Sen. John Cornyn’s office sends a video link of 2LT Mark Daily’s immortal words being read on the Senate floor:

The message is getting out there.

***
Related: Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway issues a challenge via Blackfive.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway is urging the White House to “rally the country to war,” arguing it could help address the challenge of recruiting 92,000 additional troops to boost the size of the Marines and the Army.

He made the remarks Jan. 22 to a room full of Marine Corps veterans at a luncheon sponsored by the Marine Corps Association in Alexandria, VA.

“We have, frankly, talked with the president some about maybe changing his message,” Conway said. “You know, after 9/11 he said the best thing you can do, America, is live your lives normal. . . . And we think today that it may be time to rally the country to war.”

Rallying the country might help the Army and the Marine Corps meet the challenge of recruiting 92,000 troops over the next four or five years, he argued. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Pentagon wants to add 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines over several years.

In the near term, the Bush administration also wants to increase the number of troops in Iraq by 21,500, a “surge” proposal that has been criticized by many Democrats and some Republicans in Congress.

“It’s our belief inside of the Department of Defense that the DOD is at war but not a lot of the rest of America is, and that includes the interagency but also our people to some degree,” Conway said. Conway attacked news coverage of the violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We believe that our people are subject to some misinformation — not intentional perhaps, but nevertheless if you talk to any troop that’s been to Iraq or Afghanistan, they will paint you a significantly different picture, I think, from what’s being captured here day in and day out, in the news,” he said…

…Fighting an insurgency is “traditionally a decade-long effort, on average,” he said. “But we think that the time it’s going to take us to do the job doesn’t match up with the amount of time our people are willing to give us to do the job. And that’s problematic. That’s a concern.”

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