"Fat Chance"

Former soldier Ralph Peters has a few simple requests to make of our political leaders:

* From President Bush, a straightforward, no-excuses apology for his administration’s arrogance and earlier mistakes in this war.

* From Sen. Clinton, a public denunciation of her Hollywood pals (who keep funding movies portraying our soldiers as atrocity-addicted psychotics) and a commitment to listen to our leading generals before making any decisions regarding troop withdrawals.

* From Sen. Obama, a two-week visit to dirty-boots Army and Marine units in Iraq (not the Green Zone and no photo ops) and a pledge to give a fair hearing to military advice before surrendering to al Qaeda in Iraq.

* From both parties in Congress, a return to the policy that, in wartime, politics stops at the water’s edge.

Peters doesn’t express any hope, however.