Get real

US Army Specialist Simran Lamba, first American Sikh soldier to have his religious needs accommodated since 1984, and about time, too. AP.

Allen West (last seen in these parts trying to prove that slavery was the liberals' fault) at the CPAC conference:

“We have a president that believes that the most important thing for the United States military is to have beards, turbans, and hijabs to be worn by our people in the service. But yet they will turn to our veterans and say ‘we’re cutting your benefits.’”

pushed by The Right Scoop, which comments

West’s primary issue... is the reduction in force of our military, as well as deprioritizing of training and equipment in favor of progressive, feel good policy initiatives that, frankly, do nothing for readiness. As long as this administration continues to focus on nonsense like undermining good order and discipline by breaking long traditional and obvious common sense rules of uniforms instead of what is actually necessary for a modern fighting force, a “faux Commander-in-Chief” is about as kind and delicate a description as Obama can expect from a soldier like Allen West.

Personally, I'm so glad I can hardly stand it that our military now allows Sikh soldiers to wear beards and turbans, Jewish soldiers to wear kippas, Muslim soldiers to grow beards and carry prayer beads, just as if they were Americans. Because they are, Sparky. Didn't hear anything about the hijab (how many very observant Muslim women are interested in joining the army, exactly?). I don't see where anybody said it was the "most important thing", though.

And no, it's not a "long traditional and obvious common sense rule". It was instituted in 1981, when the secretary of defense was Iran-Contra conspirator Caspar Weinberger. Oh, he and Allen West have something in common, don't they? Both resigned from the military—Weinberger from the cabinet and West (for torturing an Iraqi prisoner) from the army—rather than face trial for criminal activities.

It was Republican Paul Ryan who insisted (over the objections of his Democrat bill-drafting partner Patty Murray) on cutting veterans' pensions in December's gigantic military appropriations bill

Ryan has resisted efforts to abandon the pension cut entirely, calling it a “modest” adjustment to a particularly generous program — and therefore a more sensible choice than harder decisions that may lie ahead.

Then, in February,

Senate Republicans on Thursday derailed a sweeping $21 billion bill that would have expanded medical, educational and other benefits for veterans — in another chapter of the ongoing feud over amendments, spending and new sanctions on Iran.

I do not think ex–Lt. Col. West gets to say the president had anything to do with that.

As to the requirements of a modern fighting force, that's what the proposed reduction of forces is for: what the Pentagon needs, as conservatives and liberals and everybody who is not directly profiting from the military-industrial complex has long understood, and as Secretary Hagel has recently said, is to "get real". Which kind of cuts ex–Lt. Col. West out of the planning process.

US soldiers of undetermined religion in Afghanistan, showing respect to the people whose hearts and minds they thought they were supposed to be winning, by wearing headscarves, which some assholes think are hijab.