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February 5, 2007
Lt. Watada
Why did this guy join the army? The timing of his enlistment leaves one with no choice but to question either the sincerity of his legal defense or his intelligence (how could he have not seen how his enlistment might rapidly bring him to this current pass, given his feelings on the war)? I suspect it is the former: given his family background, I have a feeling that a set play is being run here, and this is part of an ideological agenda (one with which I have few sympathies). Regardless of my own sympathies, the practical consideration remains that the Army cannot allow itself to either become a platform for political theater or a democracy. It is a machine, and he must be hammered for his failure to play his role in it. In an all-volunteer Army, his basic position has no legitimacy whatsoever.
Update: As a colleague just pointed out, it is interesting that he hasn't gotten a single prominent person without an obvious axe to grind viz the Iraq war to defend the legitimacy of what he is doing. For instance, his list of celebrity supporters is basically the standard who's who list of tired old left wing hacks.
Update 2: I agree with much of this. Even to those who support Watada's views (and I'm not one of them) I would offer the following: can you not see how this man's conduct sets a standard that could one day become the beginning of a slippery slope to a Julius Caesar or a Sulla?
Posted by dag at February 5, 2007 2:18 PM