"I'm Pro-Military So I Support Obama."

[ej510]

"We need a new beginning. McCain and/or Clinton are more of the same: leaders who contributed to a historic mistake that resulted in 4000 Americans needlessly killed and tens of thousands wounded, and a wave of anti-American hatred sweeping the world. McCain and Clinton won't apologize for their error. And a failure to tell the truth is no foundation on which to build a presidency."

"McCain is a courageous man. So is Obama. Obama has shown incredible courage by running for the presidency as a black man, something that General Powell refused to do, given the all-too-real threat faced by any black candidate in this gun-crazy, residually racist country of ours. Obama's courage is exemplary, dare I say valorous and martial in character."

"I don't know if Obama will be a great commander-in-chief. Time will tell. But Obama gives me hope for a better American future. And hope is not an empty word, as I learned during the many long days and nights when my son was at war."

http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,163515_2,00.html

[ej510]

1. This is big news.

Clinton's vote on Iraq was devastating.

[MarjorieG]

2. Military are not supporting McCain's continuing to ruin its readiness.

They also fear his gung-ho, strike first attitudes being in charge. He pushed for bringing down Iraq militarily in the late 90's, so it's not just a question of execution. Cutting benefits is inhumane.

[ej510]

3. Another quote.

"This year the Republicans can't count on the military family's vote. Because Obama was right about Iraq, he may become the candidate of choice for far more pro-military voters than pundits might expect. Note: Since Senator Clinton voted for the war in Iraq she doesn't present a clear alternative to McCain or to the Republican Party. Of the Democratic candidates only Senator Obama has a chance to win the support of the military family. Here's why and here's how."

[TexasLady]

4. I read the whole piece and it was good.

[ej510]

6. Yes it does and it explains all of the millitary donors he has gotten.....

over Clinton and McCain.

[TahitiNut]

5. Folks should never underestimate the power of such ephemerals.

Much of the 'good' that comes under the best of Presidential administrations is a result of ordinary People vesting in them ephemerals that give those people energy and optimism. JFK gains much of his reputation for this very reason ... and it's REAL. Thus, it's often less about the tangibles as the intangibles ... and the care such a President takes to avoid missteps that would puncture such esteem.

[ej510]

7. Those votes have sent us off track.........

away from the real criminal Bin Laden.

[redqueen]

14. Not to mention the fact

that they have eroded our image... even if we always were imperialist bastards (good students of Ole Mother England)... at least we didn't rub it in people's faces before.

Also they are making it impossible to take care of needs here at home.

[ej510]

23. Yes our image has been tarnished by........

this war.

[ClayZ]

8. K and R

[ClayZ]

9. K and R

[ej510]

10. Yes!

K&R it.

[ej510]

11. This says it all.

"The center tallied money from donors who list the Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and National Guard as an employer. Overall, these donations are miniscule: Obama got 44 contributions worth about $27,000 and Paul 23 for about $19,300. Republican John McCain, an Iraq war supporter and Vietnam prisoner of war, was third with about $18,500 from 32 donors."


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3601542

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

12. kicked and recccccccccccccccccc'd

[redqueen]

13. K&R!

[ej510]

16. If you support the troops then vote Obama.

It's that simple.

[Cha]

15. There's that "Hope" again that

a certain candidate has given us and another has tried to take away.

Obama is brave(and intelligent)..you just have to look at "The Speech" from Oct 2, 2002 to know that..

<snips>

"My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain. I don't oppose all wars.

After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again. I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism.

What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income - to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics. Now let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.

But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.

So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the President today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings. You want a fight, President Bush?"

<more>
http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php

[ej510]

17. Good stuff!

Hope is all we have right now. With Bush in power.

[ej510]

18. Voting for Clinton is reckless.

She never read the NIE that's a sign of things to come. Just take a look at the way she has run her campaign. In her campaign she has connections to everyiting that is wrong with america right now. Since the late 90's whether it was by her vote or her arguing for programs that hurt americans, and utilizing scum like Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson, and James Carville all it does is remind us why we should not support her. She's a ticking time bomb. All evidence point towards a corporate president similar to the one we have now.

[butterfly77]

19. This is one of my reasons for voting for him...

that he is brave enough to take all of the bullshit that will be thrown at him, that he is willing to come in and take over after all of the mess that Bush and company will be leaving knowing that he will probably be blamed for it. I love the fact that he has the AUDACITY to hope...

[ej510]

25. Exactly why most are voting for him.

Hillary doesn't believe in hope not anymore.

[Symarip]

26. Hope doesn't matter, either (nt)

[ej510]

28. Do you mean that hope is dead to the Senator(NY)?

:sarcasm:

[Symarip]

30. Hope is just words and that's all Obama has.

Unlike the words of a Bosnian sniper attack survivor. That, my friend, carries *serious* weight.

[Symarip]

20. The military, like red states, doesn't count

See IWR vote.

[ej510]

21. I agree with you 100%!

The only states that matter are big states according to Hillary. So you knw she hates the remaining states, because she believes they don't matter.

[ej510]

22. IWR

is a huge problem for Clinton which is why she tries her best to turn it against Obama.

[ej510]

24. Once again.

K&R

[Coexist]

27. I like this part:

First: Avoid the usual condescending liberal language when speaking about the military. Nothing turns off military people faster than being talked about as if we are victims. Liberals don't seem to get that military people are proud of their service and mostly pleased with their choice to serve. That is why so many reenlist.

Second: You need to talk positively about military service as a life where tens of thousands of Americans find meaning, community and happiness because the military exemplifies fairness and opportunity. For instance, when you are looking for a good social model point out that the pay of a 4-star general is only 9 times higher than that of a private, in contrast to the example you often give about a CEO earning in 10 minutes what one of his workers earns in a year.

Third: When you talk about your program for helping college students financially and say that they should owe their country something in return, you list organizations such as the Peace Corps as the sort of group they should join to "give something back." Add military service to your list.

Fourth: Do what no leading Republican or Democrat has had the courage to do. Talk about the unwitting collusion between the Pentagon's recruiting planners, our top universities and the upper-middle-class. ROTC was kicked off campuses back in the early 1970s. That was about politics. Now it's also about upper class snobbery and "me" selfishness. The heavy lifting should be shared more evenly; that or we need a draft. Let America know that as President you'll call for shared military sacrifice by all classes, just as you are calling for fairer taxes. In a Nixon-goes-to-China type reversal against stereotype call for Harvard, etc., to bring the ROTC back to their schools. (The gays in the military issue has been a smokescreen to hide antimilitary not-with-my-child sentiment at the Ivy League. Military policy on gays can only be changed by the President and Congress.)

Fifth: Don't rely on a few retired generals for advice on the military. Between now and November get to know the enlisted military on a personal level in the same way as (according to press reports) you have enjoyed getting to know your Secret Service detail. Spend a few days on Parris Island watching recruit training. Go light-to-lights with a platoon, watch the best teachers in America--USMC drill instructors--work. The spirit you'll discover will resonate. It's the same uplifting spirit you found in so many people who sacrificed to work with you on the streets of Chicago.

Sixth: Ask either Senator James Webb or Senator Joe Biden to be your running mate. Besides their other obvious qualifications, Webb and Biden have the moral authority of parents with sons serving.

Seventh: Tell the truth about how hard it is going to be to extricate ourselves from Iraq, and how long the road may be in Afghanistan. Military people will respond to a call for sacrifice better than to anything that sounds glib. Give us the bad news straight.

[ej510]

29. These are the things we need froom a president.

Obama has already mentioned some of those things.

[samsingh]

31. this is true

mccain and bush don't care about our soldiers. they consider soldiers to be expendable.