Apparently the troops aren't as dumb as John Kerry didn't say they were.

Only 13 percent of the respondents say that the United States is "very likely" to succeed in Iraq. Thirty-seven percent say the U.S. is "somewhat likely to succeed,"...

So 50% of the military still things we're more likely to succeed than to fail? It's hard to imagine how or why.

* bring a Muslim fundamentalist theocracy to power in Iraq?

* Save George W. Bush's legacy?

* Keep the Halliburton stock price above $30 per share?

* throw women's rights in Iraq back a thousand years?

* support the totally corrupt puppet government of the USA?

* finish the world's biggest embassy fortress?

* keep the price of gas in the U.S. below $4 a gallon?

Ingrates!

Unfortunately to Bush and Co.

There's is not to question why,

Just to do and die.

The only opinion that will count is the one expressed by our soldier's feet. When they refuse to pick up their weapons and, in the words of Woody Guthrie, "Ain't going to to to war no more" will this administration, this government, this people listen to the opinions of our armed forces.

Already, I've read posts on not just right wing sites, which claim that anyone who volunteers to join the army or marines can't complain of their lot as they know exactly what they are getting themselves into.

Pathetic.

In the service, I learned what NAVY stood for:

Never

Again

Volunteer

Yourself

"Apparently the troops aren't as dumb as John Kerry didn't say they were"

Given a choice today, knowing what they know today, the military would choose Cowboy Dubya over Veteran Kerry again.

One of the things that this country is unwilling to do is to admit that the military, like the majority of the population, is not too swift.

We are supposed to pretend that the troops are apple-cheeked heroes with at least average intelligence. Having been in the all-volunteer military I'm here to say - heh.

The vast majority of the military gripes about those in charge, but shows a stupidly stubborn loyalty to those same people. If you were to ask the same griping members of the military "If the 2004 election were held today, knowing what you know, would you vote for George W Bush?" the majority will say "yes."

I promise you.

So don't get all warm and fuzzy and cozy with the idea that the military is going to snuggle with Democrats, or liberals or "secular progressives" or whatever the prevailing name for non-GOP, non-Christian fundamentalist, non conservative Americans is. The military has the same disorder as Kansas.

very positively to the war's outcome are more than likely the ones lucky enough to be equiped with real body armour and ride around in rienforced Hummers inside the Greeen Zone. The rest...?

Note that although the poll was of "active-duty military," only 50 percent of respondents had served in Iraq. So fewer than half - maybe substantially fewer than half - are currently serving in Iraq. Respondents not currently in Iraq - and who believe they will not be sent there - would account for the optimistic 13 percent.

Without a source breakdown, it's hard to tell, but my guess is the optimists are the ones who think they are safe from Iraq duty, and the pessimists are the ones daily dodging IEDs.