The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

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Obama lacks the depth and knowledge about the complexities of foreign policy. There are too many critical issues our next president will have to face. We don't need another president in training.

Good evening:

Angry ranting based upon third-hand rumor and rampant innuendo will not change anyone's mind - or vote. I prefer to post the actual words that have convinced this old conservative independent that Obama is far and away the best man for the job of leading this country over the next serious hurdles we will face together.

Of particular interest to me - as those who frequent these boards well know - is our terrible blunder into Iraq. Here are some of the actual words Obama spoke about this critical topic - not what someone else thinks he said:

"...There is no military solution in Iraq. Only Iraq's leaders can settle the grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war. We must apply pressure on them to act, and our best leverage is reducing our troop presence. And we must also do the hard and sustained diplomatic work in the region on behalf of peace and stability.

In ending the war, we must act with more wisdom than we started it. That is why my plan would maintain sufficient forces in the region to target al Qaeda within Iraq. But we must recognize that al Qaeda is not the primary source of violence in Iraq, and has little support ...On the contrary, al Qaeda's appeal within Iraq is enhanced by our troop presence.

Ending the war will help isolate al Qaeda and give Iraqis the incentive and opportunity to take them out. It will also allow us to direct badly needed resources to Afghanistan. Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need--and deserve.

As President, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counter-terrorism operations and efforts against the Taliban. As we step up our commitment, our European friends must do the same, and without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts. We must also put more of an Afghan face on security by improving the training and equipping of the Afghan Army and Police, and including Afghan soldiers in U.S. and NATO operations.

We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military -- it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid....

Above all, I will send a clear message: we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan. The security of Afghanistan and America is shared...and that security is most threatened by the al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan.

Al Qaeda terrorists train, travel, and maintain global communications in this safe-haven. The Taliban pursues a hit and run strategy, striking in Afghanistan then skulking across the border to safety.

This is the wild frontier of our globalized world. There are wind-swept deserts and cave-dotted mountains. There are tribes that see borders as nothing more than lines on a map, and governments as forces that come and go. There are blood ties deeper than alliances of convenience, and pockets of extremism that follow religion to violence. It's a tough place.

But that is no excuse. There must be no safe-haven for terrorists who threaten America. We cannot fail to act because action is hard.

As President, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan.

Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and Musharraf won't act, we will...." Obama 8/1/07

***
Hillary tried to make a case about this saying (during a debate) that Obama didn't understand our need to warn our ally, Musharraf. -- We retired military folks just rolled our eyes at her naïveté. You will recall that a month ago a predator fired a hellfire missile over Pakistan and killed the # 3 al Qaeda in the region -- and THEN we told Musharraf. War is hell!

I think that it is Obama's clear-eyed assessment of the international situation that has caught the favor of increasing numbers of men in America. Obama seems to understand how very important our national defense is and how to grapple with the threat of global terror.

That is why he will get my vote in November.

Good evening:

Angry ranting based upon third-hand rumor and rampant innuendo will not change anyone's mind - or vote. I prefer to post the actual words that have convinced this old conservative independent that Obama is far and away the best man for the job of leading this country over the next serious hurdles we will face together.

Of particular interest to me - as those who frequent these boards well know - is our terrible blunder into Iraq. Here are some of the actual words Obama spoke about this critical topic - not what someone else thinks he said:

"...There is no military solution in Iraq. Only Iraq's leaders can settle the grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war. We must apply pressure on them to act, and our best leverage is reducing our troop presence. And we must also do the hard and sustained diplomatic work in the region on behalf of peace and stability.

In ending the war, we must act with more wisdom than we started it. That is why my plan would maintain sufficient forces in the region to target al Qaeda within Iraq. But we must recognize that al Qaeda is not the primary source of violence in Iraq, and has little support ...On the contrary, al Qaeda's appeal within Iraq is enhanced by our troop presence.

Ending the war will help isolate al Qaeda and give Iraqis the incentive and opportunity to take them out. It will also allow us to direct badly needed resources to Afghanistan. Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need--and deserve.

As President, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counter-terrorism operations and efforts against the Taliban. As we step up our commitment, our European friends must do the same, and without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts. We must also put more of an Afghan face on security by improving the training and equipping of the Afghan Army and Police, and including Afghan soldiers in U.S. and NATO operations.

We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military -- it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid....

Above all, I will send a clear message: we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan. The security of Afghanistan and America is shared...and that security is most threatened by the al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan.

Al Qaeda terrorists train, travel, and maintain global communications in this safe-haven. The Taliban pursues a hit and run strategy, striking in Afghanistan then skulking across the border to safety.

This is the wild frontier of our globalized world. There are wind-swept deserts and cave-dotted mountains. There are tribes that see borders as nothing more than lines on a map, and governments as forces that come and go. There are blood ties deeper than alliances of convenience, and pockets of extremism that follow religion to violence. It's a tough place.

But that is no excuse. There must be no safe-haven for terrorists who threaten America. We cannot fail to act because action is hard.

As President, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan.

Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and Musharraf won't act, we will...." Obama 8/1/07

***
Hillary tried to make a case about this saying (during a debate) that Obama didn't understand our need to warn our ally, Musharraf. -- We retired military folks just rolled our eyes at her naïveté. You will recall that a month ago a predator fired a hellfire missile over Pakistan and killed the # 3 al Qaeda in the region -- and THEN we told Musharraf. War is hell!

I think that it is Obama's clear-eyed assessment of the international situation that has caught the favor of increasing numbers of men in America. Obama seems to understand how very important our national defense is and how to grapple with the threat of global terror.

That is why he will get my vote in November.

Good evening:

Angry ranting based upon third-hand rumor and rampant innuendo will not change anyone's mind - or vote. I prefer to post the actual words that have convinced this old conservative independent that Obama is far and away the best man for the job of leading this country over the next serious hurdles we will face together.

Of particular interest to me - as those who frequent these boards well know - is our terrible blunder into Iraq. Here are some of the actual words Obama spoke about this critical topic - not what someone else thinks he said:

"...There is no military solution in Iraq. Only Iraq's leaders can settle the grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war. We must apply pressure on them to act, and our best leverage is reducing our troop presence. And we must also do the hard and sustained diplomatic work in the region on behalf of peace and stability.

