I am loath to even mention the Kerry debacle...

It really should be a non-issue, but it isn't. Still, I am not going to scream for the head of a decorated veteran for botching a joke that was clearly intended to be a swipe at the president and his top civilian military advisors. Instead, I think I will examine the record of this administration with regard to the troops and the war.

The Republicans are the party that ended full support of the Afghan War before that mission was completed. Now the Taliban is back and Afghanistan is a failed state.

The Republicans are the party that basically fabricated reasons for launching a war. The one we were fighting was just and justified. But they had to go into Iraq.

The Republicans are the party that rushed headlong into a war with such wild abandon that the troops went in without the appropriate vehicle or body armor.

The Republicans are the party of Rumsfeld, who threatened to fire the very next senior military official who brought up post-war planning. This is the short-sighted buffoon that the president just today claimed is doing a fine job and he wants him to remain in his job another two years.

The Republicans are the party that refused to send in enough troops to stablize the country in the post major conflict phase because Rumsfeld wanted to try out his theories regarding a "streamlined" force.

The Republicans are the party that has overextended the military and the National Guard, to the point that the various branches have had to resort to all sorts of measures that had never been used before. They have called up inactive reserves, instituted a back-door draft with stop-loss policies, and they have breached the promises made to those who serve. A date that a tour will end is a sacred thing. When this date means nothing, a sacred trust is violated.

The Republicans are the party that has lied, repeatedly and routinely, about the conditions in Iraq.

The Republicans are the party of the President that has already declared that we are there for as long as he is president and the next inhabitant of the oval will have to clean the mess up.

The Republicans are the party that has refused to do anything to increase the size of the armed forces because it would be politically unpopular.

The Republicans are the party that has refused to allow the coffins of the fallen to be photographed at Dover AFB as they make their final journey home.

The Republicans are the party that claims exclusive loyalty of the troops in uniform, yet the Army is short 3500 officers throughout the ranks, and the Army Reserves is short 11,000 Lieutenants and Captains. Prior to this administration, there were waiting lists for OCS in all of the branches. Now, no one is getting turned down who applies, and very few are washing out.

The Republicans are the party that has cut research and rehab funding for troops returning to civilian life after traumatic brain injuries suffered in combat.

The Republicans are the party that have increased Tri-Care deductibles and co-pays while reducing military benefits. (My husband is a retiree and we don't even bother. We have private insurance and use our Tri-Care as secondary.)

The Republicans are the party that have reduced retiree benefits on people like my husband who never flinched once and did his duty with honor for twenty-four years.

The Republicans are the party that never met a promise to Veterans they couldn't wait to break.

These are much more eggregious offenses than a botched joke, just for the record.

Where is the outrage about these things?