The self-deluding tactics of Bush apologists never cease to amuse and amaze me. In a frenzy to defend their warlord, they trip over facts and then reinvent them to bolster vacuous arguments.

In the Aug. 7 column "Truth about Iraq," I wrote of the accounts of an independent journalist and his reports of living conditions in Iraq. While I have been critical of an administration run by chickenhawks with itchy trigger fingers, never have I made a disparaging comment about those who serve so honorably in our armed forces.

My father was in the Air Force for more than 20 years that included service during World War II. I was born and raised as a military brat and have the utmost respect for those who serve our country. Freedom of speech cannot be silenced under the guise of patriotism, and it is wrong of civilians to attempt to stifle divergent opinions on the backs of our proud military.

A soldier who graduated from a local high school paid the ultimate price in Iraq last week. The friends, family and coworkers of good Americans currently serve in harm's way. Nobody blames our soldiers for the bad decisions that put them in Iraq.

Yes, you can support the troops while opposing the mission. I pay taxes, donate blood, serve the community and exercise precious freedoms that our soldiers have sacrificed for. The blood of our countrymen that spills in Iraq is American; it is not liberal or conservative, it is American.

Temecula's Path of Honor at the Duck Pond fittingly honors the American soldier. The soldier depicted in the "Letters Home" monument perfectly captures and tributes every service member from every war.

Our brave members of the armed forces serve over there while longing for here. Those of us at home think protectively of our brothers and sisters in arms. Democrats and Republicans want their loved ones home with equal passion.

Politics is a stateside game. Most Americans were gung-ho for war in Iraq as misplaced retribution for the hurt we suffered on 9-11. Our political leaders told us Iraq possessed weapons that would be used against us. We were told our military would be welcomed for ridding the Iraqi people of their evil tyrant.

The commander in chief placed our sons and daughters in the midst of another country's civil war because he lacks an understanding of history, diplomacy and other skills possessed by qualified statesmen.

Thornhill's editorial cartoon from last Tuesday depicted members of the antiwar movement as feeling good with an onlooker lamenting being a realist with "obligations to the victims of terrorists."

I can be a realist and feel good about honoring my obligations to the victims of terrorism by drawing attention to failed policies that do more to create the next wave of victims than they do to stem the tide of terrorism.

Paul Jacobs of Temecula is a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: TemeculaPaul@aol.com.