"Support the Troops" = Support Mission? SOOO Wrong. Militarily & Constitutionally.

About to blow my top (for the millionth time) looking at some of the garbage coming out of the House "debate" and the resulting pundit love-in.

On this issue, there happens to be a clear, unequivocal answer:

OPPOSING THE "SURGE" DOES NOT AFFECT TROOP MORALE.

OPPOSING DOD POLICY DOES NOT MEAN DISRESPECT FOR TROOPS.

SUPPORTING THE SURGE DOES NOT (necessarily) MEAN SUPPORTING THE TROOPS.

OPINIONS OF IRAQ POLICY ARE, in reality, IN NO WAY LINKED TO TROOP SUPPORT.


Can this be clearer? OK, the rationale:

1. We troops support and defend the CONSTITUTION OF THE US, by law and oath.
Not any one leader.
Not a policy.
And SURE AS HELL not any ideology other than the things that keep our country free. Like political participation. Which requires debate and sometimes dissent.

2. We are not stupid.
For shit's sake commentators/pundits/speakers, PLEASE stop pretending we're too dense to know the difference between support for US and support for our MISSION.
WE are not our MISSION.
(Or would you like to call every Vietnam vet a quitter, failure, or stalemate-er?)

And while we're on the subject:
MANY Republicans in Congress and right-leaning commentators opposed multiple military missions in the 1990s.
Remember that? Was that treason? Was that stabbing troops in the back, blustering how we were on lame, pansy-ass UN missions thanks to our then-Commander In Chief?
They were "Clinton's humanitarian interventions" -- missions that were not terribly popular within the military, but missions we performed to the utmost of our ability once ordered by our Commander-In-Chief.
So, if you disagree on the separation of mission and troops:
A. All those leaders/pundits who criticized Clinton's "dabbling/busybody/frivolous" orders in support of UN/NATO missions in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo -- none of them supported the troops? Oh, how on earth could the GOP naysayers POSSIBLY have supported the military while declaring the peacekeeping/peace-enforcement missions faulty, a waste of time, the wrong use of military power, inept use-of-force...?...
B. If the "support troops=support mission=support troops" logic holds ONLY for Iraq missions but not for those in the 1990s, why?
Because only "war-war" gets that benefit, not police-actions? Sorry sister, we've been engaged in police actions in Iraq since 2003. What's the difference? More on that later, but the quick answer is, In police actions you actually have to worry about keeping order while also neutralizing/killing Bad Guys.
Or because only Republican Presidents get that magical Right-Of-Missions-Tied-To-Troops? If that's the case, then logic is dead and I need a drink.
C. Trump card:
Because so few of those with boots on the ground, who are tactically and strategically informed, and/or have high-leadership rank supported the mission!
Because many Iraq veterans, soldiers' wives, and soldiers themselves--having seen the mess up close and assessed the level of good versus harm we're doing--think current policy is flawed, and that "surging" is worse.

So, to claim that "Iraq-war dissidents don't support the troops" is to call many, many brave soldiers, veterans, and family members--who know more about war, and sacrificed infinitely more than 98% of media-darlings--either fools or traitors. Thanks guys, way to go.

Continuing with that thought:
If I am a traitor for raising my professional concerns with Policy X or Y, and why that policy will hurt America, then someone needs to seriously redefine what intelligence and/or military professionals are even here for.

Because as US Code stands at present,
My/Our duty is to give unbiased, non-political, straightforward opinions to Civilian Leadership, as the subject-matter-expert advisors.
Citizens' role is to give remotely informed feedback about what those leaders should or should not do. To be apathetic is to fail in that duty. To have an opinion of any sort is Constitutionally the right thing to do. Which every servicemember has sworn to defend.
Civilian Leaders' duty is to listen to the informed advice of military/intel/security professionals, and make the best decision based on that advice.
We troops must then execute those Civilian Leaders' orders.

We are still duty-bound to think independently and provide our Civilian Leadership with the most honest feedback possible. No matter how unwelcome or unpopular it is.

So GET REAL!
Stop abusing the whole concept of "supporting the troops" by tying it to ANYONE's political agenda.

You owe us at least that much respect.