A Soldier for Senator Warner

Oh, the irony.  

In his letter to Barack Obama yesterday, Senator John Warner acted surprised and outraged that such equipment shortages could occur in Afghanistan--especially under his watch as "a former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee."  

In fact, Senator Warner was so incensed by the situation that he was Determined to Get to the Bottom of It.  Therefore, he self-righteously demanded of Senator Obama that the Presidential candidate provide him with

the essential facts of when – the dates – the unit was deployed, to which brigade combat team, or other unit it was assigned, the name and current location of the captain, or other military personnel who shared the facts with you, so that committee staff can debrief them.

The tone is of one who is incredulous--who sincerely expects that Senator Obama is making this whole thing up.  It appears that Warner doesn’t actually expect to be challenged on this.

Funny.  He should just pick up a copy of today’s New York Times Magazine, where he could read about Sergeant Erick Gallardo--a soldier on the ground in Afghanistan right now:

As Sgt. Erick Gallardo put it: "We don’t get supplies, assets. We scrounge for everything and live a lot more rugged. But we know the war is here. We got unfinished business."

So there you go, Senator Warner.  In today's paper.  Sergeant Erick Gallardo’s unit--the one that doesn’t "get supplies, assets"--is the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team operating in the Korengal Valley of Kunar Province in Afghanistan.  They have been there since June 2007--and they need equipment, not more empty rhetoric about your "explicit duties to provide for" their welfare.

Senator Warner, you're the former Chairman and Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee.  You tell us why Sergeant Gallardo's unit is having to "scrounge."  It's your job.  And the troops are demanding that you do it.  
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