AllAround: Why is your little twerp a&& talking to me. Hand to your face....

Harmony: Read this....before you comment on the V.A.
http://www.vetscommission.org/reports.asp.

I for one, appreciate the general's comments about Obama.  And it makes me consider that although not a single vote has been cast in the primaries, we hear about the likely Democratic nominee for 2008 from the talking heads.  What blowhards the MSM are making themselves out to be.  We can only remember what the polls had to say in October of 2003, to see just how foolish these predictions are. I just don't believe that the American public are going to have a candidate shoved down their throats by the media and the Clinton propaganda machine.  After all, the media shouldn't be part of the selection process they should only report about it.

Hillary has no credentials, none, in foreign affairs and so her argument about her expertise in the field is bogus.  Certainly her judgment has been an embarrassment for both her and our country.  I laugh when she talks about being ready to lead because there is just no basis for her to claim something so preposterous (as if Guiliani's, 9/11, walking around downtown NYC, 9/11, with a mask on his face, 9/11, gives him the bona fides, 9/11, to be America's defender against terrorism -9/11, - thanks to Jon Stewart and his diagnosis of Guiliani's Tourrette's syndrome).  I challenge anyone here to tell me what gives her the right to make such claims.

The bottom line is that the American people will have to pay a lot of attention to what is being said, to how votes have been cast in the past and to how people have behaved in their past offices and jobs, when they choose the next president.  I can only refer everyone to the choice of the present occupant of the White House and wonder if people were more concerned with substance and less with likability (who would YOU like to have a beer with?), if they were concerned more with issues and less with symbolism (who's patriotism is manifest more by service than by the maintenance of icons) that we might not be in the catastrophic place in which we find ourselves today.

There's always a tendency to yearn for the good old days without consideration of the fact that the good old days weren't so good and that they certainly do not provide the answers to solve the problems of tomorrow (i.e. NAFTA and the single minded and uncompromising approach to providing universal access to health care, to name a few).

I think Obama is the candidate with the substance and the judgment and the genuine capability to lead this country through the trials of the next eight years.  He is the one capable of forming concensus in government.  His election will help us to achieve the healing of the international wounds caused by this administration's lack of curiosity and disregard for reality and he, only he, has the charisma to inspire a new generation of Americans to do more for their country than has been the case, since the election of JFK.
Obama '08

InTheMiddle - go back to VA - brain transplant has failed.


Hey - I'm talking to you again - doesn't that just piss you off, that you can't control me?

"I can speak about them. I served for 24 yrs and know quite a bit about many of them. And yes the left has a disdain for the military".

That’s comical. I live here in Tampa and work at McDill and I have to tell you most of the people I work with here support Obama because we are sick of these politicians using us to get elected and then spit on us come inauguration day. We are sacrificing for this country while the rest of you drive your SUV’s and drink your Starbucks. You don’t know what it truly means to support your country that’s why you bash people with opposing viewpoints when the freedom to speak is what we are fighting for. You want to support your country and your troops then stop buying your toys and invest in the war effort. Obama is who we support and if any of you had half a brain you would to.

The fix is in...

AMEN!!!!

GO OBAMA' 08

Article worth reading from Peggy Noonan a staunch republican no less


Mr. Obama often seems to be thinking when he speaks, too, and this comes somehow as a relief, in comparison, say, to Hillary Clinton and President Bush, both of whom often seem to be trying to remember the answer they'd agreed upon with staff. What's the phrase we use about education? Hit Search Function. Hit Open. Right-click. "Equity in education is essential, Tim . . ."
You get the impression Mr. Obama trusts himself to think, as if something good might happen if he does. What a concept. Anyway, I've started to lean forward a little when he talks.


Mr. Obama's experience, as we all know, is as limited as Mrs. Clinton's, which is to say limited indeed. She has held elective office for only 6 1/2 years. Before that she was first lady of Arkansas and then first lady of the United States. He has held national office for only 3 1/2 years, and before that was a state legislator for eight years. But he has impressed people, and not with money, résumé or clout but something rarer, natural gifts. That's not nothing. Big talent is rare, and deserves consideration.
And yet the Democrats remain in their Hillary trance.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/

Ouch! I feel really bad for the Faux Noise guy...

