"The whole problem" with what's happening in Washington is that defenders of the President are trying to make the (Iraq) war into a partisan issue." Major General,  John Batiste, USA-Retired. Thursday, 28 June 2007.

Our military family receive this notice from VoteVets.org:

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman and Co-Founder, http://votevets.org/

Yesterday, Major General (ret.) John Batiste, a member of our board of advisors, testified in front of the House of Representatives on whether the so-called surge in Iraq is working. Then something curious happened.

An armchair soldier, Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, tried to maintain that he knows more about the military and Iraq than the man who was a commander on the ground for the United States Army. Both the Chicago Tribune, and our own Iraq veteran Brandon Friedman have the rundown, and how absurd the whole exchange was.

This is what we're up against. The few defenders of the President's failed strategy in Iraq don't include those who commanded in Iraq and are now out of the military and free to speak their minds. So they turn to so-called "experts" on Iraq, whose only real experience in this war is reading about it in the paper and writing thought-pieces about it.

Instead of all members of the panel respecting that there was one person - Major General Batiste - who had real experience in Iraq, and very valid points to make, some members of the panel decided to attack him as just being partisan. Most notably, in the hearing, Rep. Dan Burton (R/IN) chose to ignore all of the insight and evidence General Batiste was presenting, and claimed the General was just trying to defeat members of Burton's (REPUBLICAN) party.

Too bad for Rep. Burton that General Batiste noted he is a die-hard Republican, and "the whole problem" with what's happening in Washington is that defenders of the President are trying to make the war into a partisan issue.

This is why it is so important that you urge everyone you know to sign up at VoteVets.org. To put it as plainly as I can, only with numbers can we cut through the junk and take our credible, fact-based, and experienced case to the American people. Please, today, urge your friends and family to go to VoteVets.org and sign up.

Thank you for supporting the Voice of America's 21^st Century Patriot!

------END OF TRANSMISSION FROM JON TO INDIANA AND OHIO.-----

As an Independent and Libertarian who was at one time a long-time Republican sworn to never again support THAT PARTY as long as it drinks the cool aid, because the main ingrediant is the blood, sweat, and tears of our fallen and wounded troops, even those that do not yet realize it, because they still drink the cool aid. Our military family joined VoteVets upon its organization and did not perceive of it being a strictly Democratic party organ at that time. It will endorse Republican candidates during the primaries that pass their Support our troops questionnaire. SIMPLE AS THAT.

That said, BE IT KNOWN, just as General Batiste so elloquently put it on the floor of Congress. He may have used other words but what the General meant to say was. Regardless what middle of the road Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans group or any Veterans groups try to do in Supportng Our Troops, once any Veterans group or Veteran questions let alone opposes ANYTHING to do with readiness, performance, preparation, or the war in general, SUCH VETERANS GROUP WILL BE IMMEIATELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT FOR PARTISAN POLITICAL MOTIVATION IN ORDER TO GAIN VOTES.