MilTimes Editorial Backlash

Truly strange that the MilTimes has the sack to call for Rumsfeld's removal, and this gets twisted into being the position of the troop level soldier/sailor/airman/marine. Having listened to the MSM crowing over this you'd think this was a major revolution. Fortunately, there are a few out there that stood up to point that they editorial staff at MilTimes is in fact not associated with the troops at all.

Here's the DoD's response to the Military Times editorial. The editorial has also sparked a heated discussion on the Military Times online forum.

Obviously, what's angering the troops is that a publication purporting to speak on their behalf is actually a subsidiary of Gannett Newspapers (which makes it a sister pub to USA Today, among others) that is in no way affiliated with the professional military and, according to the numerous responses I've gotten, doesn't seem to in any way represent the majority views of U.S. troops. Furthermore, given both of these things, the timing of the editorial just days before the election is viewed by many as clearly inappropriate.

Active duty military go out of their way to avoid getting involved in politics, and they certainly don't publicly criticize up the chain of command - especially the Secretary of Defense just days before an election in the middle of a war.

But because of the important distinctions about the Military Times business organziation mentioned above have been lost in the way this story has been reported in the MSM, the editorial by a paper bearing the name "military" appears to be a vote of no confidence in Rumsfeld by U.S. troops. It's not.

That first link is from For the Record from the DoD. You can be certain that their response will not be picked up and reported by the vast majority of the MSM. The forum really isn't worth reading, it's pretty much what you'd expect with the screeching calling the troops complaints political posturing. Funny that the military isn't allowed to complain when they are misrepresented. You'd almost think Kerry was spending his time in hiding before the election posting on that forum.