Condi must have played a bit too much Barry White for Bush before he got onto a video conference with troops serving in Afghanistan, because he effectively told some soldiers there, "You got, you got what I WANT!"

Bush told troops:

I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks.

Well, some of our guys and gals who've already returned from Afghanistan seem to be a bit put off by Bush's words. In fact, I suspect they will be taking him off their Valentines list next year.

"As a combat wounded veteran who served in Afghanistan, I have to disagree with the President's assertion that the war in Afghanistan is romantic. There was nothing romantic about having to dig through our trash during operation Anaconda because we ran out of food and were awaiting a resupply. As American soldiers always do, we accomplished the mission; but there was nothing romantic about it."

-BRIAN MCGOUGH, OEF VETERAN (2001-2002, ARMY)

"I didn't feel like there was anything romantic in not seeing my daughter grow up, in watching Afghan children starve to death, in explaining repeated deployment extensions to my soldiers, in explaining to Afghans that we were there to keep them safe - while knowing that we would never have enough troops to actually do so. No, Mr. President, there's nothing romantic about being sent on an important mission and not being given the tools to accomplish it."

-JIM MORIN, OEF VETERAN (2003, ARMY)

"President Bush is wrong. I seriously doubt any of us Infantryman in Operation Anaconda found it exciting or romantic when the Taliban and al Qaeda were firing mortar rounds at us and our fellow soldiers."

-WILL KING, OEF VETERAN, (2002, ARMY)

-Source: VoteVets.org.

Coyotemike

USA

May 2006

MAR 15, 2008 10:23 AM

Well, what do you expect from someone who got all his combat experiance watching John Wayne and Audie Murphy movies while in the Air National Guard?

r00kers

Nederland, CO

February 2003

MAR 15, 2008 10:30 AM

while in the Air National Guard

And skipping out on a good deal of that.

Hooraydiation

Boston, MA

October 2005

MAR 15, 2008 10:35 AM

I hope the men who were quoted don't suffer for speaking out, but in this country I'd be surprised if they didn't end up on the Do Not Fly list at the least.

kthxbi

Gulf Breeze, FL

November 2006

MAR 15, 2008 11:08 AM

Bush and his control of the Engilsh vocalubary. le sigh

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA

July 2004

MAR 15, 2008 11:17 AM

r00kers said:

while in the Air National Guard

And skipping out on a good deal of that.

Dan Rather?

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA

July 2004

MAR 15, 2008 11:18 AM

Yeah, it was such a horrible thing to say.

I've never been to war. But I can only assume someone who'd never been to war would claim it was "romantic." What an asshole.

mingol

Singapore

July 2005

MAR 15, 2008 02:12 PM

coyotemike said:
Well, what do you expect from someone who got all his combat experiance watching John Wayne and Audie Murphy movies while in AWOL from the Air National Guard?

Fixed.

mingol

Singapore

July 2005

MAR 15, 2008 02:13 PM

Seriously, Subrosa is right. The fact that he calls it "romantic" goes to show just how seriously he takes the wars he's started, and just how well he understands them. Which is to say, not at all.