In ending the war, we must act with more wisdom than we started it. That is why my plan would maintain sufficient forces in the region to target al Qaeda within Iraq. But we must recognize that al Qaeda is not the primary source of violence in Iraq, and has little support ...On the contrary, al Qaeda's appeal within Iraq is enhanced by our troop presence.

Ending the war will help isolate al Qaeda and give Iraqis the incentive and opportunity to take them out. It will also allow us to direct badly needed resources to Afghanistan. Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need--and deserve.

As President, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counter-terrorism operations and efforts against the Taliban. As we step up our commitment, our European friends must do the same, and without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts. We must also put more of an Afghan face on security by improving the training and equipping of the Afghan Army and Police, and including Afghan soldiers in U.S. and NATO operations.

We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military -- it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid....

Above all, I will send a clear message: we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan. The security of Afghanistan and America is shared...and that security is most threatened by the al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan.

Al Qaeda terrorists train, travel, and maintain global communications in this safe-haven. The Taliban pursues a hit and run strategy, striking in Afghanistan then skulking across the border to safety.

This is the wild frontier of our globalized world. There are wind-swept deserts and cave-dotted mountains. There are tribes that see borders as nothing more than lines on a map, and governments as forces that come and go. There are blood ties deeper than alliances of convenience, and pockets of extremism that follow religion to violence. It's a tough place.

But that is no excuse. There must be no safe-haven for terrorists who threaten America. We cannot fail to act because action is hard.

As President, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan.

Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and Musharraf won't act, we will...." Obama 8/1/07

***
Hillary tried to make a case about this saying (during a debate) that Obama didn't understand our need to warn our ally, Musharraf. -- We retired military folks just rolled our eyes at her naïveté. You will recall that a month ago a predator fired a hellfire missile over Pakistan and killed the # 3 al Qaeda in the region -- and THEN we told Musharraf. War is hell!

I think that it is Obama's clear-eyed assessment of the international situation that has caught the favor of increasing numbers of men in America. Obama seems to understand how very important our national defense is and how to grapple with the threat of global terror.

That is why he will get my vote in November.

McCain stated Obama's lack of experience prevents him from seeing the complete picture in Iraq.

Obama counters by saying he's not going to let McCain lecture him about history. Obama had it all figured out before he entered the Senate three years ago. That was three years after the vote was taken to go to war. Obama wasn't there. But if he was...

In fact, I wasn't there. I was against the war in Iraq. Therefore, I must be qualified to run for President. I'm old enough, I was born here, experienced not required.

Yeah, why not me? The change you've been waiting for is me.

Obama may not be an expert on the military but the POTUS is a civilian job. No military experience is required. For all McCain's experience, he still got it wrong on Iraq while Obama was right in 2002. Barack also got it right on the correct way to deal with Al Qaeda in Pakistan. As for McCain, I don't think a man who jokes about bombing Iran is fit to be president...

Is this an April fools day post? It would take a fool to believe Senator McCain's statement about experience in military warfare as a prerequisite for the presidency.
It is the Pentagon or the military establishment that operates a war. The president just directs foreign policy and the political objectives of the use of our military forces.
What it takes is judgment about the role of this nation in the postmodern, post-cold war world.
What we don't need is another Korea or West Germany occupation/outpost. It is thinking from the past, and does not consider the very real mistakes the Bush/Cheney robbers have made in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An April Fool is Senator John McCain.
Such tom foolery to suggest Senator Obama is not someone who could restore the moral leadership in this country and abroad.

The age factor.

Sen.McCain has been disrespectfully mocked, compared to a younger Sen. Obama, because of his age: Like race, it is discrimination in our civil society.

If age is a factor in this presidential election...then life-styles,as related to age, should be fair game.

As a young man, McCain devoted his life to his country, and with love and respect, he served his country with honor: His patriotism has been apparent his entire life.

As a very young man, Obama, with all due respect, lost touch of who he was, and got into drugs; at some point in his life, he had an epiphany, and went on to who he is now. Obama was one of the millions of drug users in our country, that, thru various means and motivations ( possible luck )moved on to productive lives. There are today in our country, millions of young drug users of different race and social status, that did not make it ( using drugs ) and are confused with their life-styles, addicted, suicidal, imprisoned, etc.

The phenomenon of Obama's surge, as related to our young potential voters, should cause concern, for the future of our country.

McCain exemplifies the atavistic impulse to imperialism identified by Joseph Schumpeter. But this hardly qualifies him as a mellowed guide and guardian of our global and domestic security. Quite the opposite, as view his outbursts.

The war on Iraq has made us even less secure than we were before it was launched with his approval (and Hillary Clinton's, by the way). Nor would a strike on Iran make us more secure, notwithstanding the authorization for it that McCain and Clinton have voted to underwrite.

If experience is so important, why was McCain
always complaining about the terrible job Rumsfeld was doing and supporting Bush who refused to fire Rumsfeld? I'll take judgment over experience any day. Judgment can keep you out of the quagmire, experience just allows you to realize you're in the same quagmire, again.

McCain, you are so wrong! You are still living in the past and believe that the things run the way they used to 50 years ago when you wore a young man's clothes(sorry Billy Joel). Welcome to the new age of internet and globalistaion - just talk to your grandchildren and they will make you realise how things have changed. In this new age, we don't need an old man whose only true vocation is as a foot soldier. Your way of foreign policy is through fighting and intimidation. And we ALL know they don't work. Obama's way, on the other hand, is about working together with all parties concerned, based on open dialogues and well-informed consensus. Sound meek to you who rather see brain-dead Rambo style actions ? Ironically though, consensus based people always bring results.

Obama idea of pulling out is the stupid thing you could do in a gorilla based war. how will that help we leave, all those that help use get killed, then we have to go back and fight them again in ten year. When we nolong have allies in the reagion.
all i have to say is McCain all the way!!!

