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Politics, Foreign Policy, Current Events and Occasional Outbursts Lacking Couth

Arkin Backpedals


What I really meant was...

Having pissed off virtually every active or retired soldier alive, William Arkin posts an apology.

I knew when I used the word "mercenary" in my Tuesday column that I was being highly inflammatory.
NBC News ran a piece in which enlisted soldiers in Iraq expressed frustration about waning American support.
I intentionally chose to criticize the military and used the word to incite and call into question their presumption that the public had a duty to support them. The public has duties, but not to the American military.
So I committed blasphemy, and for this seeming lack of respect and appreciation for individuals in uniform, I have been roundly criticized and condemned.
Mercenary, of course, is an insult and pejorative, and it does not accurately describe the condition of the American soldier today. I sincerely apologize to anyone in the military who took my words literally[...]


A bit like playing dodgeball in a body cast.

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