Why I will vote or John McCain

[scribo]

Dear fellow Bills fans and politicking enthusiasts,

 

As of this morning, at least 24 of my friends have lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A countless number of others who mean a great deal to me suffer or will suffer because of the affects of combat.

 

Senator John McCain has promised that as president he will assure my friends' ultimate sacrifices were meaningful and not in vain. Sen. McCain has promised to bring home my friends who are still fighting with honor when the job is done and this battle is won.

 

This post and thread is not about Sen. McCain's opponent. I started that one out last week. Rather, this, as promised, is simply why I feel we need to elect Sen. McCain to be our next president.

 

I certainly will not attempt to speak for others, but I know I am not alone when I worry that the price we have paid to fight terrorism and tyranny will go to waste. I cannot tolerate the thought that if the wrong candidate wins Nov. 4, so many Americans may have died for naught, because if we pullout of Iraq too soon, that will allow the terrorists to move back in, erasing all that was accomplished through the tough fighting of the past seven years. I believe Sen. McCain will ensure that doesn't happen, and that is a major reason he will get my vote.

 

Sen. McCain caused me to believe he is the man to ensure victory in Iraq when in October 2007 he said this to White House Correspondent Byron York (note this is strong criticism of the way President Bush's Pentagon mismanaged parts of the war): "The thing that makes you almost cry is that one of the battles that will rank among the most courageous the Marines have ever fought is the battle of Fallujah. They lost 86 guys and several hundred wounded in the most bitter kind of house-to-house fighting. And you know what happened then? They left. They left. After sacrificing 86 of those brave young 19- and 20-year-olds, they left. I mean, it's unconscionable."

 

Sen. McCain won't leave until the job is done, the war is won and Iraq it ready to maintain their freedom. I cannot tell you how much that means to me.

 

He is the most qualified man to be commander-in-chief in part because he is the only one of the people on either ticket who served in our military. And now his children are in uniform; although, his sons have never become talking points for his campaign.

 

Sen. McCain's 20-year-old son has been an active-duty Marine for two years and fought in Iraq as part of the forces influx Sen. McCain pushed for. His 22-year-old son is attending the U.S. Naval Academy, to become a commissioned officer. Serving their country has long been a McCain family tradition. But it is remarkable that the senator's sons joined, seeing that their father's book, Faith of My Fathers, is hardly a recruiting tool. The book relates the experience of "small pieces of hot shrapnel" tearing "into my legs and chest" and tells how, in solitary confinement, "the first few weeks are the hardest," as "the onset of despair is immediate."

 

But Sen. McCain wasn't surprised his sons chose to serve. When his youngest son enlisted in the Corps in 2006, Sen. McCain told Time magazine, "I don't think there's anything unusual about Jimmy. There are, thank God, lots of young men and women like him."

 

That family tradition has cost a great deal of sacrifice and forced the most difficult of decisions. Decisions that define heroes. As a prisoner of war, Sen. McCain declined an offer of early release by his Vietnamese captors, extending his stay at the Hanoi Hilton by almost four years and nine months. During that time, his father, Admiral John S. McCain Jr., continued to approve air strikes against Hanoi, despite knowing his son was there. Now comes Jimmy and Jack McCain, putting themselves in the line of fire even as their father called for more troops to be sent to Iraq in the famously successful "surge."

 

If you would like to look through a window to Sen. McCain's past, a time when he was sacrificing his own body to the near extreme, check out this link: http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/10/to-honor.html.

 

Forgive me for focusing so much on the wars. I am sure there are some reading this who do not think that is as important as the economy. But this e-mail is about why I am voting for Sen. McCain. I fought in Afghanistan and in Iraq. This means a lot to me, and I believe it means a lot to America's security and future.

 

Of course, my vote alone won't be enough, so I will now very briefly explain why I think Sen. McCain is the best man to help our economy, as president. Sen. McCain's tax plan will keep small businesses in business, and he will keep American businesses in America. By lowering corporate taxes and capital gain taxes, the United States will stop punishing companies for doing well. On top of everything else, we are about to face a serious national job shortage, and the only way to take that on is by making America attractive once again to big and small companies.

 

Make no mistake about it, I am a capitalist who believes in the principle that says he or she who works the hardest and is smartest should be rewarded the most. But my biggest problem with what capitalism has done is the decimation of small businesses. I think mom and pop companies are the bedrock of our communities, products of our regional cultures. Without small businesses to reflect who we are and where we live, we will struggle to maintain our towns' identities and values. Sen. McCain's tax and health care plans aim to help small companies thrive once again while also taking care of their employees. Phasing out the Alternative Minimum Tax and NOT increasing the marginal income tax rate will positively affect every small business and entrepreneur.