I am disappointed that a so-called Hillary supporter could read McCain's comments and say that if Obama is the nominee the person will support the war and McCain for the president.

I like some of McCain positions and I do believe that he (or anybody) will be better then Bush but I cannot listen to his stance on the war and pretend that I could vote for him in the future if my candidate- Obama is not the nominee

"Some of us already realize he has no background or experience in much of anything but pandering and collecting campaign donations from questionable sources.

Hillary 08
If not, then it's ol'man McCain"

Vote for Obama

McCain has experience, yet he not only voted to get us into this quagmire of a stupid war, but thinks we should "stay the course" whatever that means.

Hillary has experience, but voted to allow these morons to wage this senseless war.

Obama had the judgement to criticize the rush to war, noting that it would lead to a major mess.

I'll take that kind of intelligence over the experience of two callous warmongers who were so eager to send our kids off to die.

People who criticize Obama's lack of experience have to realize that Americans set the bar very, very low when they elected President Bush. Some might argue that "Dubya" was governor of Texas, but he wasn't governor for long, and few could argue that he was a very good governor. Anyway, experience doesn't necessarily equate with leadership. Other democratic candidates such as Bill Richardson, Joe Biden or Chris Dodd had more experience than Sens. Clinton and Obama combined, but they didn't seem to appeal to the voters, did they? Americans want someone inspiring. President Kennedy wasn't all that experienced when he won the White House in 1960, but he had what you might call "intangible qualities." I think a lot of people will agree that Obama possesses those same elements.

Keep talking old man McCain. I would love to see you and Obama in presidential debates. It will be like a 85-year old grandfather arguing with his 35-year old grandson on why the I-Phone was created.

In all seriousness, McCain has too many "senior" moments. The first one was his "100-year" occupation of Iraq remarks. The second one dealt with the teleprompter having problems during McCain's economic speech in which he stumbled through several moments of the speech. The third came on the his International National Security trip where McCain repeatedly confused who the insurgents were in Iraq. It took Joe Lieberman to interrupt him to make the correction. That truly looked like a senior moment!

I can't wait to see Obama just biting chunks out of Mc Cain on the debate stage come september....

Let's see. The logic of Sen McCain protestations is that Sen. Obama has no prior military experience. If the requirement is such, then why not ammend the constitution to state clearly that American-born citizenship and being 35yrs old isn't sufficient? How anyone, Sen. McCain notwithstanding, can make the arguement after what the country has lived through and with whom we've lived it, is lacking in any sense of our nation's history or purpose.

I would like to see Mr. Obama point out that Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, et al, were very experienced in foreign policy/military and Mr. Cheney had experience in the first Gulf War that told him that going into Baghdad would be a bad idea - look where all that experience got us. Experience is important, but without good character; intellectual curiosity; the capacity to listen and humbly integrate the advice/thinking of others; and good judgement, leaders will not always make prudent or well-considered decisions on behalf of the citizenry. Mrs. Clinton has, unfortunately, tied herself to the idea that "experience" is the most important criteria for becoming president, only to give Mr. McCain his advertising slogan to use against either democratic candidate who cannot compete on military experience alone.

I always wonder how citizens of countries like Brazil and Iceland sleep at night knowing they don't have forces abroad keeping them and their "international interests" safe? And for some strange reason they don't suffer terrorist attacks... It must be sheer luck; nothing to do with their foriegn policies, lack of permanent international military bases, or staging coups against elected leaders.

And for that matter, how come the US isn't all about allowing other countries to construct permanent military bases here? According to Republicans, other countries WELCOME our military bases because it helps their economies and offers protection. Well guys, all our troops are overseas and our ecomonmy's tanking, so maybe it's about time you walk-the-walk and invite China over for a ground-breaking ceremony.

Obama doesnt have experience? well tell that to Bill Gates he had the brains and good judgemen but not the experience when he founded microsoft, well i guess Microsoft is history. How bout Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet? did these great inovators had the experience of all coorporations before they made their mark?
Great experience is learning constantly both the past and the new, if only old experience counts then we would never be an innoavative country, new challenges need new innovative ways to think and it needs a mind with the right temparement and judgement! Hillary is running on Bill Clinton's record, John Mccain is running on George Bush's record.I will take the innovator of change not afraid to be himself!
Obama 08

This is about judgement and the decisions one will make when they become president.All this experience nonsence is what took us into Iraqi.Sure George Bush is the main culprit to blame but dont forget others who supported him Mccain and Hillary those were also behind this? who else? the most experienced people, Rumsfeld and Cheney, both these folks have far more experience than John Mccain can claim.Cheney and Rumsfeld were not only wrong in taking us into Iraqi but failed to even come up with a good entry strategy and a good exit strategy.So keep buying into this crap about experience and let us see how it will outlast common sence.Common sence tells me that nobody would ever want to be occupied by any country especially on false pretence. your stay would be harder because the locals there in Iraqi want their country back. let me also ask you this Mr Mccain, does everyone who works in a restaurant make them a qualified chef? Sure you worked in the army but you were no General like Powell and i dont think you know a thing about planning a war nor do you know about the consequences one faces both at home and internationally when you lead a country into war.Other than debating about your experience and the flaws it has, tell us how you are going to fund this war upto 50 years and provide specifics of how you will end it if not now.Finally, to all you hardcore right wing supporters of this war mongering business, arent you tired from hearing Mccain talking about just one thing, more wars and keep fighting till we win, what happened to talking about peace?
China is strengthening slowly and our interests in Taiwan will slowly slip through our fingers while we continue sepnding Billions in a country that hates our guts, Down south Venezuela is becoming a problem in our hemisphere and Russia is stronger than before and you all think it is wise to keep fighting a war with an enemy with no clear face? get serious, let us end this war, realign our priorities and get our country's name back.
Ron paul was right, when you make a mistake you need to correct it not to continue making the mistake, let us correct that mistake and bring our troops home and do it with a candidate called Obama, you say he is inexperienced? well see what inexperience is running his campaign and see how he has done better that all these so called experienced people? far better, well organized and humiliates the word experience.in my final remarks,to all you Hillary supporters threatening to boycott Obama if Hillary doesnt win, i have one word to say to you, you are not real democrats, you are pathetic betrayers and if it means restoring the democratic party to a new generation and those who who follow its values, so be it, go join George Bush and Mccain, we will will find other people to appeal to even if Obama doesnt win but my fair warning to all of you including Republicans is this, you will reap what you sow.keep rewarding bad behaviour in the name of Mccain and Hillary who both drove us into this war and when it ever gets worse, dont ever complain

