Rethinking the War

Sullivan's change of heart continues... this edition, based on the recent survey on how our military morals have been flushed down the crapper.

He cites a WashPost story on psychological stress in the military:

"A considerable number of Soldiers and Marines are conducting combat operations everyday of the week, 10-12 hours per day seven days a week for months on end," wrote Col. Carl Castro and Maj. Dennis McGurk, both psychologists. "At no time in our military history have Soldiers or Marines been required to serve on the front line in any war for a period of 6-7 months."

And this is what transforms ordinary soldiers into torturers and killers. As wrong as Sully was in supporting the war initially, to his credit he has come around ever since the Abu Ghraib pics laid bare how we are losing our soul in this war. And in the long term, this damages us and our security in a very real way:

This is why the Iraq war, so far, must be seen as a huge al Qaeda propaganda victory. Their narrative is that Muslims are under siege by an evil, imperialist, infidel army that tortures and abuses Muslims at will. Before Iraq, this was an absurdity. After Iraq, less so. Iraq has helped sustain al Qaeda's narrative with imagery and violence that will always stain the image of America in the Middle East.