by James Glaser
October 15, 2003

A few weeks ago I e-mailed Senator Coleman about George Bush's War in Iraq and America's War on Terrorism. Norm e-mailed me back with total drivel, so I called his office and followed that up with a letter, getting my response today.

Senator Coleman, a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations started out with these words, "Each day, American men and women in uniform are selflessly serving their nation. By building schools, training Iraqi police forces, paving roads, and establishing law and order."

Our troops in Iraq are for the most part Infantry Divisions, Airborne units, and Marines. Most are the same troops that trained for years to kill people. These troops attacked Iraq and in record time defeated George Bush's most fearful enemy. Now these same troops that fought the war are stuck in Iraq and they are fighting for their lives. Those that fought are not paving roads or building schools, nor are they training Iraqi police. These American troops don't know how to do these things. That is not what we pay them for or is it what we trained them for. Senator Coleman is just repeating lines the White House has given to "Good Little Senators," to give to the people back home.

I'll give Senator Coleman a break, he has no idea of what goes on in the service, Senator Coleman, like President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, never fought for his country. He has no idea of how our military works, so when the White House feeds him a line, he believes it. That still is no excuse for the propaganda he has written to me. This guy is my Senator and I expect for him to have his own views, not ideas taken from Presidential speeches and passed on as his own.

Here is another sample of what I mean. From Norm's letter, "Ba'athist Loyalists and foreign terrorists continue to attack our troops in cowardly and faceless ambushes." This line exposes Norm's total ignorance about war and our military. First off, who ever is attacking our troops, are attacking the most powerful military force in the history of the world. These guys are filled with guts. They are either very brave or totally fanatical, they certainly are not cowards. Norm probably has no idea that our troops are setting up ambushes any time they have the opportunity to. So. If Norm thinks Iraqi ambushes are acts of cowardice, then it stands to reason that he thinks American troops are cowards too, when they set up ambushes. Maybe if Norm Coleman had heard his nations call to arms when he was of military age, he could have seen what it was like to go on a night ambush and for sure he wouldn't be calling our troops or theirs cowards for using this military tactic.

Norm says, "It is with heavy heart that I hear continued reports of Americans being killed in Iraq." Me too Norm, but what I want to know is how you are going to help end these deaths. Learning about what the heck our troops are really doing would help.

No where in that letter did Senator Coleman make any reference to the maybe thousands of American troops getting wounded. We don't know that number because that is a Washington secret that goes unreported. There are no news media or Members of Congress to meet the nightly flights coming to our country with our wounded and for sure no news footage on the nightly news showing men without legs or arms. This is a war Norm, get out there and see what your votes are really doing to brave young men and women.