This is about judgement and the decisions one will make when they become president.All this experience nonsence is what took us into Iraqi.Sure George Bush is the main culprit to blame but dont forget others who supported him Mccain and Hillary those were also behind this? who else? the most experienced people, Rumsfeld and Cheney, both these folks have far more experience than John Mccain can claim.Cheney and Rumsfeld were not only wrong in taking us into Iraqi but failed to even come up with a good entry strategy and a good exit strategy.So keep buying into this crap about experience and let us see how it will outlast common sence.Common sence tells me that nobody would ever want to be occupied by any country especially on false pretence. your stay would be harder because the locals there in Iraqi want their country back. let me also ask you this Mr Mccain, does everyone who works in a restaurant make them a qualified chef? Sure you worked in the army but you were no General like Powell and i dont think you know a thing about planning a war nor do you know about the consequences one faces both at home and internationally when you lead a country into war.Other than debating about your experience and the flaws it has, tell us how you are going to fund this war upto 50 years and provide specifics of how you will end it if not now.Finally, to all you hardcore right wing supporters of this war mongering business, arent you tired from hearing Mccain talking about just one thing, more wars and keep fighting till we win, what happened to talking about peace?
China is strengthening slowly and our interests in Taiwan will slowly slip through our fingers while we continue sepnding Billions in a country that hates our guts, Down south Venezuela is becoming a problem in our hemisphere and Russia is stronger than before and you all think it is wise to keep fighting a war with an enemy with no clear face? get serious, let us end this war, realign our priorities and get our country's name back.
Ron paul was right, when you make a mistake you need to correct it not to continue making the mistake, let us correct that mistake and bring our troops home and do it with a candidate called Obama, you say he is inexperienced? well see what inexperience is running his campaign and see how he has done better that all these so called experienced people? far better, well organized and humiliates the word experience.in my final remarks,to all you Hillary supporters threatening to boycott Obama if Hillary doesnt win, i have one word to say to you, you are not real democrats, you are pathetic betrayers and if it means restoring the democratic party to a new generation and those who who follow its values, so be it, go join George Bush and Mccain, we will will find other people to appeal to even if Obama doesnt win but my fair warning to all of you including Republicans is this, you will reap what you sow.keep rewarding bad behaviour in the name of Mccain and Hillary who both drove us into this war and when it ever gets worse, dont ever complain

This is about judgement and the decisions one will make when they become president.All this experience nonsence is what took us into Iraqi.Sure George Bush is the main culprit to blame but dont forget others who supported him Mccain and Hillary those were also behind this? who else? the most experienced people, Rumsfeld and Cheney, both these folks have far more experience than John Mccain can claim.Cheney and Rumsfeld were not only wrong in taking us into Iraqi but failed to even come up with a good entry strategy and a good exit strategy.So keep buying into this crap about experience and let us see how it will outlast common sence.Common sence tells me that nobody would ever want to be occupied by any country especially on false pretence. your stay would be harder because the locals there in Iraqi want their country back. let me also ask you this Mr Mccain, does everyone who works in a restaurant make them a qualified chef? Sure you worked in the army but you were no General like Powell and i dont think you know a thing about planning a war nor do you know about the consequences one faces both at home and internationally when you lead a country into war.Other than debating about your experience and the flaws it has, tell us how you are going to fund this war upto 50 years and provide specifics of how you will end it if not now.Finally, to all you hardcore right wing supporters of this war mongering business, arent you tired from hearing Mccain talking about just one thing, more wars and keep fighting till we win, what happened to talking about peace?
China is strengthening slowly and our interests in Taiwan will slowly slip through our fingers while we continue sepnding Billions in a country that hates our guts, Down south Venezuela is becoming a problem in our hemisphere and Russia is stronger than before and you all think it is wise to keep fighting a war with an enemy with no clear face? get serious, let us end this war, realign our priorities and get our country's name back.
Ron paul was right, when you make a mistake you need to correct it not to continue making the mistake, let us correct that mistake and bring our troops home and do it with a candidate called Obama, you say he is inexperienced? well see what inexperience is running his campaign and see how he has done better that all these so called experienced people? far better, well organized and humiliates the word experience.in my final remarks,to all you Hillary supporters threatening to boycott Obama if Hillary doesnt win, i have one word to say to you, you are not real democrats, you are pathetic betrayers and if it means restoring the democratic party to a new generation and those who who follow its values, so be it, go join George Bush and Mccain, we will will find other people to appeal to even if Obama doesnt win but my fair warning to all of you including Republicans is this, you will reap what you sow.keep rewarding bad behaviour in the name of Mccain and Hillary who both drove us into this war and when it ever gets worse, dont ever complain

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

Carlsonchaf, soon aka "The Power of Truth", has spoken. Please post your comment above everywhere you can.

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

No candidate running will pull out of iraq.

The difference between McCain and the other clowns is at least he'll admit it.

To those so worried about public perception, imagine the outcry from the rest of the world about leaving millions to die.

The pullout aint happening especially with obama. His beloved family is muslim and he won't leave millions to die.

Think about it. Out of all his associations.. his white grandmother is the only one he despises.

The rest of obama's family is of a muslim kenyan tribe and they are A.. Okay. Think!

There is no doubt John McCain has experience in war. The kind of experience he had has little to do with the strategic and political decisions that must be made by a Commander-in-Chief. He was a pilot and ultimately a prisoner and knows what our troops will be exposed to in those senses. But he is also uncomfortably similar to many of my peers who served in Vietnam and are still driven by the bitterness of that defeat. He also fundamentally misreads the lessons of that war and is driven by the hope of somehow reversing the outcome.
The outcome could not and cannot be reversed. We were in the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. Every leader in control of the war at the time thought, at every point, a little more force, a little more firepower would swing it our way. They were wrong with each decision, not because we could not overmatch the Vietnamese with our firepower, or match them with skill of our soldiers. We fundamentally misread the politics of the war and the fact that the Vietnamese were fighting on their own ground, for their own self-determination and that our allies in the south were led by incompetents and could not match the skill or will of their rivals in the north.

