Click on my name and have a look see. This was my ship. I was on it during the Carter years and it NEVER got to that deplorable shape. Whats wrong with you it seems is it's not politically correct to point out a wrong cause it might hurt precious party! If you think so then DEMs might be just the place for you they love litter box politics too you will get along great there. Let's cover up Teds mistakes and Bills and whoever only you are saying let's cover up all the Bush wrongs the Cheney wrongs all was well. A wrong is a wrong I don't give a care about anyones political party. I care about this nation and those who serve it.
Sorry your experience in the bowels of one ship was so unpleasant there, Snipe. But the condition of one CVN does not reflect the overall condition and readiness of the entire military. There is simply no comparison to the run-down Armed Forces which Reagan inherited from the depths of the Ford and Carter years, or the well-oiled machine which Bush-41 took over after Reagan rebuilt it.
The sad fact is that our Armed Forces are pitifully small, its weapons systems are aging, and the constant tempo of deployment is taking a terrible toll on training, procurement, infrastructure, families and morale. Virtually NOTHING of any size or duration can be undertaken today without heavy and sustained involvement of activated reservists. Desert Storm could not be repeated today, because we have eliminated between 30-50% of the ground force structure, sea power, sealift, air power and airlift which existed in 1990.
God help us if Iraq and North Korea ever decide to move simultaneously -- not to mention our new "friends" in China...
A wrong is a wrong I don't give a care about anyones political party. I care about this nation and those who serve it. You are totally right about this, corruption/scandal/negligence/apathy is everywhere and we need people to put their money where their mouth is regarding actually doing something about these problems.
My suggestion to Mr. Rumsfeld is to purge all the politically correct ticket-punchers out of the military before pumping the military back up. I don't want my tax dollars supporting people for whom 'The Mission' is secondary.