We went to war because of the Shrubbery that we didn’t want…and are stuck with for another 4 years!
Hari kiri in the Rose Garden, was kinda what I was thinking.
By the way, I find it fascinating that now that this embedded reporter encouraged and helped this soldier pose his question that this is considered to raise serious issues. And yet, noone ever raised the serious issues about whether this whole thing of embedding reporters in units didn’t make for, say, somewhat biased coverage especially during the actual invasion itself when we had all of these reports from these reporters immersed in, and with their very lives dependent upon, the American troops while we heard and saw very little from the point of view of the Iraqis.
Apparently, imbedded reporters only raise issues of journalistic bias and ethics when they start to actually question the military leadership’s propaganda rather than just serving to help promolgate it!
I agree completely with you, and I think the analogy is good. The reason the soldiers don’t have the armour they need is because the US administration seems to be pro-military but completely anti-funding. The soldiers are under-funded, under-payed and invovled in a war that they should not have to fight. The fact that the Bushies et al underestimated the insurgency is yet more glaring evidence of their complete incompetance. They are fighting a war with a 1940 mindset, completely uneducated about guerilla warfare techniques. IMHO, the US Administration needs a serious influx of people who can explain the new reality of war.
Sorry for the hijack, but this had me laughing for a good five minutes.
Thanks.
- Rebekkah
Flattering me or elucidator is, by definition never a hijack. 
Welcome to the SDMB. Cough up the $10 or whatever it is and stick around!