Chris, Boston: '...Also, in some way, isn't this just a bit of legerdemain?  I mean, how do you gauge someone's judgment...'

Chris, you can gauge the judgement of Clinton, Biden and Dodd by knowing that they voted FOR THE IRAQ WAR
What kind of judgement is that, Chris ?
Pretty bad judgement, I'd say !!

You can also gauge Hillary's judgement by knowing that she voted for the Lieberman-Kyl 'Bomb Iran' bill.
That bill was called 'Dick Cheney's fondest dream'

Coming at a time when the Bush/Cheney regime is looking for an excuse to attack Iran, voting for Leiberman-Kyl that shows HORRIBLE JUDGEMENT, dosen't it ?

"I have no respect for any General retired or not publically going against a sitting POTUS. That s(*& is fowl. The military is a community within itself and we have internal oath's that only we understand."

That's the dumbest thing you've said yet.  The reason generals are going public is because keeping their opinions private didn't work.  It didn't stop the Bush administration from exaggerating the WMD evidence.  It didn't stop them from going in to Iraq with too few troops.  It didn't make them plan for an insurgency.  It didn't stop torture.
 
Cabinet members and many Republicans have been peeling away from this administration quite steadily for the last 7 years and they all say essentially the same thing.  This administration DOES NOT LISTEN to dissenting viewpoints.  The only way to hold them accountable for their actions is to leak things to the media, resign or retire and then come out against them.  

Saying "we have internal oath's that only we understand" is insulting and intellectually dishonest.  Which oath did you take that trumps free speech, or your patriotic duty to speak out when your country is headed in the wrong direction?

Such a lame, condescending argument further exemplifies your lack of critical thought.  You, like the President are unable to see beyond your biases to carefully consider differing viewpoints.  You, like the President are unwilling to accept the consequences for a failed policy.  History will not look kindly on the philistine President and those who continue to support him.

Dickie Flatts, Charlotte, NC: '...Barry Hussien Obama isn't Commander-in-Chief material...'

Why do you feel the need to distort Barack Obama's name, Dickie ?
Why do you feel the need to include his middle nam ?

'...He has never lead on anything...'

Wasn't he a community organizer, Dickie ?
Didn't he sucessfully campaign for public office, on the local and State level ?


'...His wife wears the pants in his own family.  He is a scrawny 50 year old kid who is wet behind his dinner plate sized ears....'

My, Dickie you seem to have a problem with Obama.
How do you know about his family life ?
Do you think his family relationships are relevant ?
Do you prefer a 'leader' who's married to a serial adulterer ?

Dickie Flatts, did you like Ross Perot's ears ?

Dickie, you seem to be opposing Obama and supporting Hillary for shome very trivial reasons.......

In the middle - I served for 20 years myself.  But realize that the administration opposed the Democratic-led pay increase in the FY08 request.  DoD requested 3% while the Appropriations committee wanted it to be 3.5%, Bush opposed this increase, saying 3% was sufficient, all this while 1 in 5 military families rely on food stamps.  Again, I served in the infantry for 20 years and remember every pay raise.  Bush 41 was great, Clinton not so great but Bush Jr has been awful for the military families.  You cannot prove otherwise.

250 plus comments yesterday on Obama's explanation for why he doesn't wear a little American Flag pin. 59 comments and counting today when he picked up one general's endorsement. Somebody alert Chuck Todd that Hillary does not have the nomination sewn up. For me, its either Obama or Edwards.

America, many many people outside of your country are following your politics because it affects us. If America were to gain respect again even from your enemies, the only candidate you have is OBAMA. The world will celebrate when Obama becomes the President of America. The man is special, God given for this moment in history for you and rest of the world.

Obama is the right man for the right time! Get use to saying President Obama.

Obama on foreign policy is a bad combination of Neville Chamberlain, Madeline Albright, and every French leader of the past 100 years who doesn't have the intelligence or courage to defend themselves. He suffers from the same delusion that you can "negotiate" with the genocidal, whose current best representative is Islam.  

