Irresponsible Partisanship Damages Military

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid
Open thread:

It's ironic on the 232nd birthday of the U.S. Army that the mainstream media finally decides it's time to report that the military has become the latest pawns in an increasingly virulent brand of partisan politics infecting Washington.

It's also a testament to the complicit relationship shared by the mainstream media and liberals that ongoing political targeting of the military has been largely under-reported, if not outright ignored. This isn't anything new, however. Recall Rep. John Murtha's anti-war rants or Sen. John Kerry's remarks about the state of the military. Just how IS it possible to support the troops without supporting the mission?

The difference now is that the attacks have become personal.

In any event, The Associated Press reports a Democratic challenge to Gen. Peter Pace indicates that uniformed officers no longer are exempt from the partisan fire on Capitol Hill once reserved for civilian policymakers.

On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the stunning announcement that he would not recommend Pace to serve a second two-year term as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Marine Corps four-star general had not been a target previously of Democrats' ire on the war, but Gates said lawmakers made it clear the confirmation process would be ugly.

John Bresnahan, writing at The Politico observed that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Pace, "incompetent" during an interview Tuesday with a group of liberal bloggers, a comment that was never reported.

The Politico also notes that Reid made similar disparaging remarks about Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said several sources familiar with the interview.

This is but the latest example of how Reid, under pressure from liberal activists to do more to stop the war, is going on the attack against President Bush and his military leaders in anticipation of a September showdown to end U.S. involvement in Iraq, according to Democratic senators and aides.

Although House members lack the power to confirm military officers, they appear willing to break from the tradition of not criticizing the military leadership. Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher said Wednesday she thought Pace was guilty of a dereliction of duty because of his support for President Bush's Iraq policy.

Tauscher, D-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Pace lost standing among members in March when he said homosexual acts were immoral and that the military should not condone the behavior by allowing gays to serve openly. He later apologized, including in a personal letter to Tauscher, for expressing what he said were his personnel views.

It's also ironic that liberal Democrats would demonize Pace for supporting a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military -- a policy that was championed by Former President Democrat Bill Clinton.

In the final analysis, observers say it all boils down to the partisan struggle for power in Washington:

Reid, who [said] that the Iraq war was "lost," is lashing out at top commanders while putting the finishing touches on a plan to force a series of votes on Iraq designed exclusively to make Republicans up for reelection in 2008 go on record in favor of continuing an unpopular war.

Reid, the senators and aides said, does not expect any of the Iraq measures to pass but hopes the effort will drive a deep enough wedge between wavering Republicans and Bush that, by September, Republican senators will break with the president and help end the war.

In the midst of a war it's irresponsible for Congressional leaders to publicly attack those in the military who are charged with defending the nation from terrorists but who cannot at the same time defend themselves from the partisan manoeuvres of elected politicians. While Sen. Reid's behavior risks instilling a cancerous, demoralizing effect on the troops, there can be no doubt that his comments only serve to coarsen an already contentious dialogue on the Hill and ultimately demeans Congress as an institution.

Tags: Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States, Republicans, Bush, Congress, terrorism, Iraq, liberals, Democrats, military
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