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"A powerful voice for veterans in Washington, The American Legion drafted the original GI Bill and was instrumental in establishing the agency that today is the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs."

The above is true but Morin and the rest of the leadership appear to be more like the folks that visited, supported and wanted to give Mussolini life membership.

It appears to be past time for a house cleaning. You just implied that Members of Congress like Admiral Joe Sestek or LtCdr. Chris Carney are turncoats? We are supposed to be a veterans organization. It is clear that our leadership has somehow lost its way. Disagree fine do it on rational fact based reason not name calling. It seems that the leadership owes the American People and the members of Congress yet another apology. You seem to enjoy the photo ops with Bush and Rove more than the welfare of the troops.

Oh, get a grip Hal! Cmdr. Morin didn't single out any member of Congress by name. He was making the point that the president is the commander-in-chief and he doesn't need a bunch of armchair generals micromanaging the war from the halls of Congress.
You should get your facts straight before making cheap shot ad hominem attacks about Mussolini membership, Rove, etc.
Speaking of welfare of the troops, how do you think they feel when they hear Reid and Company say "we lost the war," when they are busting their tails over there?

Jack:

Who are you kidding? "Speaking of welfare of the troops, how do you think they feel when they hear Reid and Company say "we lost the war,"

Oh Jack that is sooo wrong. First point: He said that in error and corrected it at the same press conference. Yet, the extreme right, fundie conservatives keep repeating it. Who is giving aid and comfort to the enemy by claiming otherwise?

Second point: Morin and the rest of the Legion leadership keep trying to allow "wiggle room". Perhaps they really ought to stop collecting Rove et. al. autographs and really care for the troops.
Point three: When the military is being disarmed, check the Bush Regime DOD budget, perhaps it is time for someone to speak up. Do I sound angry? The Legion is hurting the military and veterans.

To be a "Turn Coat" you had to have once supported the Global War on Terror. A lot of these "Turn Coats" never even pretended to be supporting the GWOT and our Troops, or if they did they put plenty of strings and backdoors to their support. For them it's party over Nation; Partisianship over the Ship of State; fancy footwork over funding our Troops. It is sad but it is true. Please keep the heat on the "redeployment" (Retreat) crowd in DC, Commander.

We won! The American Service member won this war in Iraq. What did we do? We went to Iraq in early 2003 to find and remove the Weapons of Mass Destruction that Colin Powell said Iraq and Saddam had. There were none, so instead we were asked to remove Saddam from power and liberate the country from his dictatorship rule. First we killed Saddam’s evil sons then captured Saddam himself. We accomplished that mission! Next we were asked to secure the country so that the people of Iraq could have an election to elect their new intern government. Done Deal, we actually did that twice, where millions came out to vote for their first time in this free country. Then we were asked to protect the people as they put together the Country’s first Constitution, we did that! Lastly we were asked to train and equip a new Iraqi Army. There are over 400,000 Iraqi soldiers trained and equipped to date. We even secured Saddam Hussein while his trial was going on.

Unfortunately due to the lack of knowledge and lack of war experience by people like Ambassador Bremer, the civilian leadership of our government decided to dismantle the Bathe Army and send them home with their weapons. What part of War College Doctrine is that in?

The American Service member has done everything possible to win this war, but unfortunately the Civilian leadership does not understand the we (the American soldiers) are not nation-builders, just like in Kosovo and Bosnia, we do not know anything about rebuilding a country diplomatically, We (the American service member) know how to shoot, kill and destroy the enemy. That’s what I was trained to do.

My point is, some of us in the anti-war movement actually want our soldiers/marines/airmen/naval personnel brought home because WE WON!

Just remember, our Country had a civil war, and yes many people died, but we became a better and stronger country after it. Would we be like we are today without that civil war? Its part of our history and it will be part of the Iraq history.