J. Strong: The pay raise of 3% is the same as the Employment Cost Index. The exact measurement that raises have been gaged against every year. If Washington wasnt so damn partisan then maybe Bush could work with the Democrats. Can you blame him, everyday these guys call him everything known to man, so why should he agree to anything they offer, evn if it is a good plan. I guarantee they wont give him the same. I served in SF for 17 of my 24 yrs and as an asst Division CSM for 4 yrs. I was on an infantry post and didnt see 1 in 5 on food stamps. We had too many that way. Some were because before they came in as a private, had 3-4 kids. You just cant be married as a private with 3-4 kids and make it off of privates pay. Then you have privates who go out and buy BMW's on $1500 pay per month. Matter of fact I'll call right now to my old PSNCO and have him send me the statistics and Ill post them. 1-5 is a distortion that you shouldnt be putting out to the general public. If you were a soldier you would understand that the general public will take anything you say and twist it politically to serve their goal of destroying the presidency.

J. Strong: Here is something you forgot. Were you in at this time? I just retired 4 months ago.

20-Year-High Military Pay Raise Averages 6.9 Percent
By Sgt. 1st Class Kathleen T. Rhem, USA
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2002 – Service members will see an average increase of 6.9 percent in their January pay.
"It's the largest pay increase in 20 years," Navy Capt. Chris Kopang, DoD director of compensation, said in a recent American Forces Information Service interview. In general, officers will see their pay increase 5 percent, he said, and enlisted service members get a 6 percent boost in their pay beginning Jan. 1.
Non-commissioned officers are also receiving larger raises, Kopang said, with the highest increases -- up to 10 percent -- going to the highest enlisted grades. Enlisted members in grades E-5 and E-6 will see an average 7.5 percent increase, E-7s an average increase of 8.5 percent, and up to 10 percent for E-9s.

That was more in one wallop than we received in all of the 90's combined....

"In my opinion, I have no respect for any General retired or not publically going against a sitting POTUS.

IntheMiddle, TX (Sent Friday, October 05, 2007 3:04 PM)"

So does this extend to only Generals or the entire military?  I ask because there is a pretty decent chance that you are going be put in a situation where the POTUS in 2009 is a Democrat.  Does this mean that you, as a retired Command Seargant Major, will refrain from going against a potential President Clinton, Obama, Edwards, etc?  

I'm sorry, I really don't see you sitting by for four years not saying anything bad about a sitting Democratic POTUS and, frankly, I don't think you should.  Your rights, beliefs, and the ability to express them are one of the things that the military is bound by oath to protect. To think that those same members of the military should not use their 1st ammendment rights and get involved in any area of American life they choose after they are done with their services is a very strange idea indeed to me.

Now I have an entirely different take on how the military is treated than you. You have stated that one of the reasons you like Republicans are better for the armed services is because of pay raises and advancement of weaponry technology.  I have stated previously that I think the Republicans are bad for the armed services because they deployed combat troops to war zones with inadequate amounts of body armor, not enough IED resistant Humvees, and with a tour rotation of 15 months away with 12 months stateside (in violation of the Pentagon's own rotation policies).  

Both sides are defensible.  And I see no reason why these retired soldiers -of any rank- should be looked on as less than honorable for voicing either opinion.  I also think that if the GOP could get past the instinct to smear anyone who disagrees with them (especially soldiers), they might not be in such a terrible position politically.

Obama is all hypes. He can not think on his feet. I am tired of these havard/harzard ivy league leaders they are all short of substance but full of theories and abstract thinking.leaders are made not born or inherited.
What is obama's past leadership accomplishments in quantifiable terms?  none!!!!!

As a veteran and parent of children currently serving in harms to protect and defend the "values" this great country, United States of America stands for, it is very SAD to see on the news some of our elected officials in Congress taking photo ops with leaders from countries who are doing NOTHING or refusing to help "stop" the flow of illegal weapons into Iraq (namely Syria, Iran), Russian and China because of their hatred against us. Yet, Speaker Pelosi refused to take a few minutes to sit down and take a photo op with General Petreaus who is in-charged for the morale and welfare of my children as well as other "American soldiers" doing their BEST as our President is, under very difficult circumstances. Yes, the Republican party stands for: less government,individual freedom, strong economy and a STRONG MILITARY. Thank you for supporting our troops and protecting this country! For that, I will never vote demobrat. They (demobrat) need to wake up and see who the REAL enemy is. Our enemies are listening to your so called plans for withdrawal on CNN and are drawing up plans of their own to be effective on your target date.

