Over at In From the Cold, spook86 discusses a wish list submitted by a Marine in Iraq and passed up the chain of command recently.
Spook86 notes that "Congressmen obsessed with prisoner menus and "flushed" Korans at Gitmo would be better served by tackling the problems listed by Sergeant Burton." Maybe. It depends on which war they're trying to win....
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I certainly hope this Marine and all the others serving bravely receive the equipment and training they require to accomplish the difficult mission ahead of them.
But if your first reaction to this is to attempt to blame congress it would seem your more interested in partisan snipes than supporting our fine troops.
Davebo, Congress has a major role to play in procurement and spending priorities. As shown by the recent House appropriations bill, if representatives believe an item is important (note that they define this differently that a military person would), they can and will include it even if the military has not asked for it. So there's that direct power, in addition to indirect pressure.
With that power comes responsibility. To question how it's being used and where their focus is being applied is entirely proper. Especially in light of incidents like Durbin, and this, and many others.
At some point, it becomes entirely legitimate to ask which war they're fighting, and which interests they're trying to serve: the one on the ground where lives are being lost, the one for dollars in their districts, and/or the one against George W. Bush and the War on Terror.