That left us to be seen as occupiers then and we are seen the same way in Iraq backing a corrupt and narrow sighted government. Like Vietnam, this is a war in which the political dimension is crucial and probably its complexity is beyond our means to resolve. To elect a man who's heroism is undeniable, but political judgment is clouded by the drive to find victory for a loss he to this day does not comprehend would be a political and military disaster for this country. For over five years we threw hundreds of thousands of young men into the Vietnam meatgrinder thinking a few more divisions would turn the tide. More men were killed during Nixon's years in office near the end than in the entire war years before. More bombs were dropped than in all of World War II, we widened the war to neighboring countries and all we gained was to lengthen the time until we withdrew. A generation of young men and women were blown to hell in the process.

With Syria and Iran on the borders as hostile countries, what do you think the chances are that we will we eventually draw them into the conflict, just as we did Laos and Cambodia, and nearly China in Vietnam, as weapons and arab fighters continue to filter in to fuel the Iraq conflict? With our army stretched to its limits now, how we handle that kind of escalation? We have already lost the good will, if there was ever much, the Iraqi's feel toward us. Who, exactly, are we supporting there in that sectarian violence? One day the Shia, the next the Sunni and, oh yes, the Kurds, who are biding their time to renew a drive for eventual independence and the possibility of seeding a greater Kurdistan into the area, possibly igniting a war with Turkey, our titular ally.

We don't need a warrior as president. We need a diplomat, and one who understands that the there is no way to wipe the bullseye of terrorists off our back, except through a careful understanding of the history, and politico-religious tensions of the Middle East, and that taking sides in those conflicts will bring us nothing but grief.

We are now, and have been for some time, perceived as a neo-colonial presence there. And, frankly, we're acting like one. We need to withdraw, but John McCain will commit us to an open-ended conflict, not to solve the problems in the region, but to win a war a half-century over, which we could not have won in the first place. Don't commit our youth to reliving this nightmare. Vote for Obama, vote for Hillary or vote for Mike Gravel and Ron Paul if they run, but don't vote for this man now, unless you want your children and grand children to by paying the price for the next century.

cfc

YES WE CAN attend the black equivalent of the kkk and get away with it.

YES WE CAN deny we ever heard comments, admit we heard some and then deny once again and the people will recieve it in jolly fashion.

YES WE CAN get over the fact that Obama served on the woods fund as director and granted 70k to a pro-terror muslim group.

YES WE CAN call for Imus's head for saying very hateful comments, yet, stick up for jerry wrong when he says hateful comments.

YES WE CAN throw white granny under the bus while embracing michelle obama's and jerry wrights comments.
White Granny is a fool!
Islam Granny is cool!

YES WE CAN sit down with iran. The same country calling for the destruction of the west and total population of Israel without any conditions.

Change we can be deceived in.
Destruction 08

Atta boy John! School that young Senator from Illinois on how invading and occupying Iraq was a great idea from the very beginning, and how we should stay there for 100 years if we can!!! And while we're in the neighboorhood, lets "bomb bomb bomb Iran" since they are training al Qaeda fighters and sending them to fight in Iraq. Never mind the hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives we've lost there, we'll just leave these massive debts for our kids to pay. Reports of the military being overstretched are hogwash, we'll just reinstate the draft, or start enlisting two time felons instead of cutting it off at one. And once we raise the maximum age for enlistees, lower the minimun ASVAB score, and give away more huge bonuses, we can meet our recruiting goals with no problem. Thats the trouble with these naive Democrats like Obama, they need to just sit back and let the Republicans handle this war stuff.

Atta boy John! School that young Senator from Illinois on how invading and occupying Iraq was a great idea from the very beginning, and how we should stay there for 100 years if we can!!! And while we're in the neighboorhood, lets "bomb bomb bomb Iran" since they are training al Qaeda fighters and sending them to fight in Iraq. Never mind the hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives we've lost there, we'll just leave these massive debts for our kids to pay. Reports of the military being overstretched are hogwash, we'll just reinstate the draft, or start enlisting two time felons instead of cutting it off at one. And once we raise the maximum age for enlistees, lower the minimun ASVAB score, and give away more huge bonuses, we can meet our recruiting goals with no problem. Thats the trouble with these naive Democrats like Obama, they need to just sit back and let the Republicans handle this war stuff.

In Senator McCain's case, being a great war hero does not a great military and/or national security strategist neccesarily make. Lets not pretend that Senator McCain has served as a general wherein his strategic thinking resulted in his country winning a war.

As it is, there appears to be a sufficient number of military geniuses on both sides of the Iraq War equation wherein a win-win strategy is possible if both sides spend time together at the table developing it. Whether such a strategy is ultimately labeled as McCain's or Obama's is immaterial as long as it effectively works.

In Senator McCain's case, being a great war hero does not a great military and/or national security strategist make. Lets not pretend that Senator McCain has served as a general where his strategic thinking resulted in his country winning a war.

As it is, there appears to be a sufficient number of military geniuses on both sides of this equation wherein a win-win strategy is possible if both sides spend time together at the table developing it. Whether such a strategy is ultimately labeled as McCain's or Obama's is immaterial as long as it effectively works.

In Senator McCain's case, being a great war hero does not a great military and/or national security strategist neccesarily make. Lets not pretend that Senator McCain has served as a general wherein his strategic thinking resulted in his country winning a war.

As it is, there appears to be a sufficient number of military geniuses on both sides of the Iraq War equation wherein a win-win strategy is possible if both sides spend time together at the table developing it. Whether such a strategy is ultimately labeled as McCain's or Obama's is immaterial as long as it effectively works.

sorry about all the "repeats." the site was experiencing problems and I hit the submit button several times. I apologize. I didn't intend to spam the site.

