Cheney on 4,000 Dead American Soldiers: They Volunteered

Posted by Trish , Pensito Review at 4:41 AM on March 25, 2008.

Somebody needs to slap this guy.

Dick Cheney will tell ABC’s Martha Raddatz -- who wrote The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family about the sacrifice of service members after her assignment covering Iraq -- that Pres. Bush carries the greatest strain for the ongoing occupation. He will also point out that the 4,000 Americans killed so far chose to be there.

Noting the burden placed on military families, the vice president said the biggest burden is carried by President George W. Bush, who made the decision to commit US troops to war, and reminded the public that U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan volunteered for duty.

“It obviously brings home I think for a lot of people the cost that’s involved in the global war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Cheney said in the interview, conducted in Turkey…

“The president carries the biggest burden, obviously,” Cheney said. “He’s the one who has to make the decision to commit young Americans, but we are fortunate to have a group of men and women, the all-volunteer force, who voluntarily put on the uniform and go in harm’s way for the rest of us.”

Well isn’t that a convenient way to get out of taking responsibility. No doubt Cheney is still patting himself on the back all these years later for his cleverness in requesting and receiving five deferments from duty in Vietnam.

One problem with his logic, though, which Raddatz points out.

Raddatz noted that some soldiers, Air Force members, and Marines have been on multiple deployments and have been sent back to Iraq because of the stop-loss policy -- an involuntary extension of a service member’s enlistment contract. The Army alone says 58,000 US soldiers have been redeployed to war because of the stop-loss policy.

“When you talk about an all-volunteer force, some of these soldiers, airmen, Marines have been on two, three, four, some of them more than that, deployments,” Raddatz said. “Do you think when they volunteered they had any idea that there would be so many deployments or stop-loss? Some of those who want to get out can’t because of stop-loss?”

“A lot of men and women sign up because sometimes they will see developments,” Cheney said. “For example, 9/11 stimulated a lot of folks to volunteer for the military because they wanted to be involved in defending the country.”

Unlike you, Dick Cheney, who just wants to run it. Into the ground.

You can watch the shocking and depressing exchange tonight on ABC’s World News.

Trish is a regular blogger for the Pensito Review.