Climate of Fear

No segment of the population supoorts the President more than the members of the US military. As for the other candidate for Commander in Chief, even the NY Times can muster only a pale attempt to depict some sort of support from the ranks for the best friend North Vietnam ever had:

Despite the risks, United States combatants in Iraq are largely supportive of Mr. Bush, if interviews with about 40 soldiers stationed in Baghdad and in several provincial towns to the north are anything near representative. But in the discussions, in heavily fortified bases in Baquba, Balad and Tikrit, and in the midst of a three-day battle for control of Samarra, there was also widespread pessimism about the war, and about how long American troops will be needed here, though it was mixed with a deep desire that the war be seen as noble and justified.

This reporter, once embedded with United States forces, was given unrestricted access to the troops, who were free to speak without supervision. Yet some soldiers said they felt uncomfortable expressing criticism of their commander in chief or expressing a preference for Senator John Kerry, Mr. Bush's Democratic challenger, particularly because the military is, and has been for decades, predominantly Republican. Others said they believed that Mr. Kerry would fare better among the troops than a Democrat normally might, a reflection of the growing sense among soldiers that there is no end in sight to the conflict here.

Nevertheless, when asked who was to blame for what many saw as a deteriorating situation, soldiers were much more likely to cite Iraqi civilians or restrictive rules of engagement than Mr. Bush's policies.

And not a single soldier interviewed - even those who were most gloomy about the war - would say that it was a mistake to come here or that the war was a result of dissembling or miscalculation by Mr. Bush, which has been a common Democratic refrain in the campaign.

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Although exact figures are unavailable, most campaign scholars agree that members of the military have tended overwhelmingly in recent decades to vote Republican for president. But Democratic strategists suspect that continued violence in Iraq might drive more soldiers, especially those in the lower ranks, to support Mr. Kerry.

A poll of active-duty soldiers and their families by the National Annenberg Election Survey in early October found a clear preference for the president, with 69 percent placing greater trust in Mr. Bush as commander in chief and 24 percent favoring Mr. Kerry. Of those surveyed, 43 percent identified themselves as Republican, 27 percent as independent and 19 percent as Democratic.

A recent survey of the 31,000 subscribers to the monthly publications Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Times and Air Force Times showed the president trouncing Mr. Kerry, 73 percent to 18 percent. The survey was unscientific. Subscribers, who tend to be older and higher-ranking than the average soldier, were sent an e-mail message and asked to respond, and 4,165 did so.

It is, nevertheless, a large margin.

And it was borne out by the interviews of soldiers in Iraq, creating a climate in which some Kerry supporters said they felt uncomfortable voicing their preference too loudly.

Because, you know how timid US military personnel are. Fortunately we've got the courageous reporting of the NY Times to help them speak truth to power. (/sarcasm)

There's an old military expression about everyone being out of step but you that could apply here. Still, Kerry supporters will likely find fewer antagonistc fellow service members in January if the Senator from Massachusetts is the one taking the oath of office.