Luke2

Electric cars run off of nuclear power plants. Exchangeable batteries that are standard for all vehicles.

Get rid of the combustion engine and out of the Middle East.

It takes vision to be a leader. Tell the car companies to make the new vehicles or the government will open plants and do it themselves.

Please:
John McCain still thinks that the "military conflict" in Viet-Nam which started with a few U.S. special forces being deployed in 1959 to the more than one million eventually deployed,and despite the loss of over 47,000 Americans and over 200,000 of our troops wounded, and even with the killing of over 1,000,000 vietnamese soldiers and possibly up to 2,000,000 civilians- that the "war" could have been "won." What does he mean by "won?." Does he mean we could have won by killing everyone in the country?

If Nixon hadn't signed a withdrawal treaty, McCain would probably still be in the Hanoi Hilton. So much for knowledge of "warfare."

War is a political instrument- always was and always will be. McCain was fifth from the bottom of his class at Annapolis, and has no postgraduate education. He is ignorant of the law and of economics. He doesn't know the difference between shia and sunni, and thinks that al queda is in Iran.

I'll take intelligence and judgement over "experience" based on false assumptions any day. John McCain is not what our country needs to solve its economic problems nor our terrible involvement in a civil war in the Middle-east. He is a good man, but just not capable of the type of thinking which will return our country to prosperity and peace, and regain our place of respect in the international community.

For reference: I also served in the Viet-Nam conflict, flew 140 combat missions, dodged surface to air missiles over Hanoi, and witnessed over fifty of my comrades killed in action. This does not qualify me to commander in chief or President of the United States, however.

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I believe he has the intelligence and the ability to lead our country to unity and prosperity.

www.barackobama.com

McCain's "experience" is exactly what we DON'T need in the White House. It is the kind of experience that got us into the Iraq mess in the first place, and he has no concept or interest in getting us out. He is just another mediocre intelligence and war monger, who will obey his Neocon leaders. We have had nearly eight years of his style of leadership, and are unlikely to survive more of the same. It is time we stopped the so-caled "war" on terror and started the serious police action needed to put and end to the actual threat to this country. That can only succeed in concert with the rest of the world. We don't need more cowboys running our foreign policy.

McCain's "experience" is exactly what we DON'T need in the White House. It is the kind of experience that got us into the Iraq mess in the first place, and he has no concept or interest in getting us out. He is just another mediocre intelligence and war monger, who will obey his Neocon leaders. We have had nearly eight years of his style of leadership, and are unlikely to survive more of the same. It is time we stopped the so-caled "war" on terror and started the serious police action needed to put and end to the actual threat to this country. That can only succeed in concert with the rest of the world. We don't need more cowboys running our foreign policy.

Please:
John McCain still thinks that the "military conflict" in Viet-Nam which started with a few U.S. special forces being deployed in 1959 to the more than one million eventually deployed,and despite the loss of over 47,000 Americans and over 200,000 of our troops wounded, and even with the killing of over 1,000,000 vietnamese soldiers and possibly up to 2,000,000 civilians- that the "war" could have been "won." What does he mean by "won?." Does he mean we could have won by killing everyone in the country?

If Nixon hadn't signed a withdrawal treaty, McCain would probably still be in the Hanoi Hilton. So much for knowledge of "warfare."

War is a political instrument- always was and always will be. McCain was fifth from the bottom of his class at Annapolis, and has no postgraduate education. He is ignorant of the law and of economics. He doesn't know the difference between shia and sunni, and thinks that al queda is in Iran.

I'll take intelligence and judgement over "experience" based on false assumptions any day. John McCain is not what our country needs to solve its economic problems nor our terrible involvement in a civil war in the Middle-east. He is a good man, but just not capable of the type of thinking which will return our country to prosperity and peace, and regain our place of respect in the international community.

For reference: I also served in the Viet-Nam conflict, flew 140 combat missions, dodged surface to air missiles over Hanoi, and witnessed over fifty of my comrades killed in action. This does not qualify me to commander in chief or President of the United States, however.

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I believe he has the intelligence and the ability to lead our country to unity and prosperity.

www.barackobama.com

Please:
John McCain still thinks that the "military conflict" in Viet-Nam which started with a few U.S. special forces being deployed in 1959 to the more than one million eventually deployed,and despite the loss of over 47,000 Americans and over 200,000 of our troops wounded, and even with the killing of over 1,000,000 vietnamese soldiers and possibly up to 2,000,000 civilians- that the "war" could have been "won." What does he mean by "won?." Does he mean we could have won by killing everyone in the country?

If Nixon hadn't signed a withdrawal treaty, McCain would probably still be in the Hanoi Hilton. So much for knowledge of "warfare."

War is a political instrument- always was and always will be. McCain was fifth from the bottom of his class at Annapolis, and has no postgraduate education. He is ignorant of the law and of economics. He doesn't know the difference between shia and sunni, and thinks that al queda is in Iran.

I'll take intelligence and judgement over "experience" based on false assumptions any day. John McCain is not what our country needs to solve its economic problems nor our terrible involvement in a civil war in the Middle-east. He is a good man, but just not capable of the type of thinking which will return our country to prosperity and peace, and regain our place of respect in the international community.

For reference: I also served in the Viet-Nam conflict, flew 140 combat missions, dodged surface to air missiles over Hanoi, and witnessed over fifty of my comrades killed in action. This does not qualify me to commander in chief or President of the United States, however.

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I believe he has the intelligence and the ability to lead our country to unity and prosperity.

www.barackobama.com

Please:
John McCain still thinks that the "military conflict" in Viet-Nam which started with a few U.S. special forces being deployed in 1959 to the more than one million eventually deployed,and despite the loss of over 47,000 Americans and over 200,000 of our troops wounded, and even with the killing of over 1,000,000 vietnamese soldiers and possibly up to 2,000,000 civilians- that the "war" could have been "won." What does he mean by "won?." Does he mean we could have won by killing everyone in the country?

If Nixon hadn't signed a withdrawal treaty, McCain would probably still be in the Hanoi Hilton. So much for knowledge of "warfare."

