David Ignatius has a splendid column on the character and courage and resilience of those tasked to defend us. Humor, perseverance, sacrifice: these appear to be routine even under the extraordinary stress of these two endless, confusing occupations. On this, David is surely right:
In truth, the U.S. military may be the most resilient part of American society right now. The soldiers are clearly in better shape than the political class that sent them to war and the economic leadership that has mismanaged the economy. (I'd give the same high marks to young civilians who are serving and sacrificing in hard places -- the Peace Corps and medical volunteers I've met abroad and the teachers in tough inner-city schools.)