Tommy Franks --Troop Support?

Invading Iraq –you thought right thing to do –right response to Sept 11 attack –damn those Frenchies –believed Oval Office Occupant when he said that Iraq connected to Osma bin forgotten –he didn’t want to... “wait for mushroom cloud” over US soil? Well you had help believing those –in the form of good ol' Tommy-boy Franks, ex General.

Good ol’ Tommy-boy, do ya know many over age 15 who like be referred to in the diminutive? –How about over age 30 –over 60? So who is he? Maybe you’ve seen him –on your TV making a pitch to get young people to enlist in military. This good ol’ boy a good choice for recruiter?

Before he got out: he was the guy, on hearing that an officer stopped marching during Iraq conflict –to fight insurgent/resisters on the way, who went ballistic, threatened to fire the officer. Why? The officer did a naughty thing: he told the media the truth –“we will have to come back and fight them again –if we don’t stop them now.” Tommy-boy didn’t much care for that, the fight or the truth: Tommy-boy likes 'patriotic' speeches, that belie his contempt for people, especially competent people; long on gas-bag cliches, short on facts. Yup, Tommy Franks, patriot, your money -hard at work.

Tommy-boy isn’t big on reading –like the tons of material prepared by the knowledgeable before the invasion, of what to do after the invasion. –Stuff like how to actually manage stuff –like looting, surrounding important buildings to retain papers, weapons, rockets, Saddam loyalists, the people who didn’t want their country invaded –organize water, electricity –secure borders, ya know, boring stuff.

What else did Tommy-boy do –when he wasn’t whispering in The Rummy’s ear whatever the Rummy wanted to hear? He was making goo-goo with The Dicks, President of Vice and chief-of-the-joints, Myers. Between the running, the kissing, the cooing, the sucking and the sweet nothings –it’s a wonder Tommy-boy had time to run the “war” –but he’s a good ol’ suck up, so he made some time. –Not enough to get adequate supplies like water or night goggles, Kevlar vests, hardened transport, maps, translators, working weapons, bullets, walkie-talkies or enough troops over there –but hey, there’s only so many hours in the day. –Tommy-boy had his future to think about. –So what if some determined there should have been three –four times as many troops. Three to four hundred thousand troops is a lot of peeps and he was just ‘sure’ he could get by with less, what with The Rummy so sure it could be done on the quick and the cheap –“stream-lined” war for the new century.

–So what if he had since the Occupant’s inauguration to prepare. –Two years plus two months wasn’t nearly enough time –even though Pentagon got orders to prepare LOOONG before Sept. 11 happened. There were side deals to be made –stuff to be bought with those newly issued credit cards Congress allowed. –So what if they were only supposed to be used for office supplies –not porn, lingerie, car payments, dinners, lap dances, trips, dishes. It wasn’t his job to watch every purchase; Tommy-boy was busy boy –lining up a “consultant” place to land –after the “war” –in some cushy high-paying network to give his “insight” into “how” to fight during an illegal invasion of a country in direct violation of UN. Pushing back on the Rummy –President of Vice –Occupant? Aw shucks, not for go along to get along Tommy-boy, and the troops could just look after themselves, what with they being so far away and all.

Remedy –for Tommy-boy? Mediocrity –his type exists everywhere. But when they feed off the public trough –yet fail to do their own job, to look out for those under command, Americans have every right to demand people in that position be people of ethics –moral rectitude; that they look out for the welfare of the troops and of Americans –NOT bosses.

Real Remedy: how long –what will it take –to get it: hire a Republican for the top job –you’re gonna get a “war.” Don’t want war? Don’t give away your power –your children, your neighbors to a Republican, Don’t vote for a Republican for president.

As for Tommy-boy: whatever network “hired” him –deserves contempt. But maybe he should keep on doing the public service ads for recruitment –so the unsure can see what sort of person “supports” the troops, and then they can choose some other career.


If you’re glad the snakes are gone: Happy St. Pat’s Day.

Tags: Iraq, troop support, Republicans, Republican administration, war, opposition to invasion, Tommy Franks, Pentagon, Donald Rumsfield, lies, war, inadequate supplies