War is a political instrument- always was and always will be. McCain was fifth from the bottom of his class at Annapolis, and has no postgraduate education. He is ignorant of the law and of economics. He doesn't know the difference between shia and sunni, and thinks that al queda is in Iran.

I'll take intelligence and judgement over "experience" based on false assumptions any day. John McCain is not what our country needs to solve its economic problems nor our terrible involvement in a civil war in the Middle-east. He is a good man, but just not capable of the type of thinking which will return our country to prosperity and peace, and regain our place of respect in the international community.

For reference: I also served in the Viet-Nam conflict, flew 140 combat missions, dodged surface to air missiles over Hanoi, and witnessed over fifty of my comrades killed in action. This does not qualify me to commander in chief or President of the United States, however.

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I believe he has the intelligence and the ability to lead our country to unity and prosperity.

www.barackobama.com

Please:
John McCain still thinks that the "military conflict" in Viet-Nam which started with a few U.S. special forces being deployed in 1959 to the more than one million eventually deployed,and despite the loss of over 47,000 Americans and over 200,000 of our troops wounded, and even with the killing of over 1,000,000 vietnamese soldiers and possibly up to 2,000,000 civilians- that the "war" could have been "won." What does he mean by "won?." Does he mean we could have won by killing everyone in the country?

If Nixon hadn't signed a withdrawal treaty, McCain would probably still be in the Hanoi Hilton. So much for knowledge of "warfare."

War is a political instrument- always was and always will be. McCain was fifth from the bottom of his class at Annapolis, and has no postgraduate education. He is ignorant of the law and of economics. He doesn't know the difference between shia and sunni, and thinks that al queda is in Iran.

I'll take intelligence and judgement over "experience" based on false assumptions any day. John McCain is not what our country needs to solve its economic problems nor our terrible involvement in a civil war in the Middle-east. He is a good man, but just not capable of the type of thinking which will return our country to prosperity and peace, and regain our place of respect in the international community.

For reference: I also served in the Viet-Nam conflict, flew 140 combat missions, dodged surface to air missiles over Hanoi, and witnessed over fifty of my comrades killed in action. This does not qualify me to commander in chief or President of the United States, however.

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I believe he has the intelligence and the ability to lead our country to unity and prosperity.

www.barackobama.com

Hillary claims she is the better candidate because she has more experience than Obama - but both democratic candidates are neophytes compared to McCain! He has a life-time of service to the country. If a Democrat is going to win, it's not going to be because of their "experience".

Hillary is trying to fluff an equally inadequate amount of experience against her colleague Obama. If we reject experience as a differentiating factor, what does Hillary offer over Obama? ...a stronger nationalized health-care plan?
American's do not even want a national health care plan!

If a progressive candidate steps up and proclaims they will make it illegal for insurance companies to bundle deals with employers they will release the lock they have on the consumer and health-insurance companies will have to /compete/ for your business like home insurance and auto insurance companies do.

The primary problem with the current state of affairs with our health-insurance system is that it's not a free-market. The insurance agencies give a song & dance to employers and bundles deals with them to provide insurance. This locks-in the consumers to the insurance company the executives pick. This is a decidedly un-American system where your boss tells you which service you are going to use.
We would never accept such an arrangement for other services. Ending this head-lock is a solid first step in solving the underlying health-care-crisis.

Obama's recently dismissed "foreign policy adiser" Y'know the one who called HRC a monster, yeah her!!!

She told the Scottish media that OBAMA IS LYING ABOUT WITHDRAWING!

In a PUBLISHED Story, for Scottish eyes only, she said that Obama KNOWS withdrawing immediately is IMPOSSIBLE!!! Any withdrawal will depend on the OKs from the commanders on the ground. Until that time we stay.

At least McCain is honest about his stance.

Obama is proving to be just a pandering, pathetic hypocrite.

His supporters are typical anti-American leftists who AGREE with Wright.

The last thing we need in the White House is someone who hates his own country.

You cannot hide that with a hundred American flags.

Vote McCain.

So called "National Security Experience" and generations of soldering experience couldn't stop my friend, John McCain, from being suckered into supporting a war being sold by the same crew that slimed him in the 2000 presidential primaries. And they had "real" national security experience.

Let's not hire the arsonists to put out the fire.

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

So called "National Security Experience" and generations of soldering experience couldn't stop my friend, John McCain, from being suckered into supporting a war being sold by the same crew that slimed him in the 2000 presidential primaries. And they had "real" national security experience.

Let's not hire the arsonists to put out the fire.

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

So called "National Security Experience" and generations of soldering experience couldn't stop my friend, John McCain, from being suckered into supporting a war being sold by the same crew that slimed him in the 2000 presidential primaries. And they had "real" national security experience.

Let's not hire the arsonists to put out the fire.

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

There's a few of you who think Obama has experience, please tell me what it is ? He's so lost only a fool would go looking for him. He must have been a snake oil salesman in an earlier life, he's sold a lot of you a bunch of crap and you still believe him. This kind of experience must come from him defending all those Slum Lords in Chicago. Slime does rub off so they say ?

Build nuclear power plants and supply electricity for battery operated vehicles.

Get rid of the combustion engine. Make a standard battery that can be exchanged from a stand at convenience stores. Batteries are heavy and will require a stand on wheels to put them in and to remove them.

Make the car companies comply with an all electric vehicle with exchangeable battery packs.

We don't need to be in any of these Muslim oil barrons countries, with leaders who have some kind of vision to move our nation into the future.

It's time to get off the oil teet. Use plasma burners to get rid of the batteries that are old. We have a nice facility in Nevada to store Nuclear Material. Yucca Mountain.

McCain has shown no understanding of history

McCain has shown no understanding of history

McCain has shown no understanding of history

McCain has shown no understanding of history

This claim of experience is coming from the guy who mistakenly believed that Shiite Iran is training Sunni Al-Qaida? McCain has no knowledge of military history - he is History.