God Bless America and our troops!

In the middle, i wonder why since you're the Know-it-all, done-it-all of the military, why is it you don't have Admiral Fallen's job? We've all known soldiers like you( My mom was married to 2 for over 25 years each)( My dad-ww11 & her 2nd husband-korean war). Both were dear to me, but also let me speak my mind in a Respectible way. To many soldiers now a days have No Respect for differing opinions.They think since they've seen things that Most of us have'nt, Our opinions mean nothing.Get a grip on life& Respect other's opinions, even when you don't , it'll make You a better person.

Chris, Boston.
How do you gauge someone's judgment without looking at their experiences?  You can't have judgment in the abstract, can you? Isn`t that a question that is also needing an answer from HRC?

Yeah Obama - 08'

Obama - with such a successful, rounded career in downstate IL legislature.  The mayor of Chicago is more qualified than Obama.

This primary will be interesting.  And let's not forget the big story that no one yet is talking about...

HSU are you?

Yes, the DNC and Hillary are intimately tied into the largest fundraising fraud scheme in the history of the country.  Tens of millions of dollars.

Think about the Abramhoff flap.  Golf trips ooohhhh...

Hillary already admitted that she will need to return $850,000 of dirty money (which she hasn't done yet).

This will keep quiet and under the radar until after the Dem primary.  Then watch out.  Even Obama will be tarnished.  

That's what they get for being with Clinton and Soros.

In the middle - Haven't you noticed how many benefits have been cut?  I'm sure a lot of them wished they had the body armor that the Blackwater guys have.  Why are GIs being sent home days before they qualify for the GI bill they signed up for?  How about all the extra injured guys there latley?  How about the extended tours?  How about the ones that don't ever get to come home?  How about all those oil profits?  Republicans have been good to the military- yea, right.

I suppose you think those Generals speaking out don't know nuthin'about war or patriotism. They know that our military fights for what is right FOR THE PEOPLE because we ARE the country.
They know more than you think and certainly more than you do.
Loyalty to your country doesn't mean blindly following the leader.  That is a game kids play. If Hitler was president and he commanded you to kill Jews - should you? Would that show an American value?
We defend the oppressed - we don't invade them!
The "country" is the PEOPLE that live here.  NOT one party, or two, but as many affiliatins as we want to have. Patriotism is NOT about being a Christian - It is about the right to beleive as we wish Muslim Jew or Cherokee.
Being an American is not about being gay or straight -it's more about being genuine not a hippocrite.
Patriotism is not about where your family is from, or what color your skin is.
Isn't it about living in a country where you can speak your mind freely?  Worship freely? Have a fair election?
Americans help each other, we don't bicker, we're not petty.  We are not racists, we have compassion for those less fortunate.
Patriotism is not about flag waving.  Hitler had more flags than anyone.
Just because someone chooses not to wear a pin does not mean he is less of a Patriot than the guy that has a thousand flags to hide behind.  
Barack is not rejecting America or the brave soldiers. He's not a terrorist. He's a fine well educated man who is afraid that America has lost its way and is willing to put everything he has on the line to help us back.  How many of us can say the same? Oh yea, he could have lied and said he forgets to wear it - many in the administration have bad memories, but he chose to speak his mind - just like an (um, let me see...) oh yea, an American!

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US AMERICANS ? Have we forgotten who we are?  Many here sound like terrorists, small minded racists, with uninformed apathy- I'm telling you - it's scarey.

