"Supporting the Troops" but Blocking the Body Armor?

Anyone that is paying attention to Bush’s unnecessary war with Iraq, should know that we sent our troops into a preemptive battle without adequately supplying them. Body and vehicle armor have been in short supply for our troops. This has caused scores of unnecessary injury and death.

Last week a bipartisan bill was brought forward in the Wisconsin legislature. I can only link to a DPW press release since sadly the fate of this bill has not been widely reported. It was designed to at least provide our Wisconsin National Guardsmen and Reservists with the latest body armor. This bill was apparently blocked late last week by several key Republicans in the state legislature. Senate Bill 609 was scheduled for a public hearing in the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee. Unfortunately and inexplicably it was blocked by State Senators Dave Zien, Ron Brown, Tom Reynolds, and Majority Leader Schultz (all Republicans).

The only reason that I can fathom for their stalling is that these guys are so deeply in love with George Bush that they will block efforts to protect our own Wisconsin troops to protect his image. For all of the right wing flag waving and “support the troops” chanting, why do they stand in the way of real help for those very troops? Sounds like politics above principle. Sounds like Bush above battlefield safety. This only verifies my longtime contention, most of these wingers are actually more supporters of the Iraq war and Bush than they are actual “supporters of the troops.” They should be publicly shamed.