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03/05/2004 Archived Entry: "Kerry starts kicking..."
Kerry starts kicking...
Let's hope he keeps it up. Kos has an excerpt from Kerry's radio adress, to be aired tomorrow:
"We cannot let the strongest armed forces in the world be weakened. America's greatest military strength has always been the courageous, talented men and women whose love of country and devotion to service lead them to attempt and achieve the impossible everyday. We must resolve that America's leaders will never let them down."Yet we hear reports that - in dangerous parts of Iraq - our helicopters are flying missions without the best available anti-missile systems.
"At the same time, un-armored Humvees are falling victim to road-side bombs and small-arms fire. The Bush Administration waited through month after month of ambushes and only acted to start manufacturing armored door kits three months ago.
"The Army's 428th Transportation Company, headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, shipped out to Iraq two weeks ago. They had to ask local businesses to donate the steel to armor their vehicles. When the Bush Administration heard about this, their response wasn't `never again.' It was `good idea' - they emailed instructions to other units letting them know how they could use homemade armor to protect their own Humvees from attacks. I believe our soldiers deserve better.
"Even more shocking, tens of thousands of other troops arrived in Iraq to find that - with danger around every corner - there wasn't enough body armor to protect them. Many of their families on the homefront - mothers and fathers, husbands and wives and children - were forced to raise the money to buy it for them. They went to their neighbors for donations - and dipped into their savings to give their sons and daughters the equipment to save their lives - which the Army should be providing. Last month, a young newlywed in Virginia even gave her husband body armor for Valentine's Day as he prepared to ship out to Iraq.
"Families should be sending pictures and care packages to Iraq - and the Department of Defense should be sending the body armor. Today, I call on President Bush to support a law now in Congress to reimburse each and every family who had to buy the body armor this Administration failed to provide. This month, I will also be introducing a Military Family Bill of Rights to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.
"What we face isn't a question of the budget; it's a question of priorities and values. This Administration has given billions to Halliburton and requested 82 million dollars to protect Iraq's 36 miles of coast line. But they call this basic body armor a `non-priority' item.
Good, good stuff. Put ThugCo on the defensive about this. It's about time.
Replies: 3 people speak up
I suspect this sort of thing is happening all over, not just about Humvees and body armor. This story was a big deal in Memphis several months ago and I never saw word one about it outside the circulation area of the Commercial-Appeal.
And the Radio Address is the PERFECT format for Kerry to be able to make a point like this. The length suits his style. He still needs to master the off-the-cuff 2-3 sentence sound bite, but I hope they give him the Dem Radio Response every Saturday from now to the election.
Posted by Xan @ 03/05/2004 11:54 PM NY
"The Bush Administration waited through month after month of ambushes and only acted to start manufacturing armored door kits three months ago. "
After Carlyle's door panels were outsourced to the Germans, who cheaped out on the formula, so that the resulting Kevlar was brittle and non-bulletproof, and had to be scrapped.
But I'm sure the USA paid for the bad doors anyhow.
Posted by Paul @ 03/06/2004 01:15 AM NY
what is this? mad max? home made armor doors? what kind of chickenshit operation is this?
i wonder how many doors could be armored for the cost of one cruise missile that we dropped on iraqi civilians. i wonder how many flack jackets could be bought with the money that KBR overcharged us. for that matter, if we used our military for national defense, like all the peacefull nations (basicly everyone but us) none of this would even be an issue. i just hope that bush gets everything his karma has arranged for him. at the very least he needs to lose his job. i would be satisfied with treason charges personally... combine all this with the rotten food that they are apparently feeding our troops and im sure glad im not a soldier. (well, that and i hate push ups)
Posted by justin @ 03/06/2004 11:13 AM NY
