A-F-G-H-A-N-I-S-T-A-N bitches!!!!

Tonight, John McCain couldn't even bring himself to say the name "George Bush" in his speech. But hey, during the entire Republican convention not a single speaker has mentioned the right and just war in Afghanistan.

From Ben Smith:

Forgotten war?
A reader points out — and a search of the speech texts on the GOP Convention site seems to confirm — a surprising fact: There hasn't been a single mention of Afghanistan at this convention.

That other war is getting bigger in our rear view mirror.

Remember Afghanistan?

ThinkProgress.org also has a post on a recent report by NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams. Check it out.

On NBC Nightly News last night, anchor Brian Williams reported that on a recent trip to Afghansistan, “several U.S. commanders complained” to NBC that they lack “resources, aircraft, soldiers and support because of the war in Iraq.” Williams noted that the commanders’ complaints were echoed earlier in the day by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, who said that the military’s resources are “constrained” because of Iraq. As Williams noted, Mullen told reporters yesterday that in Afghanistan, “violence is up this year by every single measure.” Mullen then said that “we don’t have enough forces” to deal with the challenges there because of troop commitments in Iraq.

Wounded Warriors on the Home Front

A heartbreaking story in The New York Times today.

"Town by town across the country, headlines have been telling similar stories. Lakewood, Wash.: “Family Blames Iraq After Son Kills Wife.” Pierre, S.D.: “Soldier Charged With Murder Testifies About Postwar Stress.” Colorado Springs: “Iraq War Vets Suspected in Two Slayings, Crime Ring.” Individually, these are stories of local crimes, gut-wrenching postscripts to the war for the military men, their victims and their communities. Taken together, they paint the patchwork picture of a quiet phenomenon, tracing a cross-country trail of death and heartbreak. The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war. In many of those cases, combat trauma and the stress of deployment — along with alcohol abuse, family discord and other attendant problems — appear to have set the stage for a tragedy that was part destruction, part self-destruction."

Whether it is a lack of proper body armor, IED-hardened vehicles, extended tours of duty, or post-deployment mental health care, the Bush/Cheney administration continues to be negligent in truly supporting the troops.