U.S. Military in a “Death Spiral” Under Republicans

Gee, wasn’t it supposed to be the Democrats who were bad for the military? Well, it turns out that the Republicans during the Bush Administration have harmed the military so badly that, according to today’s Washington Post, “it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover from what some officials privately have called a ‘death spiral,’ in which the ever more rapid pace of war-zone rotations has consumed 40 percent of their total gear, wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand.”

And God help us if there’s another crisis in the world: “unlike before the Iraq war, the Army does not currently have a brigade ready to deploy within hours to an overseas hot spot, officials say.”

Heckuva job, Republicans!

Anyway, here’s some commentary on this sorry state of affairs by the progressive blogosphere…you know, those people the right wing accuses of trashing the military, maybe even sending it into a “death spiral.” Heh.

*Taylor Marsh writes, “Everyone needs to remember that the military ‘death spiral’ happened on Bush’s watch, a Republican administration, during the 109th Republican Congress.”

*The Carpetbagger Report notes with irony that Bush/Cheney criticized Clinton/Gore for “hollowing out” the military during the 1990s. Carpetbagger adds that “for reasons that defy comprehension, [Bush] believes we’re still well prepared.” Amazing.

*Finally, Bloggernista asks the obvious but important question, “Can someone please tell me again why the Republican Party is seen as being better on national security than the Democratic Party?”

I’m curious to hear the answer!