The troops should never have been sent, certainly, but *NOBODY* of any party who has any chance of actually controlling the situation is at all likely to stage an immediate withdrawal, not would such a thing be possible, anyway. It took months and months to get them in there, as you might recall. Plus which, unlike when they were being assembled in staging areas, they'll be getting shot at while they withdraw.

Anyway, my point was not the comparative safety of staying home vs. wearing body armor in combat, but to decry the inhuman cynicism of offering soldiers essential protective gear ONLY AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE, and to reflect upon the profiteers behind this policy.

Beyond that, what would *you* propose to "do about" the torture scandal? Short of turning back the clock and causing it never to have happened, of course. The immediate perpetrators were dumb low-level enlisted personnel, not even full-time regular Army if I'm not mistaken, but reservists. The higher-ups who allowed it to happen and probably provided some tacit, highly deniable, encouragement -- there's no way of knowing just who to blame, how high up to look. Whoever is really guilty will probably get away with it.

Election of the Demo ticket would at least ensure the removal of Ashcroft, Rummy, et al, along with Bush and Cheney, so there would no longer be officials proposing that torture be officially sanctioned by the US of A. I'd prefer to see them rot in jail, of course (or in hell, better yet), but the best we can expect is to see them out of office and back in their comfortable corporate suites.

The only hope is to try and assure that it doesn't happen again.

Oh, and by the way: I didn't mean to say "The current gang of murderous thieves" -- I meant to say "gang of LYING murderous thieves."