Last night on
"Countdown," Olbermann and his guest, Jonathan Alter, discussed the conventional wisdom: the US does not have enought troops to invade Iran. It's all talk; we've got to use diplomacy, they agreed. We don't have the manpower to invade. (updated with link to transcript.)
There's no doubt the military is strained; and while recruitment goals are occasionally met on a a month to month basis, according to US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers, it ain't easy:
In the annual "Military Risk Assessment and Threat Mitigation Plan," Myers reportedly stated that the level of deployed troops meant that future wars could not be carried out as quickly and with as few American casualties as the Pentagon has planned. The assessment itself is classified, but several American newspapers reported on the findings through leaks from top military officials.
A senior Defense Department official quoted in the Los Angeles Times said, "The assessment is that we would succeed [in future wars], but there would be higher casualties and more collateral damage. We would have to win uglier."
Late at night, as my subconcious chewed away at things, I thought about war, recruitment, and draft. Partly it was this diary,
NO WAY IN HELL ARE THEY GETTING MY DAUGHTERS where, once again, kossacks discussed their fears of having their children drafted or being drafted themselves. I was there, too. I've got 18 and 20 year old sons.
If we've learned anything about this administration, it's about their ability to throw us a bone, to pacify us, so that we don't complain too loudly. Give the middle class a few hundred dollars back on their taxes so that you can give the ultra-rich millions back. Wage a war using a back-door draft, tapping the kids who want a college education but can't afford it. It happens over and over; they stiffle serious protest by throwing out bones.
Drifting off to sleep, I rememberd the photos on dKos of the recent marches by immigrants, the demand for illegal immigrants in this country for a path to citizenship. I'll come right out and say it, I believe deporting them is wrong, as you can see here
But there was this LA Times story yesterday, a 'blame the dems for the immigration bill flop story:'
At issue is a bill passed by the House in December aimed at strengthening border security and cracking down on smugglers. Critics say several provisions, including one making it a felony to assist illegal immigrants to "reside in or remain" in the United States, could be used to prosecute anyone who offers humanitarian aid -- including medical care -- to undocumented immigrants.
<snip>
"From a strategic point of view, Democrats were not going to help Republicans pass the bad Sensenbrenner bill," said Jennifer Crider, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). "With the felony provision in there, it is a poison pill, as we've seen from all the rallies around the country."
Any immigration bill will need to find a path for citizenship for the 11 million people living in this country, for those thousand upon thousands marching, waving the US flag in one of the biggest displays of patriotism I've seen in my lifetime.
My guess is that that path will include meeting the recruiting goals of the military so that the hawks can continue to spread democracy around the world.
Solves a lot of GOP problems in one fell swoop.
So somebody want to tell me why I feel so sick?