Absolutely nothing.

Seven active-duty soldiers wrote an article for the New York Times titled
"The War As we Saw It," which appeared on August 19. What a revolutionary concept to ask the opinion of people who are actually fighting the fight (and not riding a scooter on a ranch vacation or sitting at a fancy desk). You may have already read the article, and if you have, you know that one of contributors was shot in the head a week before the article came out. He is currently recovering. You may have also heard by now that two of the contributing soldiers were killed a week ago in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

Here is an excerpt from the op-ed:

To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day.

You can read the article here. Whatever your stance on the war, this is an insightful and smart commentary that should be listened to. It would be nice to hear more calm, researched soldier commentary. It’s too bad they are all busy at the moment.