Brandon Friedman at VetVoice calls attention to recent comments by Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen that both speak to the military reaching a breaking point because of Iraq, one that threatens its ability to exist as an all-volunteer force. Friedman sees this as a major push by the Chiefs of Staff to get the Bush administration to recognize that there is a dire need for policy change in Iraq.

In less than a week now, the Army Vice Chief of Staff and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have both expressed to Congress and the President that there are simply no more troops available to keep up the current pace of operations. And they’ve both implied that the “All-Volunteer Force” has reached the limits of its capability. I’d call that a pattern. And I’d also call it the first step toward giving the civilian leadership the ultimatum it apparently needs hear.

These comments are a not-so-subtle challenge from the military to President Bush and the Congress: Either get us the fuck out of here, or send help.

I wonder if the Bush administration will listen to these concerns or if, like the economy, they will simply pass the problem along to their successor without implementing the solutions proposed by independent experts. Knowing what we know about the Bush administration and their lack of concern for what people in the military have to say about their poor strategic vision, I would be shocked if they take this not-so-subtle prodding to heart and scale back our presence in Iraq to preserve the health of our military and the safety of our nation.