Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates • On a soldier who leapt to his post in Afghanistan wearing pink boxers, leading to a hilariously awesome photo of our boys unashamed to fight in any condition. Normally, we’d be wary of putting this post next to a post like the previous one. But we admit it. The quote is just too awesome. • source
With respect to Afghanistan and Pakistan, I am extremely dubious that the administration will be able to accomplish what it wants to accomplish.
Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wisconsin • On the war on terror and the perceived lack of progress inherited from the Bush administration by the Obama administration. Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, compares the situation to Nixon and the Vietnam War, and says Obama has a year to show progress. • source
Apparently, he was afraid of rocking the boat a little too much. The photos, which document the abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan by U.S. military, could tick off the Muslim world at large, Obama was told by his military advisers. So rather than cause a buttload of fresh drama, Obama chose to keep the photos sealed. Probably a smart move on his part. We can live without seeing photos of waterboarding. source
If we had to point to one policy that has placed the most strain on our troops and their families, and adversely affected the morale and readiness of our forces, it would be stop-loss.
Jon Soltz • An Iraq war veteran and the chairman of VoteVets.org, on the news that the stop-loss policy would end in 2011. The hugely unpopular policy has kept soldiers from being able to exit the military on time. It was put in place in part because the military struggled with keeping troop counts up in the wake of two large-scale wars. It also inspired a well-known film. • source