I'M NOT IMPRESSED

At least not with their level of research.

On Wednesday, 33 House members, led by Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., sent House appropriators a letter that emphasized the need to supply all deployed troops with the Defense Department’s new Interceptor flak vests, as well as provide adequate immunizations, drinking water and even sundries such as toothpaste.

“It is an outrage that servicemembers, deployed in the Global War on Terrorism, do not receive adequate personal hygiene products and drinking water,” the letter said. “Servicemembers have told us they lack personal items like razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, etc. Congress needs to provide these items to America’s soldiers and not rely on families to continually send their loved ones these necessities.”

Brown sent the letter, which includes the signatures of 32 other representatives, all Democrats, “to emphasize the importance of supplying the troops with all they need,” Dahlia Melendrez, a veteran’s affairs staff member for Brown, said in a Thursday interview.

Melendrez said that the letter was based on “lots of newspaper articles” about reported shortages and letters that Brown has received from her constituents.

Here is my take.

Anyone who has read CPT Patti for any length of time knows that most soldiers, civilians and members of Government who have been in Iraq tend to agree on at least one thing: What you read in the paper is far from what things are really like over there.

So when the Congresswoman decides to act based upon "lots of newspaper articles", well, frankly, that's a little scary. Because that means that it is truly the reporters and editors of those newpapers who are creating the "truth" that these 33 house members have acted on.

Further, if the Congresswoman had done her research she would know that the military does supply razors and personal hygiene products by way of what is called "sundry packs".

If there are not enough at the moment...well, it isn't because "Congress" hasn't provided them...but it is possibly a function of competing for transportation (on the ground, if I have to choose between shipping bullets and shipping shaving cream...well, Barbasol is going to lose).

With regard to the drinking water, the Congresswoman's own staffer indicates she has two family members in Iraq who repeatedly ask for "powdered drink mix". Ms. Brown, what on earth do you think they are mixing the drink mix with? The shortage of drinking water story is old, has been around since just after the actual combat, and has been discredited by closer examination that finds that bottled water, a logistical bitch to transport, may sometimes be short, but the Army's Water Dogs purify hundreds of thousands of gallons of drinking water per day.

Finally, has body armor and deodorant become solely concerns of Democrats? Could Ms. Brown not find a single Republican who is also concerned about these issues?

It forces one to draw one of the following conclusions: (a) Every Republican Congressman already knows that which I have outlined here and thus saw no need to sign the letter (unlikely, in my opinon)., (B) Every Republican Congressman refused to sign a support our troops letter on grounds of principle (also unlikely...) or (C) Ms. Brown is seeking to play politics while trying to appear to have the best interest of the Troops at heart (DING DING DING DING DING!!!!)

If I've learned anything by reading innumerable news stories every day it is to take a good look around when any member of Congress declares something to be "an outrage". From what I've seen usually the only thing outrageous about such stories is the Congressional posturing and playing politics with the issue of the day.

No, Ms. Brown...I'm not impressed.