"Why does the honorable senator from wherever want our troops to fly in unsafe planes? Shouldn't the honorable senator, who claims to support the troops, want our troops to have the most reliable and effective planes available?"

yep, "think of the troops" is just as emotive (and patronizing) as "think of the children". Unbelievable that people repeatedly fall for it.

I think it's valid to think about both. I just think sometimes people try to reduce risk to zero with no regard for the fact a zero risk society is one without civil liberties.