By definition do you have to be a Republican to "support the troops"?

Question

Let's review the facts.

Republican political campaigns have compared war veteran Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden and Sadaam Hussein, and dragged war veteran John Kerry's name through the mud. These Republicans were both elected.

Republican Senators killed a Democratic bill to give our troops more time at home after serving overseas. Twice. Also bills attempting to bring troops home.

The Republican president sent our troops into the Iraq War on falsified evidence and had no post-war plan. Subsequently our troops are stuck in the middle of a civil war.

Liberal MoveOn made the General Betray Us ad in poor taste. The Senate (mostly Republicans therein) condemn this ad.

Now Republican Rush Limbaugh says that any troops who criticize the war are "phony troops". Republicans do not condemn this statement.

Republicans seem to think that as long as they say they support the troops, it doesn't matter what else they do. Do you think they talk the talk but don't walk the walk?

I find it amusing that Vinny refers to facts as a "hate post". Would you care to refute these facts instead of simply dismissing them?

Answer 1

25 rules to be a Republican:
1) Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you are millionaire conservative radio jock, which makes it an illness and needs our prayers for your recovery
2) You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own
3) You have to believe that the US should get out of the UN, and that our highest national priority is enforcing UN resolutions against Iraq
4) You have to believe that government should stay out of people's lives but it needs to punish anyone caught having private sex with the wrong gender
5) You have to believe that pollution is ok, so long as it makes a profit
6) You have to believe in prayer in schools, as long as you don't pray to Allah or Buddha
7) "Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India
8) You have to believe that a woman cannot be trusted with decisions about her own body but that large multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind with no regulation whatsoever
9) You have to believe that you love Jesus and Jesus loves you, and that Jesus shares your hatred of AIDS victims, homosexuals, and Hillary Clinton
10) You hate the ALCU for representing convicted felons, but they owed it to the country to bail out Oliver North.
11) You have to believe that the best way to encourage military morale is to praise the troops overseas while cutting their VA benefits
12) You believe that group sex and drug use are degenerate sins that can only be purged by running for governor of California as a Republican
13) You have to believe it is wise to keep condoms out of schools, because we all know if teenagers don't have condoms they won't have sex
14) You have to believe that the best way to fight terrorism is to alienate our allies and then demand their cooperation and money
15) You have to believe that government medicine is wrong and that HMO's and insurance companies only have your best interests at heart
16) You have to believe that providing health care to all Iraqis is sound government policy but providing health care to all Americans is socialism personified
17) You believe that tobacco's link to cancer and global warming are "junk science" but Creationism should be taught in schools
18) You have to believe that waging war with no exit strategy was wrong in Vietnam but right in Iraq
19) You have to believe that Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney was doing business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a we-can't-find-Bin-Laden diversion
20) You believe that government should restrict itself to just the powers named in the Constitution, which includes banning gay marriages and censoring the internet
21) You have to believe that the public has a right to know about the adulterous affairs of Democrats, while those of Republicans are a private matter
22) You have to believe that the public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades but that Bush was right to censor those 28 pages from the Congressional 9/11 report because you just can't handle the truth
23) You support state rights, which means Ashcroft telling states what locally passed voter initiatives he will allow them to have
24) You have to believe that what Clinton did in the 1960's is of vital national interest but what Bush did decades later is stale news and
irrelevant
25) You have to believe that trade with Cuba is wrong because it is communist, but trading with China and Vietnam is just dandy

Answer 2

It depends on who's definition you are looking at. By my definition NO you do not have to be a republican to support your troops. I support them 100% and will always support our troops, but that does not mean I have to support the war. I am neither republican nor democrat and would actually prefer to see an independent step up and take the office. It'll never happen b/c in today's politics it's about how much money you can raise!!!!! Which is complete and total BS!! Don't go on people's character or wisdom but how much dough they have to shell out!!!!!!!! A comment about the MoveOn stuff I will agree is insane. Who cares what Moveon.org has to say.. it's freedom of speech damnit and the stupid people in the gov actually took time to hold a hearing to condemn this ad instead getting together to see how to get us out of this war without hurting our country or our troops anymore. There is no end to this war and never will be. It is civil war now and we went under false pretenses and now our troops have to pay for it. The only reason the gov think we need to win this war is for our countries ego and control of oil!!! Instead of thinking about a way to make our troops feel like their friends didn't die for nothing. That's what our main focus should be!! I don't know which party is better but I do know this that the only way to completely wipe out a culture is for them to wipe themselves out!!! That will be our culture/country in the next several years if we keep this **** up!!!!!! Supposed to be a free country and we have more laws than half the world!!!

Answer 3

i think republicans get a little confused, i support the troops. i mean, why wouldn't i? i guess i'll support anyone for that matter, GO PEOPLE! what i don't support is this war which, as you stated, was started under false evidence. what i find so ironic about this administration, is they'll make all the accusations they want, but when something goes wrong all you hear is "its not my fault." now, anyone who's ever been in a military environment, knows that if you do something wrong, it won't be taken kindly if you try to make excuses. i'll let this slide with our current administration since they don't exactly have a military background. see, republican's are so narrow minded (ok, thats a cheap shot) that they think all they have to do is say "i support the troops, you're unpatriotic" and they're stand up citizens. this is like how giuliani says "i was there durring 9/11" and sheds a tear, but he won't mention that he underfunded every civil department of new york when he was in office. including the fire dept.! which is why the firefighters union is going after him for being a phony. ok, i've ranted enough, basically i'm saying i agree with your statement.

Answer 4

It seems they are falling right in line with their hero and idol:

"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."--Hermann Göering at Nuremburg 1945.

Answer 5

by whose definition?

'By definition do you have to be a Republican to "support the troops"? '

By the Republicans' definition, absolutely.

We Independents who can see more than just one side of an issue know that it is possible to support the troops without supporting the reason they're currently risking their lives, though.

The troops do what they are told to do- it is not their fault, or their decision, that they're over in Iraq and there's no easy way out of there.

Answer 6

Yes, and I also believe it is possible to support the troops and not support the war.

Answer 7

In their delusional world, yes. Hopefully, there are enough people who can see through their hypocrisy to vote otherwise.
(I'm still hoping there will be another candidate later on that is not Republican but will get things done)

Answer 8

It's real simple in my eyes if you want the troops to stay alive and come home NOW you are supporting them.

Answer 9

No... But Joe Lieberman is about the only dem who understands the necessity of winning the war. He is the only one big enough to stand up to George Soros and his band of putz's AKA Moveon.org

Answer 10

No matter what your political beliefs.... troops are sent where they are told and should be supported 100% by every citizen of there nation!

Answer 11

War heroes...Cleland fragged himself...Kerry has now slandered 2 generations of veterans.