Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself (Patrick Ruffini Edition)

Today 09th of May, 2007 shall henceforth be known as 'couldn't have said it better myself' day.

Patrick Ruffini posting at Hugh Hewitt's blog lays down some knowledge.

As has been pointed out time and time again, the idea that only those who serve or who've served are qualified to comment on matters of war and peace is ridiculous on its face. (Actually, they usually stack the deck like this: only if you've served can you support a war, but anyone, regardless of past service, is qualified to oppose a war.) Last I checked, we do not have a military government and we do have a First Amendment. It's curious to see the left at cross-purposes with these two very basic tenets of Constitutional government.

But the case that seldom gets made is this. If we did follow the Kossacks' advice and let only interested parties decide our Iraq policy (service personnel and their families), the decision would be clear and it would be for victory. Want to know once and for all if the mission is worth it? Just ask the troops on the ground.


Be careful when you invoke Absolute Moral Authority (tm). You might not like the answers you get.

Word.