On "The Colbert Report" on Wednesday night, Colbert was interviewing Vice President Joe Biden and suggested that he acknowledge the respect owed to Pres. Bush for the successful outcome in Iraq. Biden, cornered by Stephen's pushy right-wing persona, said this: "Mr. President, thank you. You’ve honored these guys, you’ve honored these women, you've honored these troops. And I've known you your entire eight years as president. I've never known a time when you didn't care about what happened. We disagreed on policy, but you deserve a lot of credit Mr. President." I disagree. Bush dishonored the troops, and never let that be forgotten. More below the fold.
Lip service is not honor.
Bush dishonored the troops when he took them away from a mission in Afghanistan where they had near-total public support and some chance of bagging the perpetrators of 9-11.
Bush dishonored the troops when he sent them to a place, Iraq, where they had no business going, for totally spurious reasons and with limited public support.
Bush dishonored the troops when he sent them to Iraq in too few numbers to achieve a victory that lasted beyond the initial rout of Saddam's army.
Bush dishonored the troops when he let them stand by idly while Iraqis looted their country's ancient cultural patrimony.
Bush dishonored the troops when he equipped them with inadequate gear, allowing countless unnecessary injuries and fatalities.
Bush dishonored the troops when he allowed slipshod contractors to equip the troops' bases with hazardous equipment, for example resulting in the electrocution of soldiers in the showers.
Bush dishonored the troops when he allowed a policy of torture to be exported from Guantanamo to Iraq.
Bush dishonored the troops when he sent them back on repeated tours, way beyond what is normal for the National Guard and Reserves.
Bush dishonored the troops when he did not allow post-traumatic stress disorder to be classified as a genuine disability.
Bush dishonored the troops when he allowed wounded troops to come home to inferior medical facilities such as existed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Bush dishonored the troops when he used them as props in a propaganda video aboard an aircraft carrier so he could prance in front of them in a flight suit and pose as a hero.
Bush dishonored the troops when he cut funding for veterans' health care.
So, no, Mr. Biden, Bush did not honor the troops. Lip service is not honor.