Blue Star Chronicles

The PC Free Zone has two articles up that I think are closely related. In one, she reports that according to the most recent Gallup polls Congress’ approval rating is at an all time low.

Only 14% of the American people polled have confidence in our current Congress. Contrast that with how the military rated in the same poll. The military topped the list with a 69% approval rating.

In another articles she reviews an interview posted at NRO in which W. Thomas Smith Jr., contributing editor for NavySEALs.com interviews Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal and author of Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

Luttrell talks about Rules of Engagement (ROE) and political interference with military operations and more.

If you don’t have trust in us as a military, as a fighting force, as special forces; then I don’t understand why you would send us over there.

I use the analogy — and I’m not trying to insult anybody — but an interviewer asked me that same question; and I was like, ‘Look, how long have you been married?’

He was like, ‘ten years.’

I was like, ‘Do I come into your bedroom and tell you how to make love to your wife? No I don’t. Alright? I assume you know how to do it.’

I’ve been doing this [being a special operations warfighter] for a long time. So have the generals and the admirals and the colonels who tell me how to fight. So I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t come onto our battlefield and tell us how to win this war.

We know how to do it. It’s our job.

If you’re a politician, you deal with politics.

I’m a soldier. I deal with war.

When this Congress was voted into office last November they celebrated and spoke about a mandate from the people. I saw interview after interview with democratic leaders claiming their win meant that the people were sick of the war in Iraq and wanted out military out of the Middle East.

Every time I have heard that, I have thought to myself that they are wrong. That’s not what the people are saying. What the people are unhappy with is the WAY the war is being fought. Americans do not like to lose. Americans do not like to appear weak, because we aren’t weak.

They are right that people are disappointed in the President, but not because there is a war. We are disappointed because the war has been conducted in such a way that makes us appear weak to the world. We can’t have a ‘kinder, gentler’ military. That’s a ridiculous concept.

We don’t want our sons and daughters sent to war with their hands tied. We don’t want them sent to war to just drive around hoping they won’t happen to run over an IED. We want them to be able to fight as Soldiers are intended to fight. We want them to be able to come home victorious.

The vote in November was more about sending a message that we are tired of weakness than it was about voting IN a democratic congress.

It IS about the war. It’s not about wanting to surrender. It IS about letting our warriors do their jobs.

For more see The PC Free Zone on Congressional Approval Ratings and on Rules of Engagement.