I have to agree that the Commander sounds like he is sitting in the White House.Congress is the People's House and if this organization is going to continue to undermine the government of the people, by the people and for the people ( which I might add is where the troops come from )for the concept "of the few by the few for the few" Then I am all for taking the peoples gift of charter away. The Legion should be telling Bush to fund the VA and stop messing with troops by cutting pay, benefits and outrageous deployments, lack of proper equipment, Privatizing the military( and government )and all. The record is clear. I guess what I am saying is sign up the twins and the chilrdren of those making profits of this war. I don't think this grand son is any different than his grandfather Prescott who was sighted for trading with the enemy during the "Big One". The greatest generation fought and defeted fascism in WWII. America will do that again, now, as this ugly un American attitude rears its vile little head once more. Supporting the troops means being open and honest when sending them into harms way. This administration has been guilty of going in the opposite direction on that score and it seems like the Commander is a echo chamber for a group that will stay a course to disaster. I can support a war where sacrifice is shared. When no sacrifice is asked for or offered then it can hardly be a struggle against a common enemy. After all 15 0f the 19 highjackers were Saudi and this president briefed his Saudi friend Bandar Bush before Congress got the word. That in itself is an example of this mans fidelity. Sorry, I love my country too much to remain silent.Sempre Fi- to America not fabricated personalities, or cult figures.

I think Commander Mortin and the American staff should get out of the politics of the war and Quit speaking their own opinions as that of all American Legion members. No vote was taken to surport or not surport this war.

Old Enough to Remember, Please remember you may also be an echo chamber for the biased liberal media as much as you claim the "Stay the Course" group has created an echo chamber. What I don't get is this urgency to not let General Petraeus give his assessment in September. Something is awful fishy here and the slippery back sliders on national security seem to be in a hurry to get a resolution passed before the general public learns what the general has to say. I say let him have his say then go from there. There is beginning to be a postive backlash by the Iraqis against al Quaida who are at the root of the insurgency and the populists are racing to keep this fact buried. It would be a tragic loss if we pulled our support just as these brave Iraqi nationalists are becoming strong enough to stand up to al Quaida. At this point in this war our main enemy is who we need to confront and now is not the time to redeploy to a front without a real threat.
As for UBL, if we are so sure that adding 30 - 50 thousand US troops in Afghanistan will ensure his capture or death then logic would say we need a draft to REALLY get the job done and I haven't heard a lot of that talk since Rangel tossed the idea up as a red herring. The same people who would march into Pakistan to hunt him down are still up in arms we invaded Iraq so their argument just doesn't add up.
The point is we need to let the military leaders make the assessments they get paid the big bucks for. Let the chips fall where they may from that point on. Are there people out there afraid we might come out of this not only with the big mission: not a threat to its neighbors due to a dicticorial government and not so weak and undemocratic that it cannot defend itself against a tyranical neighbor. There are those politicians who would love to see our our military return to its weak and demoralized state it endured in the mid to late 1970's. That would be a crime and the suspect of such a crime is not allowing a successfull transition of security to the new Iraqi government if it meets us half way. No matter what, our soldiers and the future of their Service and this Nation come first, not partisianship. I respect all veterans and their right to have their say so have at it.

john staub's comment: "The point is we need to let the military leaders make the assessments they get paid the big bucks for." had some validity but its time is past. First, it is clear, from Generals who selflessly declined promotion to publicly speak the truth, that Bush does not listen and has not listened. Second, rightly officers will seldom speak out against civilian control. They will oppose civilian (Bush) plans internally, never publicly nor should they.They will do the best they can with what they have. It is Congress' duty to fund and provide oversight. Oversight includes taking action when that oversight clearly indentifies failures.

One other major point. Rumsfeld was correct "you go to war with the army you have". But where he was deadly wrong and negligent is that he forgot, "you take corrective action to get the Army you need". That was not and is not being done. It does not happen quickly and there will be equipment and personnel shortages but change never came. A "draft" the answer? Yes, if that is what the situation requires for success and the security of the nation demands. Does it? You tell me. The ONLY sacrifice the public is asked to make is "SHOP", while troops are sent on their third and more deployment and services even medical care for our troops and their families are underfunded and dismantled. You do not think Congress should take action? I do and thank God; they are!

I agree with Morin's statement below and more than half of Congress in both houses agree with him. However, based on performance, apparently President Bush and the American Legion National Leadership do not.

“There is no more important issue right now than sustaining a strong national defense,” Morin said. “Premature withdrawal and timelines severely jeopardize our national security. This is not a war without end. Our men and women can be victorious. And there is no greater way to honor our fighting men and women in uniform than by ensuring they have the resources, time, patience and support of the American people as they complete this mission.”

