How much more suck will the Bushies ask the troops to embrace?

The Pentagon will extend the tours of duty for every active-duty soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan.

... Under the plan, deployments for active-duty soldiers will be extended from the current 12 months to 15 months. This will apply to all active-duty soldiers, but not to the National Guard and Reserve.

"These soldiers have paid the price for this policy for four years. Now they are being given an additional burden to bear, and it will be a cause of concern for the soldiers and even more so for the families," said retired Gen. William Nash....

Oh, but:

...officials say there is something of a silver lining: Under the plan, soldiers will be guaranteed at least 12 months at home between deployments.

Oh, yeah, right. If you believe that won't be cut, too, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

****

And in related news:

Recent graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point are choosing to leave active duty at the highest rate in more than three decades, a sign to many military specialists that repeated tours in Iraq are prematurely driving out some of the Army's top young officers.

... the sharpest increases in those leaving the military were among those whose commitments expired in 2005 and 2006, as many units were going back to Iraq and Afghanistan for their second and third tours. In each of those years, covering the classes of 2000 and 2001, about 35 percent got out at their earliest opportunity.

The rate was significantly more than the classes from 1977 to 1986, which averaged 18 percent. For those who graduated between 1990 and 1999, 29 percent left after their five-year commitment....

Worst. Commander. In. Chief. Ever.

(Second article via Rising Hegemon. "Embrace the suck" defined here.)