How Iraq Affects The Homefront

Here in Montana, the big worry these days is the upcoming fire season. Because of one of the worst droughts in the region's history, it could be a very bad one. But that's only part of why the situation could be particularly bad. The other factor is that Montana's National Guardsmen are deployed in Iraq.

That's why Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) today demanded that President Bush return the Montana National Guard from Iraq to help fight the upcoming fire season. While President Bush falsely claimed Iraq was an imminent threat to our security, Schweitzer notes that the fires are a real imminent threat to thousands of citizens.

This is a perfect example of exactly how the war in Iraq has drained resources from pressing concerns at home. Will President Bush move to help states like Montana and Idaho which supported him so strongly in 2004, or will he ignore Schweitzer and let the fires simply burn without sending in the necessary reinforcements?