Bola Olajide from NJ, Obviously you are naive and don't have understanding of the issue. Here is a website that shows what Obama has accomplished in the last 21 years of public service. This link alone shows you what he got done in Illinois

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/07/29/us/politics/20070730_OBAMA_GRAPHIC.html

Obama/Edward'08

Inthe middle, sir thank you for your service. I know that when it comes down to it I would rather have a CSM with me in a fox hole than any General! In case anyone out there doesnt know these are the soldiers that really run the military! Men and women that live honor, not only learn about it in books. The whole world understands that the military always votes Republican. That is why absentee ballots are always a hot issue. As far as Sen Obama goes usually the big argument for his forein policy is that he spent so much time living out of the country, so he understands how other countries feel about us. To some people this is a big selling point. To me it is not, it might be however be a reason for him not to wear a pin. All people deserve to be heard regaurdless of their military experience. Most retired officers that get envolved with politics on this level are wanting to continue their service. Take General W Clark. He started his political career with the Republicans, after it became clear there was no future there he switched to the Democrats. Sen Obama needs former military leaders to endorse him, it is the only thing he can do to gain him any credability at all. To say there are no retired military officers that disagree with the Iraq policy would be crazy. There are however more that will side with the Republicans view of peace through strength.

In the middle, just because you aren't a die-hard conservative doens't mean you disdain the military, any more than Bush's latest veto means he "hates kids".  I was a military spouse for over 20 years.  I remember in the early 90's when the U.S. started closing military bases and many service members were forced out by "reduction by attrition". Bush 41 was POTUS and I disagreed with this decision because I felt our military should be as large and strong as we could afford to fund.  Does that make me a warmonger? No, any more than those who support equal rotation time at home are anti-military.  

Inthemiddle....must suck knowing you are mentally between an idiot and a monkey.  In your case I think your closer to the monkey.  
Who was it that cut the defense budget and stopped many of the programs for more advanced equipment?  Damn, I think that was the monkeys daddy and was approved by none other then Darth himself. You idiots that support this dictatorship in the making are pityful....in the minority also.  

John Doe: Your take is revisionist. It was not a Republican who called our Marines ''coldblooded murderers''with no apology forthcoming.[the last Haditha soldier is due to have charges dropped against him by later today if not Monday].Nor was the ''HALP US JON CERRY''sign directed at a Republican. Nor was it a Republican who earned the wrath of military guards at Guantanamo for being likened to ''Nazis'' and ''gulag Soviets''. It was not a Republican who observed that ''Returning Soldiers More Likely To Become Serial And Mass Killers''[that would be DAILY KOS]. It was not a Republican who stated ''we have lost this war'',even prior to the Surge. It is not Republicans who are making movies portraying soldiers as mindless killers and rapists.[the vast predominance of these Tinseltown directors are backing either Obama or Hillary in the GE]. It was not a Republican who tossed a serving soldier out of a Democratic rally for disagreeing with the positions of their supporters. It was not a Republican city council that ejected the United States Navy and US Marines from having any presence in their city[''Fleet Week'',a tradition since WWII].It was not Republicans who tried to can ROTCs from colleges while demanding that they still get to grub for federal monies[It WAS,however,Republicans who came to the aid of the ROTC,by passing the SOLOMON Amendment,recently upheld by the USSC]. Finally,it is our soldiers who are supporting Rush Limbaugh[ who I personally believe to be a bombthrower], over Harry Reid [ who I personally believe to be an idiot] and his Democrat confederates by an overwhelming margin as evidenced from their positions on milblogs which can be viewed here:

www.military.com

Inthemiddle, your comments don't matter you are from the same state and you have the same disposition as the liars and crooks in Washington, tell me are you rich?  If not you need to shut up, really, you sound like an uneducated idiot and we have enough of them already. The capitolist are robbing our country without regard for the human race only themselves. No matter what you or others like you say, it is Obama, all the way. Hi Hitler to you...

"I am tired of these havard/harzard ivy league leaders they are all short of substance but full of theories and abstract thinking.leaders are made not born or inherited.

BOLA LAJIDE EDISON NJ (Sent Friday, October 05, 2007 4:52 PM)"

Ummmm... seriously, dude.  George W. Bush is a graduate of Yale AND Harvard.  He inherited his wealth and would not be President today if his father had not had the political connection from being President.

