Daley's son displays heartwarming valor The architects of this war have failed to support our troops.

Even when you don't know someone, it's easy sometimes to feel asthough you do.

So it was Tuesday morning as I unwrapped my Sun-Times and saw thesmiling picture of Patrick Daley and read Michael Sneed's scoop.Mayor Daley's 29-year-old son, she wrote, had enlisted in the Armyand was ready to go off to war in Iraq.

I've never met Patrick Daley, but from a reporter's distance havewatched him grow up. Just about every four years across many electionnights, Patrick Daley has stood beside his sisters, Nora andElizabeth, and their mother Maggie as Rich Daley addressed a crowd ofsupporters. Through that limited lens, like other Chicagoans, I'vewatched him go from a little kid to a gawky teenager to a handsomeyoung man whose features favor his mother.

Maybe because I too am a mother of a military-age son, my firstthought was of Maggie. What did she say and how did she react whenPatrick first told her his news?

Mayor Daley, who guards against questions about his family withthe vigilance of a pit bull, was of course asked that at a pressconference Tuesday. "Like anything else, that's her son," he said, "Imean you read the paper today and, you know, you think about all thesons and daughters in the military today."

I'm guessing that means she's pretty worried. And who wouldn't be?

As I write this, today's story from the Associated Press is whatgives any soldier's family sleepless nights and knotted stomachs. Itsays, "The U.S. military death toll for November equalled the highestfor any month of the war, according to casualty reports availableTuesday." That is to say, 135 of our soldiers died last month,raising the death toll to 1,254 Americans. American wounded? 9,326.

Reporters asked if the mayor tried to discourage his son fromsigning up. Or tried to advise him on what to do. On this, the mayorwas adamant. Absolutely not. "I'm proud of the decision he made. . .. Duty, honor, country, that's what he wants to do."

Patrick, who just graduated with honors from the University ofChicago with an MBA, is a prime candidate for a big job in thefinancial district. But the mayor, before his press conference began,said, "He's not interested in owning three or four Mercedes. That'snot him."

That's impressive. As are all the men and women currently servingin Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world.

When I see those yellow magnetic ribbons on cars that read, "Isupport our troops," I find myself mentally crying out, "Whodoesn't?"

I support our troops with all my heart.

It's this war I don't believe in.

And there is a difference.

To send our soldiers to fight means we were honor-bound to tellthem the truth about why they're there.

We didn't.

You know the litany by now so I'll keep it short: no weapons ofmass destruction, no links to al-Qaida, and a less imminent threat tothe safety and security of the United States than is posed this veryminute by Iran or North Korea.

Beyond that, if we are going to send our sons and daughters intoharm's way, we damn well better send them with adequate body armor,fully fortified Humvees and in great enough numbers to limit as bestwe can the carnage of this war.

And one more thing. When some of them die or are permanentlywounded, we need to be sure that there is sufficient medical andfinancial support for them or their surviving families in recognitionof their enormous sacrifice.

On every one of those counts, the architects of this war, GeorgeBush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, have materially failed tosupport our troops.

Maybe that's why, when I saw Patrick Daley's picture in the paper,I immediately thought of his mother. I know she's worried sick. Weall should be.