It's Saving Lives You Stoneheads

In wars, most of the dying is done by the guys newest to the battlefield. The guys who've been there for a while are still alive precisely because they have learned to stay alive.

That, as much as anything is why the Bush Administration has halted retirements and extended tours in Iraq. Most of the death among our soldiers were among newcomers, particularly National Guardsmen.

The Washingonton Post, quite predictably gets it wrong by blaming the extended stays on insufficient forces.

And, of course, the editors blame tax cuts too.

The president's failure to adequately staff the armed forces is just one way in which he fails his own commitment to what he called this week "the imperative of our age." The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, changed Mr. Bush's view of the world, but he never adjusted his fiscal strategy; he continues to reduce the tax burden on the wealthy and leave the government without adequate resources for the fight. He has yet to invest the funds and energy, on a scale appropriate to an existential struggle, in public diplomacy, Arab-language training, foreign student exchanges, nuclear materials control and many other ventures that are key to eventual victory. And he has yet to acknowledge that the downsized military he favored in 2000 is no longer suitable in 2004.

The reason for this failure -- whether an unwillingness to face the political consequences of demanding sacrifice, or an inability to let go of cherished views on military transformation, tax cuts and the like -- matters less than the consequences. We support Mr. Bush's "vision of dignity and freedom in every culture," but he undermines the cause and feeds only cynicism when he refuses to match the tools to the task. More immediately he places an unfair burden on those in uniform and their families.