Leaders are very often inherited.  The real difference is that Obama got into Columbia and Harvard on his merits and not as a legacy.  He was a community organizer in Chicago and drafted several succesful bipartisan bills through the state legislature.  

If you disagree with Obama's policies, fine.  But when you post drivel like you just did you only make yourself look ignorant.

Hey InTheMiddle,

That name is such a misnomer, it only needs to be mentioned to be laughed at.  Obviously, you are not in the middle.

Let's see . . . I served, too, joined the Navy for both patriotic and tradition reasons.  I have nothing but the greatest respect and support the military 100%.  Oh, by the way, I'm what you'd call a 'liberal'.  Oops, did I hear your jaw drop?

A few of your 'all of the support comes from Republicans' "facts": The biggest pay raise I got when serving was from Jimmy Carter, not Reagan; the Army that defeated Saddam was built by Clinton, it was this idiot in the WH that screwed up the deployment and amament; this idiot in the WH wanted to cut retiement pay, medical benefits, housing allowances, etc. for the military; this idiot in the WH did all he could to not go to Viet Nam, unlike my brother who joined so that he could get the job he wanted rather than be drafted and have to be in the infantry . . . and served two tours . . . and is now (and always was) what you'd call a liberal.

Sounds like you are just spouting off the right wings talking points rather than thinking for yourself or finding out the truth.  They keep repeating the same lies and get their followers to do the same until it becomes 'truth' for them.

That doesn't fly for people who actually think for themselves.

Go Obama, or Edwards, or Richardson, or . . . ANYBODY but Guiliani(sp?)!

Very nice ad. Thanks, General McPeak.

Whatever else you might say, there's one thing about Barack Obama that sets him apart from the field:

"I will always tell the American people the truth."
   -- Barack Obama, DePaul University, Oct. 2, 2007

Good ad and well said for someone who ought to know. Chuck why did you not mention this ad when you were on Hard Hall. You talked about only the Clinton Ad. Again another media bias. In four months, you will see how wrong and unfair the MSM has been to Mr. Obama.

The real difference is that Obama got into Columbia and Harvard on his merits and not as a legacy.  He was a community organizer in Chicago and drafted several succesful bipartisan bills through the state legislature.  


Thats all real nice, but this true for about 100000 people also.  Obama is the product of several things.  1) He is well connected with the Richie Daley political machine in Chicago 2) He is a media darling.  That's it.  After that, he is just another left wing liberal from a very liberal state.  He has no new ideas, no original thoughts, and no leadership skills.  He hasn't even run a lemonade stand.  He is a total fabrication of the media.

I see there's a retired Command Sergeant Major on this blog making idiotic statements. Well CSM I would never respect a General,or a CSM retired or active that didn't take care of his troops by speaking the truth to and about any president past or present. I'm a retired Marine and our leaders are held to a higher standard not lesser than their subordinates. I'd suggest you seperate your military opinions from your political ones if you want any respect from me. As for as concurrent reciept I suggest you go back and read again. I believe you'll see that it has been republican who have condoned this travesty. The present concurrent receipt as we know it still only kicks in at 50% disability. It was a concession the Dems had to give to get the fricken bill past by the 72 republicans that signed on. The Democratic version would have started at 1% disability. So what we have here is just another republican neocon following that same republican mantra of lies and fake patriotism. You've disrespected this General and you've disrespected your branch of service. Doggy!

Semper Fi!

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=10390866&content_dir=ua_congressorg

http://capwiz.com/amsmilitary/issues/bills/?bill=8165491

"preventing a potential geocide in Iraq isn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there."
Barack Obama
July 20, 2007

How does Hilary Clinton serving tea and cookies at the White House account for experience?  Why not run Laura Bush, she sets a mean dinning hall table floral setting!

Its these type of qualifications that had Queen Hilary cave in to the pressure to support Bush's quagmire in Iraq!  She has no validity until she apologizes for her lack of foresight and judgement!

Great endorsement, go Obama!!!

He should be supporting Ron Paul, who is an Air Force veteran, and supports an immediate withdraw from Iraq.

Seems like the General hasn't done his homework. I'm  more than disappointed.

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