The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

I'm reminded of cases up here in nice liberal Canada where people paid into pensions for many years and survivors were then told they could not collect survivors' pensions, even if they were named as beneficiaries.

The government at the time said it was too expensive. Now, I'm sorry, but if you pay into a benefit for years, you should GET IT...and surely it would be a lot more expensive for the heterosexual majority to get it.

(but, then, the Red Cross here basically tried to stall haemophiliacs who got HIV from blood transfusions from getting settlements until most of them were dead...)

The Alzheimer's remark was tasteless.

I hope the person who was commenting on manners or not being rude was not implying that saying McCain was not a good leader was impolite. It is an observation and possibly even a fact (hard to say).

I am somehow reminded of the time in high school that I wouldn't put honourable on a letter we had to send as part of a school project to our member of Parliament. Well, I'd met the man, observed his actions and did not consider him honourable...so I did not include an honorific whose inclusion would have seemed hypocritical to me...

DaTourist said "McCain should have kicked him in the nuts. I would have." all because someone expressed their opinion.

How far we've fallen, where people think it appropriate to kick people in the nuts for exercising their rights as an American. I'm sure the irony is lost on DaTourist that his sentiment is about as unamerican as you can get.

to black_coffee: Perhaps you should consider the fact that only arguments against gay marriage are religious. As such the government is not upholding the First Amendment. They are promoting a religious belief and they are not defending my 14th Amendment right to privacy.

My partner remains in Europe not because we cannot live on my salary alone. And not because he cannot get a job here. But because a bunch of fundamentalists insist on butting their noses into my private life. Mind you, I give them the freedom to formulate their own theology despite the fact that have little or no basis in Christian values. (Republicans see Matt 25)

I would appreciate the opportunity to live my life with my partner in the privacy of my home free from their beliefs.

gramstat- Why should I have to spends thousand of dollars to get the same protections offered to heterosexual married couples. My life isn't old news. And my complaint is not with out merit. What about hospital visitation. I know people who have never gotten that last chance to say goodbye to their significant other because they are not considered family. Is that fair. What about the case going on right now involving two gay men who have been together for around 20 years. One fell ill and his parents removed him from his home with his spouse and barred his significant other from visiting. The healthy spouse had to sue for visitation rights and the mother was quoted as saying she would rather her son not get well then return to his lover. If they were able to get married or have a civil union this would have been avoided. We need and deserve all the same protections as any one else.

In response to Chachi...We have already won the war in Iraq..haven't you heard about Mission Accomplished? Have you asked yourself why Saddam was the ONLY despot we felt obligated to depose? mmm Might want to do that...mmm..hint..tried to kill George Bush the Sr., or if that doesn't work for you..think OIL and Halliburton.

I'm not sure that Mr. Bush actually looks into the eyes of the families who have lost people in Iraq. I know he won't allow the American people to see the caskets arrive home. Is that censorship?

John McCain was Swift Boated in the North Carolina Republican primary in 2000. He spent the next 8 years trying to get the Republican base to accept him. Even though he has voted his conscience throughout his Senate career, he is a basic Republican on almost all issues.

There is no respect for your elders any longer. As a 66 year old elder I can tell you from experience that is a true statement. I think the high school kid was a "jerk" also. Not that he shouldn't have asked about the age question. But to ask if he'd die or be senile before the end of his term was tacky, tacky, tacky.

The gay and lesbian question is such "old news". There is a legal remedy for ever presumed advantage that marriage or even a civil union might afford those of this persuasion. Just put it in writing, give power of attorney to each other. A complaint without merit. There might be a financial enhancement for Social Security payments for women. A marriage would allow for the non-working women partner to receive more money per month by being able to collect on her spouses account.

Just a few thoughts from an older American.

gramstat

Chachi_001- What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? Nothing. Even Bush himself has admitted that Suddam had nothing to do with 9/11. Bin Laden attacked us yet he still roams free.... And Bush dropped the ball by not continuing his pursuit of Bin Laden and instead focused his attention on Iraq which had nothing to do with the attack on our country at all.....

