BartCop:

Last week I wrote that it doesn't matter whether the civilian dignitaries
on the submarine were Democratic dignitaries or Republican dignitaries.

I was so naive in assuming they were dignitaries.  I had no idea they were just W.'s contributors
taking free submarine rides as a reward for their generosity, the same way the rest of us get the
PBS tote bag for our $75.00 contribution.

I have ambivalent feelings about the commander and crew of the vessel.  I was in the military (U.S. Army)
and I know that it sucks when civilians come around because the dog-and-pony show has to be real good.
No poker games, just spit-and-polish.  We were always glad when they left.

It seems to me that the crew of this submarine is going through a whole lot of grief now because the man
they (presumably) supported sent his contributors to disrupt operations on their ship, and now the sailors
have to deal with the aftermath while the civilians are safely back home.

W. promised to lift morale; but morale is lower on the sub his contributors just visited.
And the cry "help is on the way" now refers to W. and Cheney and that shit Ari Fleischer
covering for their civilian benefactors.

But I'm also assuming that a lot of the seamen knew they were voting for a guy who got into the special
Guard unit in Texas while supporting the sending of others to go to Vietnam, so why wouldn't they think
he's leave them holding the bag for this?  (Vietnam vet Al Gore wouldn't treat our men in uniform this way).

If W. and Cheney (or the RNC) made the arrangements to get those civilians their submarine ride, then I think
that it's a shame that they will let the commander of the sub take the blame because they don't want to take
responsibility for their actions.  The guy might get busted one rank and be forced to retire at a reduced pension,
or he might serve two years in the slammer and get no pension at all.
(HINT: he should get a civilian lawyer to depose W. and Cheney--the guy will get off real easy).
But even if they drop the inquiry, he'll leave the Navy in an inglorious fashion.

Last week was "Military Pride Week" or whatever in the hell W. was calling it.
But at the same time he was rallying the troops for the cameras, he was also keeping his mouth shut
about his civilian donors on the Navy sub and demonstrating that he'd rather ruin a man's military career
than face up to this little tiny mini-scandal.

If the sub commander who's being so tarnished voted for the big, brave Texas Air Guard pilot, then he has
only himself to blame--he got the sleaze he wanted.  But if he's among the 30% of military people who voted
for the man who went to Vietnam--then I feel very badly for him.