Good points all, Daffyd. To me, Hagel, a few Republicans, and most Democrats are 'Namocrats. They lived through VietNam and not during the wars found in history books and cinematic productions; ‘Nam and anti-war and are all they know personally. They are that part of the Me generation (Don’t trust anyone over 30) that never developed an affinity for the past beyond its own heady days, nor for the long-term, the big picture or for the far future. They are time and space impaired parochials and cause-and-effect muddled thinkers. They know and emote one thing- their ‘Nam experience- but haven’t bothered to study that war well enough to apply its lessons properly. Their subjective perspective overcomes more rational analysis perhaps because, as ‘Nam soldiers or protestors, they were traumatized or galvanized, their identities, politics and idea of our country permanently forged in a few frustrating years that were, of course, the only years that count. History is all about them.

Even Hagel & some less myopic Dems have to realize that, like Communism, Islamism is a totalitarian aggressive movement that threatens the US and western way of life. And that it can’t be defeated by an arms race, its proponents deterred from attacking the US directly by MAD, or that cold war containment stratagems would hold violent Islamism at bay. And, surely, they haven’t forgotten 9-11 and other terrorist attacks on us and the West.

So, what are their answers? It’s beginning to look as if the ‘Namocrats want to see America decline as a superpower in the hopes that our chastening would make us less of a target and more egalitarian in the community of nations. It looks as if they sympathize more with insurgents and anti-American protestors everywhere who would bring us down, because, in their eyes, we were once ‘Nam killers and imperialists. It looks as if ‘Namocrats believe we are still killers and imperialists wherever we deploy troops, and that it falls to them to “protect” our troops from having to do an arrogant America’s evil bidding. It looks as if they believe the US at least should not and maybe even cannot decisively win a war, anymore, and that, at any rate, military efforts should be perfectly executed, humane, and not last longer than a football season or two. They seem to think conflict-ending negotiations should give it all away to our noble enemies, a la 'Nam, and that any killing en masse subsequent to our premature withdrawal isn't our problem (but, oh, we need to stop the genocide in Darfur.)

Finally, it looks as if ‘Namocrats are never going to grow up and out of their rebellious puerile perspectives, and that we’re stuck with their antipathy, obstruction, illogic and denial until some terrorist reality up close and personal blows them away. How incredibly sad. So many people doing the wrong thing and causing more grief for others, out of a sense of persistently ignorant history and self-referential morality. Or maybe it was too many bong hits.

Ooh, with Revelation included!

Uhm...he hasn't been exiled to a lonely island in the Mediterranean, has he?

[reads rest of article...cogitates on article]

Makes a little more sense now--in the sense that he is still re-fighting the last war, and not fighting the new war.

Is there any way we can get our various Senators out of this time-warp effect?

Hagel is psychotic if he thinks he actually has a national following.
He is a fool, a tool and a poultroon.
I would vote for Hillary before I would vote for hagel. At least with Hillary you know where you stand.
Hagel is an extreme version of McCain.
maybe he can get some psychiatric meds to deal with his problem?

The irony is thick here.

The outcome of the Vietnam war was the result of a number of mistakes by the U.S. These included a loss of political will to win. Now comes Hagel and his crew determined to avoid a repeat of Vietnam by doing precisely what caused the loss of Vietnam.

And the truly sad thing is that they cannot see how their very actions are undermining our efforts at victory.

It is fortunate that today's politicians were not in office during World War II. After Pearl Harbor, the massacre at Wake Island, and the loss of the Philippines, they would have been offering surrender terms to the Japanese since it would have been obvious the war was lost and we must "bring our troops home" from Hawaii.

Should congress be successful in bringing about a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, this country will be in for many dark years which will make our Iraq experience appear as a picnic in the park.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing...

Hagel is an extreme version of McCain.

He's been jealous of the attention McCain has gotten all these years and now that McInsane is running for President he's going to crowd in for some Maverick Media love.

Simply delusional. Who will vote for a pseudo-Dem when you cna have the real thing?

The real Dems will remind voters that Perot allowed Clinton to become president by splitting the Repub vote, and the Hagel-Bloomberg ticket will get about 147 votes nationally. Maybe a few more if there are butterfly ballots in play, or if the candidates have large families.

Navyvet-

Yeah. And remember all the talk about exit strategies during WWII?

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