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This quote from the University of Toronto professor ably sums up why these ex-soldiers will have a difficult time making their case. It was their choice to join the military; now they seem to think they're civilians who can simply quit a job they don't like anymore.
Sorry.
As much as I hate Bush's war, and as much damage as he's probably done to the morale of the military, soldiers don't get to quit when they feel like it. They may have had a genuine change of heart now that they've seen mass murder up close. In that case, civil disobedience - and facing its consequences - might be an honorable option. But they get no points for choosing the easy way - taking advantage of the hospitality and relative sanity of our northern neighbor.
Still, it's likely more than a few have fled out of plain old cowardice. They don't mind doing the shooting; they just don't like it when the Iraqis shoot back.
When you join the military by choice, you simply don't get the same sympathy for desertion as someone who was conscripted against his will.
