WASHINGTON (AP) -- For more than a year, Rep. Joe Wilson's desk at the House Armed Services Committee was the intersection of his personal and political interest in the Iraq war.
On the table were bills about how to pay for and supply the conflict. Underneath, a handheld computer buzzed with real-time reports from his son Alan, an intelligence officer in southern Iraq.
"I would get a 'Hey Dad' message almost every day," the South Carolina Republican recalls. "I felt like I was voting on legislation, but I was living it simultaneously."
For about half a dozen members of Congress who have had kids serving in Iraq, the war is far more than a matter of public policy. They debate it and often defend it -- with eyes on public opinion, like almost any elected official. But they also live the war through those most dear to them.
Therein lies a lesson about the limits of power.
Lawmakers may be able to shift billions of dollars to pet projects or get seats at a state dinner. But none has the muscle to keep a child safe in a war zone, half a world away. More
I get almost daily updates about or from my buddy Roger who is miserable at training. He is not new to the military, and yet just preparing for this "war" for which no one can agree upon the purpose is bringing his spirit down. He is not against defending our country, but he is a realist and knows this is the Middle East Vietnam, and he doesn't want to get spit on or shunned by society or become an addict to forget what he sees in Iraq *if* he makes it back home. He is emotionally miserable and I fear for his safety. A soldier whose head is not in the game is as good as fodder.
The man who was just a few weeks ago the life and spirit of our workplace "family" is now being broken by a system that clearly doesn't care about his well-being. I am disgusted, sad, angry, confused, and belligerent. I'm sure I'll have more adjectives when he finally gets shipped over to his secret hiding place.
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