“Operation Turncoat” perhaps best describes the rhetoric coming from the senior national leadership of the American Legion. It certainly does not describe the rhetoric coming from the legion membership I know.

Two years ago the situation was different and a claim could be made that the Military was changing and help was on the way. Now after all this time, it is simply atrocious for the Legion especially, and the public in general, to accept and even encourage a course that is essentially disarming our military and supporting the continued abuse of our troops as they are deployed repeatedly with no relief in sight.

Let one of the troops speak for the turncoat Democrats and I suspect many Republicans.

Good morning. My name is Brandon Friedman and I served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborn Division. In 2002, I led a platoon into Afghanistan to engage Taliban and al Qaeda forces. Barely a year later, I commanded troops during the invasion of Iraq and in the insurgency that followed.

Like many in the military, I stayed away from politics while I was in the service--and I deliberately maintained my independence from either political party. But now I can no longer remain silent as our Commander-in-Chief continually mismanages and degrades the military I have come to love.

I had the privilege of serving with many courageous men and women in uniform. And from the beginning, they have done their jobs admirably. But no matter what they do, they cannot solve the political problems in Iraq.

I traveled to Washington, D.C. this week on behalf of my fellow veterans and delivered a clear-cut message to our representatives in Congress: The escalation of the Iraq war is failing and now the mission must change.

President Bush is keeping our already overextended troops in the middle of a civil war instead of deferring to military leaders who agree that we need to transition the mission to focus on a political solution--not a military one.

His administration hasn't listened to the advice of experienced leaders from the outset. In 2003, it was General Shinseki. In 2006, it was General Abizaid. And this year, Generals Batiste and Eaton explained to Americans that the President and his supporters in Congress didn't listen to the military brass when it counted. And in turn, the generals both left the military to warn that the staggering toll these repeated deployments have taken on our military readiness--and that this represents a dangerous threat to our national security.

Since the escalation began six months ago, nearly 600 of our brave soldiers have been killed and it has cost Americans more than $60 billion. But despite these facts, Iraqis have not come to a political reconciliation. According to the latest report on the surge, the Iraqi government has met none of the critical political or economic benchmarks they set for themselves.

It's past time for the transition to diplomatic efforts in Iraq that Democrats have long demanded. The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide--as evidenced by the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and al Qaeda has been able to rebuild. We need an effective offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad. And the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the middle of this civil war in Iraq.

I commend the Democrats for standing up to President Bush on Iraq. Since they took charge of Congress in January, the debate has gone from if we should get out of Iraq to when we should do so. Although some Senate Republicans have said they agree with Democrats that we need to change course in Iraq, words are not enough. They need to vote with the Majority and follow the lead of the House of Representatives which voted on Thursday to responsibly redeploy our troops.

On my flight home this week, I sat next to an Army sergeant. She was a flight medic--charged with saving lives on the battlefield. She told me that she was on her way back to Iraq after taking her two weeks of leave. She had spent the past ten months there, and was returning to complete her last five. When I asked her how she felt about it, she explained that she had a young son at home who will now spend a second Christmas in a row without his mother. She said she was tired of watching her fellow soldiers die in front of her. And she said that no matter what she or anyone else did, nothing was changing in Iraq. Then she just looked at me, as if no other explanation was needed, as if I understood. And I did. Because I've been there.

It is time for the President and those in his party, including those running to be the next Commander-in-Chief, to support changing the mission in Iraq. For the sake of our national security, we must begin bringing the troops back home.

This is Brandon Friedman, a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Thank you for listening.

It is so laughably tragic when anybody in the White House says "We're not gonna micromanage our Commanders on the ground!"

What? Remember Shinseki? (several hundred thousand troops are needed) Read "Fiasco" or "Stae of Denial", Stubborn micro and mismanagement is all Rummsfeld did. When his commanders pleaded for more troops and equipment he told them to shut up.

I don't know who this Morin chap is, but he just sounds like another Conservative flunkie. How can you support the troops by repeatedly sending them back to a combat zone? Viet Nam was only one tour necessary. Bring back the draft, or bring them ALL home.

