Mission Accomplished

Candidate George W. Bush, from the October 3rd, 2000 debate, on the "proper" use of the US military. I've taken the liberty of emphasizing some of his key points.

BUSH: Well, if it's in our vital national interest, and that means whether our territory is threatened or people could be harmed, whether or not the alliances are -- our defense alliances are threatened, whether or not our friends in the Middle East are threatened. That would be a time to seriously consider the use of force. Secondly, whether or not the mission was clear. Whether or not it was a clear understanding as to what the mission would be. Thirdly, whether or not we were prepared and trained to win. Whether or not our forces were of high morale and high standing and well-equipped. And finally, whether or not there was an exit strategy. I would take the use of force very seriously. I would be guarded in my approach. I don't think we can be all things to all people in the world. I think we've got to be very careful when we commit our troops. The vice president and I have a disagreement about the use of troops. He believes in nation building. I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and therefore prevent war from happening in the first place. So I would take my responsibility seriously. And it starts with making sure we rebuild our military power. Morale in today's military is too low. We're having trouble meeting recruiting goals. We met the goals this year, but in the previous years we have not met recruiting goals. Some of our troops are not well-equipped. I believe we're overextended in too many places. And therefore I want to rebuild the military power. It starts with a billion dollar pay raise for the men and women who wear the uniform. A billion dollars more than the president recently signed into law. It's to make sure our troops are well-housed and well-equipped. Bonus plans to keep some of our high-skilled folks in the services and a commander in chief that sets the mission to fight and win war and prevent war from happening in the first place.

Well, let's see how the actions of Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush compares to the rhetoric of candidate George W. Bush (hint: not so good). From Salon:

Turns out these days Uncle Sam's about as popular as detention on American high school campuses. For the third straight month the U.S. Army failed to reach its recruiting goals.

"As of April 30 the Army had achieved only 85% of its target for the first five months of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1," according to the Associated Press. "Opinion surveys have indicated that a growing number of young people and their parents are wary of the Army's recruiting pitch at a time when soldiers in Iraq are killed and wounded virtually every day. Spring is typically one of the more difficult periods of the year for military recruiters."

The shortfall is not only an embarrassment for the Pentagon, but it puts real strain on the armed forces as it's stretched around the world, particularly in the Gulf region. Some experts have fretted that if the military continues to come up short on recruits, and U.S. troops remain committed to Iraq for years on end, that the possibility looms that a draft may be needed. Politically, it's highly unlikely. But as recruiting numbers continue to sag, the option cannot be ruled out.

And it's not like the Army is falling just short of its monthly goals. It's not even coming close. According to one military spokesman quoted by the AP, the Army fell 32 percent short of its March goal of landing 6,800 recruits. That means despite a nationwide concerted effort to hit its goals, and a country of roughly 10 million 18 to 24-year olds, the Army, wielding all kinds of incentives, was able to sign up only 4,600 recruits in March.

News on the Army and Guard front is even worse: "The Army National Guard and Army Reserve have had even more trouble recruiting. In March the Army Reserve signed up barely half the 1,600 soldiers it sought [Empasis added]."

So, if the goals of incoming President Bush were to raise morale, boost recruitment numbers, avoid nation builidng, prevent our troops from being overextended, better equip our troops, and provide a clear mission and a solid exit strategy for military operations....well, the record kind of speaks for itself.

Luckily, in Bizarro World, this is all GOOD news...