Really tough guys are not sexy. When are Macho men going to realize that. Of course maybe the bimbos like them.

I'd rather have a thoughtful manly guy like Obama making foreign policy decisions and leading this nation than a "cement in the arm pit" kind of guy.

Think of having our children looking up to an intellectual instead of a sports figure. I guess that's too much to ask for America.

That's been the reality of this administration. They start the fights that real men have to finish for them. Soldiers pay for the hubris of our leaders so they can act like "real men" when all they're doing is posturing by having people fight in their stead, never once thinking of the cost in real human lives. Just dollar signs and political bludgeoning sticks.

Before somebody else mentions them:

today x 2

"Today, the single most masculinity-obsessed and gender-insecure commentator in America, Glenn Reynolds (followed closely by his wife), today..."

"Congress provides only exists" - not sure what this means.

GG, do you think on one level worshipping the weak man rendered into a tough guy by rhetoric, propaganda, etc, is a two-fer? That it allows the tough guy image to coexist with the latent image of the weak man and is therefore the best fit for the stereotype of the fighting keyboardist? I can't think of another compelling reason why the right actually does not have genuine tough guys, but prefers these posturing butterballs in the main.

This topic would be amusing if it wasn't such a big deal in the coming election. Is Obama man enough? How ridiculous! Apparently, presidential politics has been reduced to childish school yard antics like "meet me at the flag pole after school so we can beat each other up so we can prove how manly we are". Apparently, one is only a good president if they attack or invade another country. How absurd it that thinking! The current president ran on a platform (in his first election against using the military for "nation building". But because of this president's decision, the military is doing exactly that, and in public opinion polls he is paying for it. It baffles me how someone can equate war with being a good president. It makes us look like a country that is condones bullying.

Is what happens when he can't pull the troops out of Iraq? Then they will start to focus on all the other campaign rhetoric and where that stands. Then he better watch out for Hillary in the 2012 primaries.

Judging from the paragraphs at the end of this Reuters article:

"Chuck Norris the only WMD in Iraq, say U.S. troops

Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:24pm EDT

By Mohammed Abbas

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Hollywood action star Chuck Norris, known for his martial arts prowess and tough-guy image, has become a cult figure among the U.S. military in Iraq and an unlikely hero for some in Iraq's security forces.

A small cardboard shrine is dedicated to Norris at a U.S. military helicopter hub in Baghdad, and comments lauding the manliness and virility of the actor have been left on toilet walls across Iraq and even in neighboring Kuwait, soldiers say.

"The fastest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris's fist," reads one message at the shrine, which consists of a signed photo of the actor surrounded by similar statements.

"Chuck Norris puts the laughter in manslaughter," reads one and "Chuck Norris divides by zero," reads another.

Known as Chuck Norris "facts", the claims have already become an Internet phenomenon, and scores are featured on www.chucknorrisfacts.com, including "Superman wears Chuck Norris pyjamas", and "There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Oklahoma".

The actor has visited Iraq several times and was made an honorary Marine last year. Some 20 U.S. military personnel and support staff spoken to by Reuters could recite at least one Norris "fact", despite many having not visited the Web site.

U.S. troops in Iraq say his support for them and Norris' invincible image has made him their idol and insist the exaggerated and satirical claims are not meant to mock him.

"The jokes all add to his legend. They're not derogatory. He's an icon," said Sergeant Joe Lindsay at a base in Falluja in Iraq's Western Anbar province, which Norris has visited.

AN IRAQI NORRIS

Bearded and muscled, Norris shot to fame fighting kung fu legend Bruce Lee in the 1972 film The Way of the Dragon, and later films show him devastating groups of men with one kick.

"Norris visited Iraq when violence was its worst and other celebrities were skittish. He's one of the guys," U.S. military public affairs officer Specialist Mark Braden said in Baghdad.

"The Marines love him. He's like a mythical legend," Staff Sergeant Amy Forsythe in Falluja said.

Soldiers cited many reasons for his appeal. Some appreciated his films and fighting ability -- Norris is a martial arts guru, and many of his films have military themes.

Others said the masculine and plainly dressed actor was an antidote to the preening and moisturized metrosexual male.

Some praised his Christian and political values. The actor recently endorsed Republican Party presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, though in the spirit of the Norris "facts", Marines argued it was Huckabee who endorsed Norris.

"He's helped us a lot. The appeal is also his martial arts, and sheer physical presence ... I don't think I go a day without hearing a Norris joke," said Corporal Ricardo Jones in Falluja.

Norris' appeal is not restricted to U.S. troops either. At an Iraqi police graduation ceremony in Falluja, graduates called out for their "Chuck Norris" to pose with them for photos.

"Truthfully, I didn't know who he was. I asked the Americans, and they said he was a great fighter, and that's why they named me after him. They showed me a video, and it's true, he's a great fighter" said police trainer Mohammed Rasheed.

With his handle-bar moustache, Rasheed has a vague resemblance to Norris.

Another police trainer said Chuck Norris was a role model for the police in Falluja, which until 2007 was an al Qaeda stronghold and the scene of fierce battles with security forces.

"I've seen his videos, he's a hero. He saves the city, he protects women and children and he fights crime wherever it is. We should all be like Chuck Norris," Khaled Hussein said.

(Editing by Matthew Jones)"