We must not allow Bush and Cheney to wipe their asses with the troops.
I'm not sure if you'll follow my reasoning here, but I support the troops in Iraq, even those who were perpetrators of war crimes in Abu Ghraib and Haditha.
They deserve a full and robust legal defense which is at the expense of their superiors, all the way up the chain of command.
Supporting the troops (Even the ones guilty of war crimes, so long as their defense comes at the expense of their superiors) is a great way for us to drive a wedge between the military and Bush Administration.
I said it way back during Abu Ghraib, but no one paid attention.
People were too busy expressing their outrage at these war-crimes, which were very predicatable, given the circumstances.
People on the left were so busy being outraged, they didn't see the neccessity to support Lyndie England and Charles Graner against a corrupt legal process.
I know they look like they're from a Jerry Springer episode. It's really easy to hate Charles Graner, punching defenseless Iraqi prisoners in the face. It's easy to feel contempt for Lyndie England, with her leash and collar around the neck of the naked Iraqi. But as ugly as these actions are, and as guilty as these individuals are, are they worse than Bush, Cheney and Rusmfeld?
If we had supported the perpetrators of Abu Ghraib, we could have forced much more investigation up the chain of command. It's really not just a few rotten apples at the bottom of the chain of command. It's rotten apples at the top.
Don't put the full weight of your judgement on the grunts serving in Iraq! Remember, they've been pushed beyond the point of exhaustion and madness by the stop-loss program and by the horrific circumstances. They should not be absolved completely, obviously, but they are not as responsible as Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush!
Keep your eyes on the prize!