It's like this...

Joel Stein writes a column saying he doesn't support our troops. Then Hugh Hewitt kicks his ass in an interview. Here is part of the kicking:

HH: All right. Now who is your...this is a column about the troops that begins, "I don't support our troops." We'll get to the specifics in a second. But who is your closest family member or friend who is on active duty?

JS: That's an excellent question. I wouldn't say I have a very close friend. I would say only acquaintances. No family at all.

HH: Who are your acquaintances?

JS: There was a guy who works at Time, that's where I worked last, who quit to serve in the military.

HH: What's his name?

JS: (pause) You know, I'm blanking on his name. But your point is well taken that I don't have many people that I even know who are in the military.

That is what we call...BUSTED.

Let's just to go over a few things in his column:

"The real purpose of those ribbons is to ease some of the guilt we feel for voting to send them to war and then making absolutely no sacrifices other than enduring two Wolf Blitzer shows a day. Though there should be a ribbon for that."

Actually part of the proceeds from the ribbons go to the troops and I can't tell you how many cars I see every day here that have the ribbons right above their symbols for the marine corp, or the army ect. Who do you think buys the most ribbons??? Those who have a loved one serving of course. He would know that if he actually knew anyone serving.

"But blaming the president is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying."

I suppose it never occurs to him that they are serving specifically FOR their morality. That they see fighting a war against terrorists as a VERY MORAL ENDEAVOR. They are not ignoring their morality, THEY ARE FOLLOWING IT.

But Stein disregards any notion that the troops are smart enough to even know what is moral It seems:

"I do sympathize with people who joined up to protect our country, especially after 9/11, and were tricked into fighting in Iraq. I get mad when I'm tricked into clicking on a pop-up ad, so I can only imagine how they feel."

They were "tricked," you see. And even with them knowing all that Joel Stein knows about the war and Saddam and terrorists, why even BEING THERE AND SEEING FOR THEMSELVES the fight we face, they still remain in the dark about why they are fighting. Those poor clueless soldiers. Too bad they can't be as smart as some guy who "did well in school" and writes for the La Times.

via Glenn