I would greatly appreciate any help in finding information on the issue of the length of troop deployments.  My brother-in-law, was just sent back to Iraq for his third tour.  He left Fort Drum earlier this month (his first two tours were out of Fort Campbell), was to spend two weeks in Kuwait, and by my count should be arriving in Iraq any day.  I was floored when my sister told me that his orders said he could be over there for up to TWENTY-THREE (23) months.  That is 8 more months than the already extended tours of 15 months.

This is my first diary, and I appologize if it does not exactly meet the criteria for a diary.  I have not researched the topic and am not setting out a well organized piece or new information.  Rather, I am venting in a space that I generally just observe because it seems the most safe or appropriate place for such venting.

I read with interest the diaries on framing because language facinates me and I am a political junky.  (However, I am technically challenged and will happily link to those if I can figure out how).  Our congressional leaders appear to have blown a great opportunity to frame the debate over war funding, and more troubling, the reason I finally have been moved to write a diary, they seem to be caving in on the issue.

Below are my thoughts on why every Dem should be simply and forcefully saying, over and over again at every opportunity, that Congress will not give this administration anymore blank checks for war funding.