 

Our country, really the world, has entered the toughest period in many of our lifetimes. That's the situation no matter who becomes president, and there is no easy way out. It only takes common sense to know that if you have to go through hard times, it is best to be led by a fighter, a survivor, a proven leader, a hero. Senator John McCain is all of those. He has put his country before his own well-being many times. He has made the tough decisions. He knows what it is like to have kill to keep America safe. He knows what it is like to have to put his own life in peril to keep America safe. He is the best man to lead us through and out of these difficult days that lie ahead.

 

Senator McCain is a hero to me, and I need him to be the next president of the United States.

 

Thanks for reading,

scribo

[Wacka]

:lol: :lol:

[PastaJoe]

I'm sorry for the loss of your friends, but no soldier dies in vain. They are obeying orders, and regardless of what orders the civilian leadership give them, they carry out their duty. Consider that your friends may not have had to give their lives if Obama's judgement on invading Iraq had been followed. And ones military service does not automatically make someone the most qualified to be president. Carter went to the Naval Academy and served aboard a submarine, while Reagan spent WWII in the U.S. as a Public Relations officer. Which do conservatives believe was the better president? W. was in the National Guard, Clinton didn't serve, yet most Americans would say Clinton was the better president.

[Philly McButterpants]

I'm sorry for the loss of your friends, but no soldier dies in vain. They are obeying orders, and regardless of what orders the civilian leadership give them, they carry out their duty. Consider that your friends may not have had to give their lives if Obama's judgement on invading Iraq had been followed. And ones military service does not automatically make someone the most qualified to be president. Carter went to the Naval Academy and served aboard a submarine, while Reagan spent WWII in the U.S. as a Public Relations officer. Which do conservatives most American believe was the better president? W. was in the National Guard, Clinton didn't serve, yet most Americans would say Clinton was the better president.

 

Fixed it . . .

[UBinVA]

Great post scribo, Although I was supporting Romney in the primary due to his economic background and McCain being too liberal on some other issues, I'm fully behind McCain as the right person at the right time.

 

He knows and understands how to win these wars with the Islamic extremists, and he will be an effective leader in domestic and world affairs. I know one thing, he won't be tested on national defense like Biden said Obama would, and that's a good thing.

 

The perfect storm has hit McCain like a ton of bricks (the economy, the war not being an issue, Bush's rather lack luster performance, etc) and everything is in Obama favor. Having said that, I do believe the polls are over inflated for Obama and McCain is still in the fight. It's one thing to hope for a change and another thing to vote for hope or vote for a known entity. When the sh-- hits the fan and people have to pull that lever, I believe they will think twice and pull the lever for McCain.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

That family tradition has cost a great deal of sacrifice and forced the most difficult of decisions. Decisions that define heroes. As a prisoner of war, Sen. McCain declined an offer of early release by his Vietnamese captors, extending his stay at the Hanoi Hilton by almost four years and nine months.

 

Wait, why would he do that?

[UBinVA]

I'm sorry for the loss of your friends, but no soldier dies in vain.

 

They do die in vain if the politicians do not have the will to finish the job. Just ask some of the family members who lost loved ones in wars. The only solace they may have is knowing that his/her life was given in a just cause and that the freedoms of others and our own country have been preserved.

 

War is hell and no sane person wants war. But we do not deal with sane people in this world and as the last bastion of freedom and liberty left in the world, it falls on us to do what the world should help us do. Despots, Dictators, extremists and their ilk will not go away and must be confronted. The price has and will be paid for by our brave soldiers. To abandon this cause in the middle of war only to re-engage at a future date with more deviating loses is beyond the pail.

[MattyT]

Wait, why would he do that?

Because McCain prefers to pal around w/terrorists.

[scribo]

Wait, why would he do that?

The offer for early release came because he was the son of an admiral and out of order.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/mcc...o-chapter3.html

 

Early release was forbidden by the military's Code of Conduct. To prevent the enemy from subverting prisoners or using them as propaganda tools, officers were to accept release in the order they were captured...

 

McCain knew the real reason the North Vietnamese wanted to release him. Adm. Jack McCain, his father, was an important U.S. military figure. In July he would assume command of all U.S. forces in the Pacific. McCain's release would help the North Vietnamese propaganda machine.

 

McCain realized that the Code of Conduct gave him no choice. Alvarez [the first POW captured], who was being held elsewhere, was supposed to be the first man released.

 

"I just knew it wasn't the right thing to do," he said. "I knew that they wouldn't have offered it to me if I hadn't been the son of an admiral."

