The Truth about Jim Webb's Deployment Amendment

Frederick W. Kagan takes a look at the Webb Amendment. Webb loves to talk about quagmires....Well his amendment is a quagmire.

"Senator Webb claims to be concerned for the welfare of the troops, and no doubt he is. But one can also be concerned about the dangers our soldiers face when they do not have the necessary resources and reinforcements available. If American commanders are constrained to have only those “units and members” of the services in theater who have spent the requisite time at home, then a time will almost certainly come when they do not have the forces they need to accomplish their missions. If they can only request additional such forces in response to an operational emergency, then we should consider what that means on the ground. It means that the first thing that happens is that American soldiers may die who did not need to. Then the commanders will rush a request for additional forces up their chain of command. The president will certify to Congress that an emergency exists — and American soldiers and Marines will be fighting without necessary reinforcements as that happens. Then a unit will have to be hastily readied for premature deployment, sent to theater, moved into position, and finally arrive, certainly weeks and possibly months after the initial request. And all the time, American soldiers and Marines will have been fighting and dying. How is that taking care of them?"

Webb cares more about politicizing this war than helping the troops. What he tries to disguise a a amendment to help the troops actually ties the hands of the military and as Kagan points out could cost lives. Webb knows this and he does not care. Just like he knows that reinforcements were needed in Anbar, but he let party politics make him look foolish.

Jim Webb has traded the proud words of Born Fighting for MoveOn.org. I am not surprised.

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