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Lay down with dogs, wake up with fleas. If you are going to closely associate yourself with some of the most notorious leftists in American politics, be prepared to be judged by the company you keep.

I am not in a position to do anything about funding. If the chain of command hasn't asked for something to be funded, I'm inclined to believe they have their reasons. I was only on active duty for 10 years and do not feel qualified to second-guess. You obviously suffer no such reticence.

For somebody who claims not to be a Kerry fan you sure hang around a lot of people who are. You were present at and on record as agreeing with Teddy Kennedy's "Iraq Is Bush's Vietnam" speech. You could have written John Kerry's April 26 press release.

You're no Bush fan.

You're the one who involved me in this. You played me. I think you were played, too, then, but now I think you know full well how you are being used.

I believe party politics should end at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. Evidently you do not and to me that makes all the difference.

You know full well there is a funding crisis on the horizon that must be addressed now, not later. Yet you imply you are powerless yet you are not.

Let's clear up a few points though. First, I was not at Kennedy's April speech. I was however at a January one which coincided with a visit to a double amputee from Iraq I met there and my first return visit with my wife to my son's grave. I believe you will also find a press account where I did not endorse his speech. Second, your ping is the first I've seen of Kerry's 4/26 announcement which quotes at length, General Ellis, US Army Commander in Iraq according to the account, on the army's current equipment deficiencies in Iraq. A fact he articulates at length and which you deny because you are so afraid that it might be heard by the public and impact the elections; troops be damned. Ellis is right and had the gut to put it out plainly when most of the generals are pretending not to notice. Third, I've voted for Bush, I've campaigned for Bush, but he has all but lost my support based on the White House budget manipulatons which occurred in February regarding military appropriatons (or lack there of) in the FY-05 budget. It became evident in February and March that the military budget is being manipulated at the expense of our troops needs to push funds months past the election. As a result troops in the third rotation are going to go in short of critical maintenance and supply matters. But your too scared or paranoid to act on what you know is true. Lives hang in the balance now and we cannot look to the party politicians to resolve this issue. Neither party has adequately supported our troops though they run good advertisements to the contrary.

I am asking you sir to put your considerable talents to work, as you see fit, on getting the troops the tools they need.