[PastaJoe]

He knows and understands how to win these wars with the Islamic extremists,

 

So when's he going to share that info, along with how to capture Bin Laden? Isn't it a bit selfish to only share it if he wins? What's he waiting for?

 

 

They do die in vain if the politicians do not have the will to finish the job. Just ask some of the family members who lost loved ones in wars. The only solace they may have is knowing that his/her life was given in a just cause and that the freedoms of others and our own country have been preserved.

 

And there are many families who don't want to see other families lose their sons and daughters because the civilian leadership is unwilling to admit they were mistaken. My manager's son-in-law lost his leg in Iraq to an IED, and he thinks we should get out ASAP, and his son-in-law is voting for Obama.

[scribo]

So when's he going to share that info, along with how to capture Bin Laden? Isn't it a bit selfish to only share it if he wins? What's he waiting for?

He has been sharing it. Maybe you recall we weren't doing so well over there not that long ago, and then McCain spearheaded the push for a surge, which included the senator's son. That surge now has us in position to finish the job in Iraq much sooner and more thoroughly than most Democrats would have said a year ago.

 

And there are many families who don't want to see other families lose their sons and daughters because the civilian leadership is unwilling to admit they were mistaken. My manager's son-in-law lost his leg in Iraq to an IED, and he thinks we should get out ASAP, and his son-in-law is voting for Obama.

And it is each person's inherent right to have his or her own views. I respect everyone for having their own opinion. Mine happens to be that we need to honor those who were killed or wounded in action by finishing the job they were taking part in.

[molson_golden2002]

Senator John McCain has promised that as president he will assure my friends' ultimate sacrifices were meaningful and not in vain. Sen. McCain has promised to bring home my friends who are still fighting with honor when the job is done and this battle is won.

I thought the slurge worked and we already won? Why do we need to stay and baby sit the Iraqis longer? Let's send the army into Trenton, New Jersey and rebuild that place

[PastaJoe]

And it is each person's inherent right to have his or her own views. I respect everyone for having their own opinion. Mine happens to be that we need to honor those who were killed or wounded in action by finishing the job they were taking part in.

 

And mine is that all the killed and wounded are already honored because they did their service, regardless of the outcome. Your logic would mean that those that served in Vietnam are not as honorable because the civilian leadership ended the war.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

The offer for early release came because he was the son of an admiral and out of order.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/mcc...o-chapter3.html

 

Good for him, I just gained a boatload of respect for the man.

 

I'm still voting Obama.

[scribo]

And mine is that all the killed and wounded are already honored because they did their service, regardless of the outcome. Your logic would mean that those that served in Vietnam are not as honorable because the civilian leadership ended the war.

No, by my logic, those who died in Vietnam were dishonored by the United States when we submitted. Pulling out of Iraq before the job is done would be submission and would dishonor your friend who tragically lost his leg.

 

Of course, I am saying the country would be treating them in a disrespectful manner not that the veterans themselves are dishonorable.

[Boomer860]

Dear fellow Bills fans and politicking enthusiasts,

 

As of this morning, at least 24 of my friends have lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A countless number of others who mean a great deal to me suffer or will suffer because of the affects of combat.

 

Senator John McCain has promised that as president he will assure my friends' ultimate sacrifices were meaningful and not in vain. Sen. McCain has promised to bring home my friends who are still fighting with honor when the job is done and this battle is won.

And to all the Communist followers of that fraud Obama , stuff it!!

[erynthered]

Good for him, I just gained a boatload of respect for the man.

 

I'm still voting Obama.

 

 

This says alot about you being an informed voter. Just imagine how many more like you are out there. Scary.

[PastaJoe]

No, by my logic, those who died in Vietnam were dishonored by the United States when we submitted. Pulling out of Iraq before the job is done would be submission and would dishonor your friend who tragically lost his leg.

 

Of course, I am saying the country would be treating them in a disrespectful manner not that the veterans themselves are dishonorable.

 

We could stay there 2 years or 10 years, but in the end when we leave if the Iraqis don't have a political agreement then it will revert to civil war in either case. Enough American lives have been sacrificed, I don't want any more.

 

 

This says alot about you being an informed voter. Just imagine how many more like you are out there. Scary.

 

You can respect someone's service and still disagree with their policy views.

[Wacka]

It amazes me how stupid and ignorant these lefties fresh out of mom and dad's basement are.

[erynthered]

You can respect someone's service and still disagree with their policy views.

 

That was not directed at you nor your post. I responded to sage. It was the realization that sage had just learned this bit of infomation.