Judge Phillips found that it has contributed to "critical troop shortages" and caused the discharge of members with critical skills like fluency in Arabic, medicine and counterterrorism.
The policy has led to critical troop shortages by forcing out more than 13,000 qualified service members over the last 16 years, according to the judge, Virginia Phillips.
"If it's good for them, why can't it be good for us?" It is hardly unusual for unions to be involved in political campaigns — in virtually every state, they provide candidates with critical ground troops for time-intensive tasks like walking precincts and making phone calls.
Residents are particularly critical of the troops at the Poza base.
Turkey, which has several bases that would be critical for American troops and aircraft driving into northern Iraq, has received some of the most serious attention.
But Brendan Miniter, who managed development of the museum, said that Mr. Bush wanted the exhibits to avoid editorializing and, for example, insisted that critical letters from troops be included.
The Afghan government, too, has been critical of Western troops for killing Afghan civilians.But Kajaki now counts as a badly-needed success, after a great convoy lumbered through the desert to deliver a Chinese-built turbine on September 2nd.
As insurgents surged across Mali's northern desert last year, United States-trained commanders of the country's elite army units defected at a critical time, taking troops, trucks, weapons and their newfound skills to the enemy.
Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said this year's elections make it "very, very critical" for American troops to remain in Iraq in 2009.
Voter indifference to the war in Afghanistan ("For Midterm Voters, War Is Off the Radar," The New York Times on the Web, Oct. 16) is no doubt the reason that some members of Congress have tried to cut funds for critical upgrades for troop equipment.
