Sorry about the temporary absence, had a little problem to sort out here....
Want a blunt answer? Yes, I do.
I know that for the most part, the majority of my branch is glad for a good chance to stretch our legs(of course, we're a bunch of bloodthirsty
Marines

) Seriously though, I would chop dead wood away if it was needed. I am not sure who you speak of specifically when you mention the career
officers, but then again, I have been out of the news loop for almost a month now.
Perhaps with all the turnover in the JCOS seats, there have been some rapid policy changes. I know that's the case for our branch. With changes in
policy, people get fired, from top to bottom. Either they adapt and overcome, or they get replaced.
As in all wars, the servicemen/women want to come home. I'm waiting as eagerly as anyone to see us pull out. But it would be foolhardy to just
leave without a proper mop-up. I don't agree with us playing God over there, but we need to cover our 6, ya know? How do you know there isn't an
exit strategy? What did we expect when we saw our men and women going overseas? I certainly didn't expect a quick, painless ass-kicking followed by
a glorious return home. War is ugly from start to finish, and its never over until a couple of years after the loser gets beat. They just don't
realize it yet. I was yelling at reporters on TV (from my room) during the war because they were complaining that it wasn't resolved within a week.
PLEASE! What a ridiculous assumption. When Bush, Jr. commited us to this war,he commited us for the long haul. I would think that everyone had
come to understand and accept this. Oh, well.
I think that if it had been someone else in office(a Democrat) we probably wouldn't have been in iraq, at least not this soon. however, our
military would continue to shrink until we were merely a few underpaid, undertrained bitter citizens with really expensive weapons. As a fighting
force, we would no longer be feared by our enemies, who have little enough respect for us as it is. At least this way, we have sent a clear message
to our enemies that we will not hesitate to defend ourselves or our interests.