Sunday, October 17, 2004
Why Hasn't This Been Asked?
Like a lot of people, I've been following the story of those soldiers in Iraq that refused to carry out an ordered supply mission. Eighteen soldiers from the 13th Coscom's 343rd Quartermaster Company refused to drive a dangerous delivery route outside of their normal delivery area because their trucks were still not armored. While reading this article, I was struck by one statement in particular:
All of this begs the question, why weren't they armored when they arrived? Instead of simply repeating the Bush meme of "John Kerry voted against the $87 billion to provide necessary armor and equipment for the troops," maybe someone in the media could ask President Bush why they were sent there without the armor in the first place. If it was so damn necessary that the Senate approve the money, why didn't we wait until the money was approved before we invaded? If the armor was so necessary, why wasn't it avilable before the invasion?
If this question has already been asked, please point me to the answer. If it hasn't, what the hell are we waiting for?
- None of the 13th Coscom's trucks arrived in Iraq with armor. Since February, the unit's engineers and private contractors have been working in impromptu maintenance yards to weld heavy metal "boxes" over truck cabs.
All of this begs the question, why weren't they armored when they arrived? Instead of simply repeating the Bush meme of "John Kerry voted against the $87 billion to provide necessary armor and equipment for the troops," maybe someone in the media could ask President Bush why they were sent there without the armor in the first place. If it was so damn necessary that the Senate approve the money, why didn't we wait until the money was approved before we invaded? If the armor was so necessary, why wasn't it avilable before the invasion?
If this question has already been asked, please point me to the answer. If it hasn't, what the hell are we waiting for?
