| The Armed Forces Press Service recently
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| | industry representatives he warned that
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| quoted Army Chief of Staff General Peter
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| | support for the war effort had been
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| J. Schoomaker as saying that the current
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| | "tepid." In fact, he said, only 4% of the
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| level of soldiers in Iraq could remain
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| | nation's gross national product had been
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| constant through 2010. Naturally, this
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| | committed to defense, compared with 38%
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| sounded alarms in the mainstream media,
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| | of GNP during the Second World War.
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| which had been reporting for some time
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| | "Ultimately, victory requires a national
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| that the Army planned to reduce troop
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| | consensus...in words and actions," he
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| levels significantly during late 2006 and
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| | said. "Another 9/11 should not have to
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| into 2007.There are two important things
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| | occur to shake us into action."While
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| to note here. The first is pretty
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| | politicians and the public alike complain
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| straightforward: troop levels are
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| | about the money being spent in the two
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| constantly adjusted to meet the
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| | war zones, a figure quoted at over $1
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| conditions on the ground. When the level
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| | billion per week, military members across
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| of violence dipped in Iraq, the
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| | the country are cutting back on
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| commanders on the ground reduced the
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| | nonessential expenditures so that every
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| number of troops in the country to just
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| | available dollar can be used in support
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| over 100,000 and talked about further
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| | of the men and women on the ground in
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| possible reductions. As the level of
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| | Afghanistan and Iraq.On military posts
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| violence steadily increased this year,
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| | throughout America, quality of life
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| though, troop levels again went up, with
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| | projects and family support programs are
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| some deployments accelerated and some
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| | cutting back to free desperately needed
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| re-deployments delayed. The same held
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| | funds for the war effort. The very people
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| true in Afghanistan, where NATO countries
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| | who volunteer to sacrifice so much for
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| were called upon to increase troop levels
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| | the rest of us are bearing the entire
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| in response to increased Taliban activity
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| | burden of the War on Terror while average
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| in the southern part of the country.The
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| | citizens complain about gas prices or
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| point is that there is no magic formula
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| | discuss Madonna's adoption of a child
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| for the number of soldiers on the ground.
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| | from Malawi. As General Schoomaker said,
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| Troop levels rise or fall in direct
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| | providing the military with the funds it
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| proportion to the levels of violence in
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| | needs "...is a matter of national
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| Iraq and Afghanistan. Calls for massive
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| | priority, not a matter of
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| troop reductions ignore the realities in
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| | affordability."Most Americans don't
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| both countries. The fight is far from
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| | equate the War on Terror with World War
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| over and Afghanistan and Iraq could
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| | II. The fight against the Axis in the
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| easily be lost if our resolve wavers.The
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| | 1940s was viewed as a fight for survival
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| second thing to note is a bit more
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| | requiring the support of the entire
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| conceptual and thus more difficult for
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| | country. Americans need to understand
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| people to understand: we are an Army (and
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| | that we are again locked in a
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| Navy, and Air Force, and Marine Corps) at
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| | life-and-death struggle with a radical
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| war, but we are not a nation at war. What
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| | ideology bent on our subjugation and
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| I mean by this is that everyday Americans
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| | eventual destruction.Americans accept
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| go about their lives largely unaffected
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| | Afghanistan because they can link the
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| by the carnage in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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| | Taliban and Osama bin Laden to the
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| The vast majority of the population
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| | attacks of 9/11. Iraq may or may not have
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| doesn't serve in the military and only a
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| | been a front in the Global War on Terror
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| small number of people even know someone
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| | in March 2003. Intelligent people can
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| in the service, much less in the two
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| | debate that topic equally well from both
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| primary theaters of the war on
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| | points of view. But there is no question
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| terror.Everything they know about
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| | that Iraq has now joined Afghanistan as a
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| Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi, Kandahar,
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| | central battleground in the fight against
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| Bagram, and any number of other key
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| | radical Islam. Jihadists from across the
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| battlegrounds is obtained from their
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| | globe have flocked to Iraq to wage war on
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| nightly news broadcasts and local
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| | the United States and the west.Secretary
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| papers.The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and
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| | of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in an
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| marines currently forward deployed
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| | October 16 speech that "There's no way
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| understand what they are involved in.
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| | the United States can lose militarily
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| They risk their lives everyday while we
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| | against the terrorists, but the center of
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| argue over "stay the course" and "cut and
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| | gravity of the war in Iraq is not in
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| run." Unlike World War II, when the
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| | Iraq, it's in Washington, D.C."If we pull
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| entire nation was engaged in the war
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| | out of Iraq now, our enemies will be
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| effort against Germany and Japan, the
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| | emboldened. If we leave before the job is
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| Global War on Terror is witness to a
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| | done, we will breathe new life into the
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| select few volunteers putting everything
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| | cause of Muslim fundamentalists, much as
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| on the line while the rest of us go about
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| | the Soviet Union did when it pulled out
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| our daily routines in ignorant bliss.This
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| | of Afghanistan in 1989. The calls for
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| attitude concerns General Schoomaker. In
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| | troop withdrawals must be resisted, and
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| a recent speech to soldiers and defense
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| | we must stay until the fight is over.
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