By Staff
That's what Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, said on June 14.
Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Durbin apologized June 21 for his comparison with American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, even though he was quoting from an FBI agent's report describing detainees at a naval base in U.S.-controlled Cuba being chained to the floor without food or water in extreme temperatures.
What about those who aren't giving their best? What about those who insult the soldiers by their lack of action? Are they beyond criticism because they're in the military?
Two Marine Corps officers acknowledged June 21 that they waited two months to issue a contract for armor kits to protect the undersides of Humvees after promising to do so earlier this year.
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. William L. Nyland, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, and Brig. Gen. William D. Catto, chief of Marine Corps Systems Command, attributed the delay to "lack of leadership."
They assured the committee that all Humvees and military trucks that the Marines use in Iraq will be adequately protected by December.
Meanwhile, improvised explosive devices - homemade bombs - became the biggest killer of U.S. troops.
What about outraged? Catto, who has oversight of all Marine Corps equipment issues, took blame for the delay. "This is a lack of leadership on my part for not paying more attention to that specific contract," he said.
What could possibly take priority to insuring the safety of troops in the field?
At least 34 Marines have died from improvised bombs in Iraq this year, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, a Web site that tracks and classifies casualties based on Defense Department news releases.
Overall, 155 American military deaths have been attributed to such bombs so far in 2005 - more than half of U.S. combat fatalities.
We need to quit being so consumed with shooting messengers such as Durbin, so we can hear what they say, and redouble efforts to keep our eye on the ball.
Backing up our troops with a sense of urgency equal to theirs is the best way to honor them.