evident in this pre-election item from Peter D. Feaver:
By an astonishing 72 to 17 percent margin, the active-duty military personnel who took the survey favored Bush over Kerry (Guard and Reserve respondents favored Bush, 73 to 18 percent). Frankly, the margin greatly exceeds anything that I or any other analyst had expected.
There are a few caveats to that survey; hit the link for details. In the wake of those numbers, and the election result, what does the press do? Swoons over Cindy Sheehan. Sometimes you get the feeling that a larger picture is being ignored.
Sometimes you get the feeling that a larger picture is being ignored.
Ignored? Hardly. Rejected entirely is a better description.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 01 22 at 01:09 PM • permalinkHey, at least they’re buying Mustangs and not Toyota Z-whatevers and Miatas…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 01 22 at 01:16 PM • permalinkThe larger picture is indeed rejected. I’ve never seen denial on such a scale before.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2006 01 22 at 01:31 PM • permalink#7, Cuckoo, aptly named, having trouble with your attention span? Ignoring the integrity of George Bush, the theme of the blog, while trying to change the subject by demeaning a soldier with a failed attempt at humor? The liberals have already admitted they don’t have much humor in them, so give it up. If you try hard enough, you might get a few knee slappers by viewing the Sheehan imbecilic smile when holding Jesse Jackson in a bear hug.
Ya gotta love a lefty named Cuckoo, which is only two letters away from cuckold, and probably by a returning soldier at that.
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 01 22 at 08:28 PM • permalinkSorry, I didn’t have the irony alerts on. I genuinely like the name ‘Todd Strange’, and wasn’t having a dig. The reference to a Marvel comic was meant to be complimentary. Some of us actually like Marvel comics, and I was seriously wondering why Marvel doesn’t do one on soldiers in Iraq. And as for the ‘Neocon’, who wouldn’t be proud to drive one? We’ve done ironic car-name jokes before, haven’t we? Lighten up, guys.
I like the characterization of military support as “astonishing.” The left is always astonished when smacked in the face by reality. Truth and facts always come as a surprise to them.
Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2006 01 22 at 09:24 PM • permalinkMarvel do a war comic? Oh hell no. You need either Kurtzman and Wood or Kanigher and Kubert to do a decent war comic. I mean, really. Sgt. Fury compared to Sgt. Rock?
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 01 22 at 09:51 PM • permalink#10, Apologies to you. I have no excuse for my rattle-braindness except I’ve been researching Fat Michael Moor’s explanations of the failures of the “kids” in Iraq to be anything but cowardly and John Kerry’s investigations of how they abuse women and children. My inane detector has become oversensitized. Need to recalibrate.
Unjust McEnroe 9
Marvel do a war comic? Oh hell no. You need either Kurtzman and Wood or Kanigher and Kubert to do a decent war comic. I mean, really. Sgt. Fury compared to Sgt. Rock?
Decent war comics didn’t stop getting produced, even at Marvel, when Kurtzman or Wood or Kanigher died. Case in point:
The ‘Nam
And I’d cheerfully compare the first 12 issues of Sgt. Fury (art and probably plot by Jack Kirby) to the first 12 of Rock. Even the late-1960s Furys weren’t ALL bad: John Severin finishes over Dick Ayers layouts, so at least they looked good. Good enuf to offset annoying-hippie scripting by Gary Friedrich? Well ... we was certainly no worse a writer than Bob Kanigher.
And as for Cuckoo being a leftist? When the fuck did THAT start?Posted by Stoop Davy Dave on 2006 01 23 at 12:57 PM • permalinkI did find a couple of Kerry supporters during the elction. I mean that literally, two of them. Our base had over 6,000 American military personnel on it…
Posted by Major John on 2006 01 23 at 01:50 PM • permalinkmajor john—I believe the code word for that situation is “Gooks in the wire!”...
Stoop Davy Dave. Compare away. Kanigher and Kubert are IT, baby. Did you ever read Kanigher’s interview in Comics Journal back when?
And the same writer who did The Nam, Larry Hama, screwed up the adaptation of Team Yankee royally.
And John Buscema’s Wasp was way hotter than Wonder Woman…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 01 24 at 09:42 PM • permalinkCompare away. Kanigher and Kubert are IT, baby. Did you ever read Kanigher’s interview in Comics Journal back when?
Can’t remember it. Also can’t remember ever reading a good script from Kanigher. Kubert carried all the the freight in that lash-up.
And the same writer who did The Nam, Larry Hama, screwed up the adaptation of Team Yankee royally.
Jack Kirby edited, plotted, scripted, and drew The Dingbats of Danger Street. Detracts nothing from the magnificence of Thor, does it? The Nam was good comics.
And John Buscema’s Wasp was way hotter than Wonder Woman…
She was way hotter than Ross Andru’s Wonder Woman. She was somewhat hotter than George Perez’ Wonder Woman. She was not hotter than John Byrne’s Wonder Woman.
Posted by Stoop Davy Dave on 2006 01 25 at 07:47 PM • permalink
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Whoa Nellie, wait a minute. Are you saying the MSM, made up of journalism schooled professional and ethically trained journalists, is biased? Oh, this is going on tonight’s evening news broadcast. Ok, maybe not.