You dadgum right there is no adequate response. My only fault with this piece is that it strikes me as being too partisan. The fact is, there was enough criminal negligence to go around on both sides of the aisle during the Clinton years for us to get away with blaming the Clintoon and his outriders for this. We loved the gogo years and the paper wealth that it created. Meanwhile, this Marine and his comrades were being told by their Toon buttkissers on the JCS to "do more with less" and "work smarter, not harder". Indeed, I suspect that if Sept. 11th had not occured, we'd be still in a fix. If you'll recall, there was a spectacle going on between Bush and Daschle about that ridiculous, nonexistent, Social Security "lockbox". The military was once again at the short end of the stick.
Now massive numbers of casualties have been inflicted on the American people in the American homeland. Now we know the price for "doing more with less". Now price is no object for the defense of our nation and its children.
But there was a terrible price that was paid for the obvious, wasn't there?
Be Seeing You,
Chris