I joined the Legion mainly becasue fo my father. When I get home, (from MY second deployment) I think I'll resign my membership and join the VFW. They can't be as crazy as this kook.

ADP Mellenville, NY

I understand your feelings but please do not resign. The national leadership has lost its way. The current folks are like those who supported the facists not the heroes who literally changed America through the GI bill

Aaron Perry - please be safe and take care of your fellow troops.

I suggest you not join the VFW either, both organizations are political partners with the Government.

Both organizations care only about the politics of our country and are in bed with the administration. They don't care about our troops.

They only care about counting you on their rolls and getting you into their bars. Everyone in both of their organizations are out of touch and are 50+ years old.

The only veterans organizations doing anything legitimate for today's veterans are the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Iraq War Veterans Organization (IWVO), Veterans For America (VFA), and Veterans for Common Sense (VCS). Look them up, they actually care about you and I.

Like I said earlier, BE SAFE!

Aaron Perry and IraqWarVeteran please do not forget VoteVets.org

Every member of Congress who disagrees with the American Legion's position on the war is a turncoat? This means that even the veterans among them are traitors who are really on the side of the Iraqi insurgents? What disgraceful McCarthyite rhetoric! I am disgusted by it and will forward this page to every veteran I know. Every veteran in this country has got to know that the head of the American Legion is carelessly accusing members of Congress of the capital offense of treason!

I just recently joined the Legion and was just looking into it when I found this web site.I am more than a little dissapointed that people that have Hals beliefs are members.

My two cents worth….

Hal Donahue said:

“The above is true but Morin and the rest of the leadership appear to be more like the folks that visited, supported and wanted to give Mussolini life membership…”
“Disagree fine do it on rational fact based reason not name calling.”

Implying someone is a fascist is not all that far from name calling.

James Schutze said:
“I think Commander Morin and the American staff should get out of the politics of the war and Quit speaking their own opinions as that of all American Legion members. No vote was taken to support or not support this war.”

You might just want to look up American Legion Resolution 169, which was passed at the National Convention in Hawaii in 2005, and reaffirmed in Salt Lake in 2006. It is a 32 page document that has quite a bit to say about supporting the troops. This was adopted by the national membership before Morin became National Commander, so you might want to reconsider laying all this at his feet.

Hal Donahue Said

“The ONLY sacrifice the public is asked to make is "SHOP", while troops are sent on their third and more deployment and services even medical care for our troops and their families are underfunded and dismantled.”

You Bet. I couldn’t agree with you more. That is one of the negative consequences of going to an All-Volunteer force. The good news is we get highly motivated troops. The bad news is that our troops will probably become increasingly isolated from other segments of our society as time goes on. My sense is that this issue will become a greater problem for our military as time goes on.

Aaron Perry said:

“I don't know who this Morin chap is, but he just sounds like another Conservative flunkie”

Please see response #1 above. Labeling and stereotyping is a pitfall we all seem to get into at one time or another, but it doesn’t really add anything substantive to the discussion.

Iraqi War Veteran said:

“They only care about counting you on their rolls and getting you into their bars. Everyone in both of their organizations are out of touch and are 50+ years old.”

Although most Legion Posts do have a bar, there are some that do not – like the one I belong to. The majority of members are WW II and Korean War vets. Some are out of touch and some are not, so your generalization on this point needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Some management guru once said that every volunteer organization should be disbanded after 5 years because they all tend to become self-serving and loose their focus. I believe he has a point there.

Nevertheless, the Legion has many good programs besides the aspects we are focused on here, and I am not willing to throw out the good in pursuit of the perfect when push comes to shove.

The MAJORITY of Legion and VFW members are old World War II and Korea SOBs who sit on barstools and drink stale, cheap, flat beer, fart, fill the room with smoke and complain about the soldiers of this war, blaming them for 'losing' it, just like they blamed the Vietnam veterans for losing that war. They are indeed not like the progressive GI Bill 'greatest generation' but more like the fascists they fought. They would say "Hey, ya know what?, we wuz on da wrong side in dat war!"

Why are they so silent about the DELIBERATE MISTREATMENT of our wounded heroes? Because they believe that ALL AMERICANS younger than 50 are filth who deserve to burn in hell and will tell you so.

Open your eyes and see the truth