RUSH: Last night Elmendorf, Alaska, Elmendorf Air Force Base Obama spoke to the troops. This is a little bit of what he said.
RUSH: Of course, we don’t know if this was televised into Afghanistan. We don’t know if the troops in Afghanistan heard about this. What is this, ‘We’re going to back you to the hilt. We will have your back. We’ll give you the strategy and the clear mission you deserve.’ He’s still ripping George W. Bush. This is nothing more than a campaign question and answer ripping Bush, ripping previous strategeries on war. He said we’ll give you the equipment and support you need, and that includes public support back home. We’ll give you public support. How can he guarantee public support back home? His poll numbers are falling. How can he guarantee public support back home? What in the world is he talking about?
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RUSH: Erie, Pennsylvania. Laura, I’m glad you waited. Welcome to the EIB Network. Hi.
CALLER: Hi. Mega dittos, Rush.
RUSH: Thank you very much.
CALLER: My husband and I are both retired military veterans, and this week we had to listen to empty words from a commander-in-chief who says — like you just played — that he wants a clear mission, and that he won’t put troops at risk. With the indecision of not making the commitment with what his generals recommend, we feel that those are just empty words that matter not at all. And it sickens us to hear these kinds of speeches like on Veterans Day that ‘we’re going to do everything for our vets.’ You’re not doing that. And I hate to say, you know, ‘liar’ like some people do, but we need some decision, and we need leadership on this issue. These troops, their morale, I’m sure, is sinking as they’re put into danger by people in the leadership that won’t make those choices. I think it takes courage but I really appreciate you with building up the morale of the military, telling them that they are the people that help us enjoy our freedoms and that victory is the clear mission, and we want it done as soon as possible.
RUSH: Yeah, well, join the crowd. By the way, there’s a story I’m looking for. I think it’s AP, but I’m not sure. The Army is saying that morale among the troops in Afghanistan is way, way, way down. The morale is down. Who in the world would be surprised by that? I… (sigh) You know, I’m sort of hamstrung here. This decision, this lack of a decision… Remember, it’s three months ago that McChrystal made his recommendation or his request for more troops. And we’re continuing to dither here. I have such empathy for all of you out there who are military families whether you’ve got family members deployed or not. Because when I hear from you, you speak in the context of a citizen of a country which has as its top priority winning, being victorious, vanquishing our enemy. And you hope and you expect a decision along those lines soon.
And I’m telling you it’s really hard to say this to you, but you don’t have a president who looks at life or war or the United States in any way, shape, manner, or form the way you do. You have a traditional view of this country based on your service to it and your commitment to it. We don’t have a president who shares your commitment to the country, who shares your commitment to the victory. We have a president and an administration who believes this country’s guilty of things, and he’s going to have trouble pulling the trigger on more troops over there. And even if he does pull the trigger on more troops, I think the constraints on the procedures over there and the rules of engagement are going to be such that it’s going to be useless. I can’t tell you how I hate thinking these things. I can’t tell you how repulsed I am saying them.