if you want to be around to live the rest of your life then heed George Hill's words. When the nations fair weather patriots step up to the plate then and only then consider doing so yourself. Remember loyalty and honor are sorely missing from this government and lies and deceit are as common in the military as revelle. Semper Fi

My solution to address missed recruiting goals: use conscription of all those chickenhawk Republicans' children who wanted this war in the first place. This has got to be an extraordinary fertile recruiting field and since those people believed in Bush-Cheney's war plan and imperialist objectives (Operation Iraqi Liberation) aka OIL, they'll make the best soldiers to fight the Neo-Con's crusades.

If the ranks can't be filled with these people, then let's ask George Bush and Dick Cheney to set an example for recruiting: have THEIR children enlist and demnad to serve on the forward operating bases outside of Baghdad.

No matter how generous the recruiting bonuses have become, the American teenager and even the 43 year old seeking a career change recognizes poor policy equals their death or permanent disability.

Hey, this is no problem for the Bush Administration. Simply hold all the existing troops against their will, change the goal numbers, and then lie to the public about how well our Army is faring. A little Rovian logic solves everything.

I would never, ever let my children risk their lives or limbs for the likes of Karl Rove, George Bush or Dick Cheney! If you need bodies for the military, lift "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and draft Mary Cheney!

Do true Christians participate in any war? Love and pray for your enemies, not kill them. All in the name of preserving the American way of life? What that is is actually keeping the oil money flowing to the Bush's and Chaney's of the world. Be a slave of Christ and not a slave to Satan's controlled world. You have to buck the system, but you will have God's approval.

I wish I could enlist again so I could help the United State of Iraq become the USA's 51'st state.

I believe we'd be better off invading Mexico and make it our 51st state... and they even have OIL! not to mention all that beautiful cheap labor.

Everyone talk about not allowing my son to do this or not allowing him to do that. What do you plan to do when there is no military left to protect you?

My son went to Marine boot camp in San Diego the weekend before 9/11. They were the first class to be inducted "at peace" and graduate "at war". He served his required time but declined to re-enlist, and not because of Iraq. Still, as his mom, I am very glad he did not re-enlist.

My son took the oath and joined the Marine Corps two and a half hours ago.
He is on his way to San Diego now. He's just an immature, ignorant 18 year-old. No kind of persuasion would keep him from going. The recruiters were too crafty. I'm a mother in hell.

This is not suprising... who wants to be cannon fodder for this president and his pointless and destructive war. Interestingly enough, I have heard several radio spots encouraging young men to sign up with Selective Service. Sounds like a bad sign for the future.

jerry, there will always be a military to protect us, in fact i believe every american will take up arms to defend the United States if it came down to it. the problem most americans have is waging wars built on lies and falsehoods.

What about the Marine Corps recruiting goals, did they make it?

Love how these phony headlines change as nuttier liberals come into the office and rewrite them! Sounds like you're celebrating any problems experienced by your own Armed Forces. ...oh, I forgot, you "support the troops". Gag. Go democrat fraud reporters!!

To Mamakfj: I know where you are coming from! My sympathies. Still, your son may or may not have to go to the "danger zone". Mine spent only 4 months as an MP over there when the "invasion" first began. Before that he spent most of his enlistment in Okinawa and Japan. I consider myself a very Patriotic person. My father was a WWII Marine, My husband, Viet Nam but I have a 16 year old son still at home and I really pray to God that the "draft" is never initiated again and that he does NOT wish to enlist. Not until the politicians in charge are those I can have some faith in and that is not happening at the moment. If some foreign country was driving tanks down our street and trying to "take over" rest assured my entire family, including myself and my 16 year old would take up arms and kill whoever we could, even if we died too, but this situation in Iraq is not something I would want to lose a son over. Sorry.

All you people who like to keep throwing the Regime word around are showing your intelligence. Just because apresident does something that you do not agree with does not make him a dictator or his administration a regime. Next November when the people vote, guess what...a new administration will be elected without so much as a single life lost. There won't be people blown up going to the polls, the election won't be rigged and the following Jan, the new administration will begin. So cool the evil Regime crap...be thankful you live in a country where you can even make a comment like that and not be killed for it.

The whole chickenhawk thing is pretty lame. People who hate Bush and think the long counterinsurgency needed to stabilize Iraq isn't worth it, most of them wouldn't want their adult offspring to go to Iraq regardless. If the Bush twins and the Romney's sons were all in the Army's combat arms, it wouldn't persuade them that it's a worthy calling.

Assuming that Iraq counterinsurgency operation winds down soon (a good bet), the power vacuum's nasty consequences will not somehow depart with our troops. Those consequences will be with Iraq, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the U.S. for a long time. Hating Bush or thinking he's a stand up guy won't change that.

Reputation? ...you mean a country who follows through on it's commitments and doesn't waffle around like a bunch of cowards waiting for the next democrat pole to tell them what to do next? That reputation? How about the world's only SUPER POWER with the courage to enforce the lame UN Security Council's demands when corrupt countries like France, Germany and Russian are collecting BILLIONS in profits from circumventing the OIL FOR FOOD program? ...in addition to the UN secretary's son. Were they worried about their "reputations"? Think for yourself for once.......

"...does not make him a dictator or his administration a regime..."

chris, sounds like you don't like the word "regime", bet you love it when we label other nations a regime. after all we are the ones who love using it on other "dictators" and "regimes" if they happen to NOT toe the line.

oh well less than 18 months to vote in another regime. hopefully this one will have better "intelligence" in more ways than one.

Do any of you all REALLY CARE about anything in Iraq???? Be honest now. . . Are you willing to give yours or anyone in your families life for a lot of rocks and sand. And people who have no future and who will kill themselves FREELY because of the very fact that they HAVE NO FUTURE. Their life only exists to serve whatever god they are worshipping at the moment. They are born with nothing and nothing is what they will end up with. Go ahead. . . send your kids over there for a bunch of hooligans like Bush/Chaney et al. You will never see any of their children go. . . that's a fact!