Vets v. Escalation [VIDEO]

Vote Vets' latest ad: "If you support escalation, you don't support the troops."

And, unlike the scattered news reports -- eagerly lapped up by right wing sites -- interviewing soldiers lamenting American opposition to the war, this position has the advantage of numbers. That is, America's troops are against the war.

Last month Joshua Holland noted troop disapproval of the war and flagging optimism about the outcome:

When the military was feeling most optimistic about the war -- in 2004 -- 83% of poll respondents thought success in Iraq was likely. This year, that number has shrunk to 50%.

Only 35% of the military members polled this year said they approve of the way Bush is handling the war, and 42% said they disapprove. While approval of the president's war leadership has slumped, his overall approval remains high among the military.

Just as telling, in this year's poll only 41% of the military said the U.S. should have gone to war in Iraq in the first place, down from 65% in 2003. That closely reflects the beliefs of the general population -- 45% agreed in a recent USA TODAY-Gallup poll.