Ask any Democrat and they'll begrudgingly acknowledge that our party has a "defense" problem. Most believe that it's because voters are not getting the message that we would be just as strong as Republicans on national defense and stronger still on treating the men and women in our military with dignity and respect. I think those people are wrong. I think voters are getting the message, they just don't trust it. Furthermore, I think I know why.
Et Tu, Brute?
This will have a familiar ring to it. You're doing your job, whatever that may, and someone has a problem with it. They call your boss, pitching an unholy fit. They're talking trash about you, your intelligence, your competence, whatever. Without even talking to you, your boss immediately apologizes - instead of telling them that he or she doesn't hire sub-par employees and that your work has always been of the highest caliber.
Whether your boss did it to avoid conflict and shut them up or not, they took a stranger's back instead of defending you. Your boss may use a lot of excuses, trying to make capitulation look like a reasonable course of action on his or her part but it still pisses you off. You feel betrayed - because you were.
Now, think back on all the times that people vehemently criticized our military. How many times did you just immediately yield to their criticisms - instead of telling them the United States military is second to none? It is outstanding; we've got the bills and the history to prove it.
We have tried to train, equip and task the men and women in our military to solve some of the world's most dangerous problems. They have been exceptionally successful in the missions assigned. When there's a problem within our military we try to find it and fix it, with or without worldwide condemnation. Our military has routinely proven that it can be trusted to constructively deal with the odd failures as much as we trust it to keep this nation, and much of the world, ahead of the curve. Whether you approve of this war or not, baby, this is your military. And, as nations go, this military and everyone in it is your kin.
You know how you can criticize your own family but God help the neighbor who thinks they can join you? People would rightly question your regard for a family that you wouldn't defend under those circumstances. They'd be right to think you were unclear on the concept of loyalty if you didn't object when others spoke ill of your family members. Sure, your family is a little screwy sometimes. But, damn it, they're good people; they're working hard and they mean well. And you'll be damned if you're going to let anyone pick a few moments out of time to make any other case. You're not blind. You're not lying to yourself or anyone else. You just know the whole truth. You know when a certain line gets crossed and you're willing to remind people that it isn't okay with you. What's more, you're proud to make it a miserable experience for others to lose their manners around you and yours. That's loyalty.
It's clear now that we've got this military engaged in what some euphemistically call the "flypaper" method of keeping enemies tangled up elsewhere so they don't kill you while you're flying to Chicago or shopping for groceries. You need to understand that that's what enables our troops to get up another day and fight in an extremely complex combat environment, in spite of their doubts and fatigue. It's a bad policy - but it's too late to debate that point now. Our troops are fighting to protect each other and, hopefully, make this cockamamie plan work to our advantage. We put them in the position to carry out this bad policy. We have a duty to accept that responsibility and protect them in the eyes of the world.
Democrats can talk all we want about defending this country, its potential and its honor. But if we can't staunchly support the troops that volunteered to protect and defend this country while they're engaged in combat, when someone comes around to take jabs at them, then other Americans are right to suspect that we're confused about the very nature of defense. It stands to reason that they would not trust our "message". And it stands to reason we'll keep losing elections we shouldn't be losing until we learn this lesson: Don't just say it, demonstrate it.
Let me put it this way. If a Marine were standing next to you and someone approached him to curse him, his uniform, and the nation he fought for, what would you do? Would you let that Marine make his own case? Would you nod your head quietly, maybe throw in a few insults of your own? Something like that would infuriate me. Indeed, most of us would step up to defend that Marine before he could even open his mouth. That's the way it should be. If you would even think of handling it any other way, then you're part of this party's "defense" problem.
But, But...
I know, I know. Some of you are thinking about the innocent people that suffer and die as a result of war. It's tragic, no matter what the scale. And when more innocent people get hurt, more damage gets done, than productive ground is gained, it means the policy is wrong - not the men and women we send into combat. Keep in mind that bad policies work as much against our troops as they work against innocent people in the path between them and their objective. Our military would gladly hand you a victory without harming one innocent man, woman or child in the process if they could. It's to their advantage. But they can't make that guarantee - ever. We're supposed to use the diplomatic arm of our defense arsenal to produce those kinds of results. If you don't know why those things are always going to be true, then you're part of this party's "defense" problem.
Expose your assumptions to the experience of men and women who comprise our military. Ask those who have served in our armed forces how it works and why. Ask combat veterans for their insights, regardless of their support for this or any war. You need the whole truth.
Until then, here's a cardinal rule, courtesy of a former Marine with combat experience, to keep you out of trouble: Don't presume to know the "rules" of engagement during active combat. Any articles of the Geneva Convention and Laws of Land Warfare you believe apply must be weighed against the immediate circumstances, the forces engaged and the mission. That's much closer to the whole truth.
So long as you don't understand that, you're apt to mistake transgressions against our troops for vivid critique. You're apt to miss your cue to tell those detractors it's not okay. And that, in a nutshell, is the Democratic Party's defense problem.