"
He expressed sympathy for American soldiers, characterizing them as boys from poor southern backgrounds who joined the military because they had no other options. "
Hmm.......my son, a new enlistee in the National Guard, is a middle class northern boy who joined because he wanted to SERVE HIS COUNTRY................
Indeed, the real arrogance, and Anti-American ALIENESS (is that a word?) of the NYT--that those who serve OUT OF CONVICTION, PATRIOTISM, AND LOVE OF COUNTRY are by inferrence, not 'sympathetic'.
Thank God, the speech of my college commencement speaker from my first graduation (too many years ago now) was blissfully free of these kinds of insults to the people of this country.