Asymmetric Military

From here.

WASHINGTON — The Senate blocked legislation Wednesday that would have regulated the amount of time troops spent in combat, a blow for Democrats struggling to challenge President Bush's Iraq policies.

The 56-44 vote was four votes short of reaching the 60 needed to cut off debate. It was the second time in as many months that the bill, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., was sidetracked. In July, a similar measure fell four votes short of advancing.

Follow up:

Failure of the bill was a sound defeat for Democrats, who have been unable to pass significant anti-war legislation by a veto-proof majority since taking control of Congress in January. Webb's measure was seen as having the best chance at attracting the 60 votes needed to pass because of its pro-military premise.

The bill would have required that troops spend as much time at home training with their units as they spend deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Members of the National Guard or Reserve would be guaranteed three years at home before being sent back.

Most Army soldiers now spend about 15 months in combat with 12 months home.

"I think it's very important that we just put a safety net under our troops," said Webb, a former Vietnam veteran and Navy secretary.

I know that this was an example of Democrats hiding behind the military's ACUs (we're just trying to help them out) to cover their desire for a loss (a victory against Bush), but I'll take the idea seriously: The Jim Webb proposal was intended to help those soldiers upon whom the burden of the war has fallen most heavily. Basically, it said that soldiers can't stay deployed for a time longer than they "nest" or stay at home. So, a soldier can't be deployed for 12 months and only stay home for 11; they have to stay home at least 12 months before leaving again.

It sounds like a great idea. Who wouldn't want soldiers staying home? Webb thinks their leader don't- which brings me to the problem I have with this amendment: Webb assumes hostility between decision-makers and those they lead, or, in other words, Webb believes that the Army can perform its duty with a more liberal rotation policy and that it doesn't because it wants to be mean.