One of the phrases I have long been tired of (even prior to the current debate) is the notion of “supporting the troops.” Now I understand the politics of wanting to be seen supporting troops in harm’s way, as well as the legacy of the post-Viet Nam era.

However, in the context of the current debate over the surge, I am especially weary of the notion that “supporting the troops” equals, on a one-to-one basis, the President’s policies. I was struck listening to Tony Snow on MTP this morning that that is exactly how the administration and its allies want the term to be interpreted. Certainly, one can understand why the administration would want it that way, as no one is going to say that they don’t “support the troops” so if one can get 100% consensus on “supporting the troops” and one can then link that to the surge, then one can tie even the words of the opposition into rhetorical knots.

Ultimately trying to make a specific policy decision as being the same thing as “supporting the troops” is intellectually dishonest and is politics at its worst because it deflects any real debate about the policy itself.