A woman wrote in to the Diane Rehm show today with a very moving letter (RealAudio, segment starts at 35:50):My son is an army PFC assigned to military intelligence based in Fort Hood, Texas. He's going to deploy to Iraq in early August. Last week his unit was informed that due to budget cutbacks, they will have to buy some of the equipment they'll need. He is infantry assigned to an M-1 unit and needs ammo bags, a scope, rails, magazines for his rifle, and a holster for his issued handgun. He was told the army will eventually issue magazines but they would be old and used and might not work properly, so they should buy their own if they could. They were advised to look in pawnshops and eBay for gear. The total for these items will be around one thousand dollars. My son brings home less than $1100 a month. My husband and I will make sure he has what he needs, but what happens to soldiers who cannot afford to buy these things? Why do members of Congress spend their time hurling insults at each other like 2-year-olds instead of addressing the real needs of the country.

Note to President: It's the war, stupid.