I think the Senator did a good job talking to a new generation over all; one think about him is he is honest and stands for what he thinks is right.
But we need a President that is not such a nice guy at this time of war that the President of the USA did not ask for and after we were attack by crazy people Bush had to make sure it did not happened again
And I can think of a better place to attack to protect America by getting a crazy dictator with a lot of money and power that hates the USA out of the way before he gave more money to our enemies like Iran.
The people of the USA do not want to go to war unless we have to this is a war we don't like to fight but have to fight and win, so far we have not had another 9/11 that's a great victory for us all ready
And we have to give credit like it or not to the President that has to look the families of our dead soldiers in the eye every day, now some want to get up and run and leave Iraq like nothing happened
I can believe that some senators have even said we have lost all ready while we still have troops in the battle field and get way with saying this even if you are against the war, but you don't said this if you are
One of our top leaders in the Senate is a slap in the face to the troops and helping our enemy I don't know how we as Americans can have this Senator in still in power today and we want to remove one
For being gay or LBGT I find that very hard to understand special after Clinton had sex in a government building while working, if we do that we all get fired form our jobs no matter how good we are.
We just pull our troops and go that will be the worst mistake we make in our short History.
We have to stay and win is our duty and we have to honor our commitment to others for a safe
USA in the future.
One more thing that I find is sick are our leaders using our troops for political gain and they do it every day and get away with it.

McCain had a chance to take a stand and show real leadership back in 2000, he did not. And his career and ability to lead have slipped from there; how could people put faith in the quote/unquote "War Hero" who retreated from inexperienced and immature campaign of George W. Bush?

The Senator's confusion was likely due to the transposition of the first two letters of the more common acronym GLBT. I'd never heard of LGBT before this thread either.

black_coffe: Then don't get a gay marriage or a civil union. Do you think civil rights are a waste of time too? You don't seem to be much of a liberal.

to black_coffee_26. My ability to marry the woman I love isn't a waste of time for me. My ability to be protected so that I can visit my spouse of nine years in the hospital if something should happen isn't a waste of time to me. The ability of my spouse to keep our family home if I should die isn't a waste of time to me. The list of protections that come with marriage isn't a waste of time to me... I adhere to all my obligations of living in this country yet I don't receive all of the benefits... Once again this is not a waste of time for me. My religious freedom which doesn't condemn homosexuality is not a waste of time to me...

As for all of you who think these children were rude. Hello wake up... Senators work for us they are civil servants and should be asked the hard questions. Maybe if we didn't put our senators on pedestals they would be reminded that they work for us, the people, and us only..... Question authority especially when your their boss......

I'm a liberal and I don't believe in gay marriage or civil unions. It's a waste of time.

Indeed, John McCain suffered for years as a poltical prisoner. The architect of that war, John MacNamara, later apologized for dragging America into that horror. Fast forward, a generation later, and the millenial generation now asks McCain and others, "Are you fit to lead?" I would ask, "Have you grown wise to war over your many years?" The entire Republican Party field, save for Cong. Ron Paul, has not grown wise, but has lost their way.

I just have to say it. The first comment in this thread is real mature, right? Personally I'm glad to see the next generation of voters are challenging the status quo.

I think it is great that McCain was willing to subject himself to questions from teenagers given that nowadays nothing or noone seems to be sacred to many of our young people. I recall Strom Thurmond coming to my High School and while I abhorred his stance on race relations I would not have considered being rude to him.

I didn't know what "LGBT" meant until I read this article, and I'm a longtime liberal Democrat/Socialist who lives in one of the most progressive cities in the country (Austin). Cut McCain a on break on this, for pete's sake.

Sen MacCain's remark to an engaging question, calling the kid asking it a "jerk" (even in jest) lacks decorum for a presidential candidate.

I'm weary of contemplating another 4 years of good 'ole boy republicanism...

McCain didn't know what LGBT is because of two reasons:

1. The closest Republicans come to discussing LGBT issues are when they denigrate homosexuals and transgenders.

2. John McCain is too old and probably was never hip. He grew up in a military family and pursued a military education and career. It's a sheltered life that demands rigid adherence to rules and regulations.

I have been following comments on various articles here for some time now. I have just this day called attention to another comment on another article and here I am about to so again due to vulgarity and dis-respect for the person of a distinguished U.S.Senator again. Had DaTourist succeeded in doing what he suggested Senator McCain do(by a vulgarism) he would have surely wound up in the local crossbar hotel for at least twenty-four hours and in court the next day on the charge of Assault with intent to do Bodily Harm. There are proper terms for various parts of human bodies and I wish people would use those proper terms appropriately. Granted: the LGBT community has become a power in the political world, however: We must realize that there are many problems in America that affect all of us adversely in addition to the further gains we seek in the legal field. I do not question Senator McCain's integrity in truthfully stating his position on some of our issues. He has as much right to his opinion as we have to ours. Let us all reason together and not vilify each other for our differences. Thank you.

McCain survived seven years of ARVN torture in the Hanoi Hilton so Jane Fonda can strut around, and this little Yankee punk can stand up and say this stuff.

McCain should have kicked him in the nuts. I would have.