Ok besides the random anti-Obama comments on an article that doesn't mention Hillary (for or against), I think McCain is comparing totally different scenarios. After WWII America massively disarmed (couldn't afford the roughly 14 million soldiers on gov't salary). Yes we did establish and still have bases in Europe. However European culture although different from America is a lot more similar than Middle Eastern culture. Also after the war the US was facing a conventional enemy in the form of the USSR, whereas in Iraq the battles are asymmetrical. As for Korea... we lost half the country. America's security wasn't threatened by losing Vietnam, instead 30 yrs later we now have direct flights to Vietnam. The Gulf War was largely what got America into the Middle East mess we are now in. I'm not subscribing to the "it's all America's fault" cult; but we gave Al Qaeda (Bin Laden) casus belli for a war against America. Although it probably would have taken far less than American's in the 'holy land' to convince Bin Laden to pursue a Jihad against America. Point being we didn't understand the Vietnamese and the situation in Indochina, and we threw far more troops into that war. We didn't understand the situation in Iraq when we invaded (Shi'te, Sunni) and still don't. McCain even got them confused... some foreign policy guru. Also noting that when it takes 3-4 years to finally see security gains... (troop surge in 07'), the military is not in a good position to declare victory. So at some point the US needs to approach this by asking; how much money did we spend? How many soldiers and civilians alike have been lost? How much progress has actually been made since ousting Saddam? And is it really worth it? For sand in a land we don't understand?

"Stay the Course" is neither a strategy nor a historical analysis.
America's invasion of Iraq has undermined our strategic interests, eviscerated alliances across the globe and is running our military into a ditch at the same time that China and Russia are becoming more aggressive and adventurous. This is not coincidental.
The horse is dead, John McCain, put down the stick.

Its sad that the rabid Hillary supporter undermine a fellow democrat likely to be the nominee when Hillary herself needs to "puff up" (lie about) her experience to give herself some street credentials on foreign policy. McCain is an old war veteran with ample and appreciated experience useful for a time gone by but not the future we face. We need to and vigorous leadership to face the dangers and challenges ahead. If all you're hearing is "fluffy speeches" from Obama, you've been missing the detailed, thorough foreign policy statements coming from him and his experienced team of advisers.

It's only fear that will drive you to McCain, and fear will lead us to trillions of unneeded dollars lost to war and thousands more lives lost as the US sinks into greater debt to China and our education and health status sinks to the level of Cuba.

McCain's position that having a permanent presence in Iraq will be analagous to the US's presence in Germany and Korea is based on the conservative view that terrorism has nothing to do with US policy in the Middle East. I believe that this stance is well-meaning and politically palatable but ultimately flawed, because there is very little risk that the US presence in Germany will cause a civil war. On the other hand, Bin Laden and his supporters have consistently pointed to US bases in Saudi Arabia and US intervention during the first Gulf War to recruit additional followers. The US will not have a coherent, sensible policy in Iraq and the Middle East until it acknowledges that part of the Iraqi insurgency is resistance against the US occupation. (Of course, that does not justify their unspeakable, barbaric actions.)

McCain deriding any of his rivals because of lack of knowledge on any subject is rediculous. McCain doesn't even understand the difference between the troop presence in Japan and Germany after WW2 and the possibility of attempting to keep troops in Iraq. By the way McCain graduated in the bottom 1% of his class at the Naval Accademy, while Obama and Clinton both did outstanding work in college and graduate school. Most historians who looked at McCains performance at the Accademy felt that the only reason he was able to graduate at all was that his father and grandfather (who were both admirals) pulled some strings.

I am an ex USAF pilot. I know that serving in the military in no way prepares someone to be commander and chief of the armed services. There is probably some small benefit to a potential president having served in the military, but clearly John McCain is not the right guy for the job. The war in Iraq was probably the single biggest mistake made by America in the past half a century. McCain seems to feel that there is some miraculous way in which we can alter reality and make it possible for the US to "win" this type of war. Both America and the Soviet Union learned at great expense that you cannot win an insurgent war that is being supported by determined outside forces. That kind of war costs the superpower a million times more than the insurgents, and it will go on as long as the superpower is stupid enough to keep spending the lives and money. Iran, Syria, even Russia and China are thrilled that we got ourselves into this situation. While we are caught in an endless spiral of violence and spending they can go about their bussiness, with only a relatively tiny investment in support of the insurgents.

IF it was as simple as understanding the "...history of warfare.." it certainly explains all of the accusations for Bush having gotten us into this thing to begin with, eh? And, if McCain understands the "history" of warfare, it doesn't make him an expert on warfare; ask those who bungled the Vietnam war. Every war in the last century has been different. And, it must be said, McCain spent his time in the Vietnam war behind bars where he may have become an expert on Vietnamese interrogation techniques, but that does not make him an expert on the Iraqi civil war - a war we should never have stepped into: you don't have to be expertise in anything to realize that. Why, too, do McCain and Clinton always come back with a "what I meant was" comment; in McCain's most recent case, his explanation regarding staying the next 100 years in Iraq? They are sure to criticize Obama for every little thing and then come back with the "what I meant was" explanations; geez, we all know what you meant the first time and it wasn't what you said the second time around. Bottom line, we don't need another warmonger in office whether he/she be named McCain or Clinton (we all know Bhillary won't get us out of Iraq).

This article goes beyond bias and into the realm of partisan myth making. McCain loves to tout his experience but that is his biggest liability since he suffers from the hypervigilant over reactions and mis interpretations of facts common among sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Obama has no experience, thats true, he need to prove himself as a Governor or 3-4 terms as senator before anouncing his democratic bid he just first time senator,he talks anything he want thats all.He targeting for President of America, if he gets he will do Experiments with that one, if he looses he has nothing to loose.

Empty,

Hollow,

Unsubstatiated,

Populist,

Rhetoric.

NO O'Bomba '08!

He went on to say that Obama "has no experience or background in any of that." And he said the American voters will eventually conclude the same. "They'll understand, if they don't now, that he has no experience or background on these issues."
---------

Some of us already realize he has no background or experience in much of anything but pandering and collecting campaign donations from questionable sources.

Hillary 08
If not, then it's ol'man McCain

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