Harkin Attacks McCain for Having Served In the Military Too Much

James,
On the list you shared of military presidents, note that only 6 had military careers.
I know that Lincoln never saw combat (and in fact said the most blood he ever saw was from smacking mosquitos), so I'm not sure how accurate your list is.
At the bottom of this discussion is the fact that there is no connection between a "good president" and his service, career, or lack thereof regarding the military. There's just no connection.
McCain is not a good choice for president, which may be due to the impact of his military career, or might just be who he is. People all process their experiences differently.
One interesting trend I've noted is that Veterans have overwhelming supported McCain AND Obama, but not Hillary.
Not sure if that's a sexist thing or something else.

I don't mind McCain talking about his P.O.W., but, both my parent's in WWll, they didn't brag, put down others for not. McCain should shut up, He was in prison all of his service, nothing later was there? I truly believe this man has some sort of cerebral dementia. I hope he doesn't win.

GunnyJ, first of all I want to thank you for your 20 years of service in the military.

Sen McCain is against Sen. Webb's GI Bill because it creates a new bureaucracy with new rules and it offers the same benefits whether you stay in the military for three years or longer. Sen. McCain is a co-sponsor of the Graham-Burr-McCain GI Bill. which "enhances the existing Montgomery G.I. Bill by significantly improving education benefits for both service members who choose to leave the military as well as those who decide to make military service their career. The legislation will help more military personnel attend college debt-free, and allow them to transfer their education benefits to their spouse or children. It also bolsters recruitment and retention efforts, encouraging service members to continue their military careers."

Sweetie, you wrote: "Democrats must come together and prevent further deaths and injuries to our soldiers."

I would love to know how they will do that? Just bringing our troops home won't stop the deaths. In the last six years more military personnel have died here at home than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

Oldwiseone, you wrote: "Actually it is unconstitutional for a military man to be commander in chief, or close to it. The whole idea is to NOT have a military man run the country."

Maybe you should pick up a history book! Check out this list of Presidents who were in the military:

George Washington (military career)
James Madison (no combat)
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson (military career)
William Henry Harrison (military career)
John Tyler
James Knox Polk (no combat)
Zachary Taylor (military career)
Millard Fillmore (no combat)
Franklin Pierce
James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant (military career)
Rutherford Hayes
James Garfield
Chester Arthur
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower (military career)
John Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter (no combat)
Ronald Reagan (no combat)
George H. W. Bush
George W. Bush (no combat)

The lack of military experience served us great. Neither Bush nor Cheney had actual experience.

The distorted headline to this article is wrong but Harkin is exactly right. There is only one reason why McCain wants to be president: to start more wars. He's already admitted he doesn't know much about economics -- and he probably couldn't care less about it.

The old saying is that if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. The only tool that McCain has is the hammer of war. It's going to be a very bloody four years if he wins the presidency, even in comparison to the blood-soaked presidency of G. W. Bush.

The title of this article is worded to elicit rage from the right wing. It is not whether McCain has served in the military too much...it is his inability to see the presidency as anything but a military position.

Harkin's comments are stunningly transparent - just the same old "politics of change" that is being offered by the Democrats. I don't care how much packaging they put on it. Their tactic is fling as much mud and see what sticks.

Slogans and sound-bites... empty words from empty suits.

The more the Obama Democrats talk, the better McCain looks!

The problem is not McCain's military service, but his arrogant attitude that because of his service he is always right on military matters and that anyone who questions his policy judgments on military matters in something just short of a traitor.

Patriot

It is nice when you people manufacture your own truth. Guess you can't accept the reality of what your candidate has said and done. Still, it is recorded for posterity so you really are only fooling yourselves. Willingly, of course.

david

| May 26, 2008 2:47:47 PM

Can you only think in terms of 'left' 'right'? lol

McCain IS a warmonger because:

1. McCain cannot appreciate 'victory' except in terms of continuing a WRONG & WORTHLESS WAR.

2. McCain cannot appreciate that;
an army does not lose honor if the commander-in-chief decides to withdraw from a worthless conflict;
if a commander-in-chief seeks to wisely cut his losses in a wasteful war;
if the army fights to the best of his ability and give the enemy all its got in defeat;
that honor once bestowed for 'signing up' CANNOT be lost unless by cowardice, criminality and gross incompetence!

None of the above applies in Iraq. And the only incompetence is in the commander-in-chief for starting a war that increase terrorism and strengthen Iran!

McCain with his public and childish "bombbombboomb bombbomb Iran" is churlish and no saner than the muslim maniac, Akmadenijad, of Iran.
It wouldn't bother McCain't to blow up the Middle East for the heck of it.

BTW, Obama did not suggest to just bomb Pakistan. Obama is PUBLICLY suggesting what the US government is 'PRIVATELY' doing in the bad lands of Pakistan, where Taleban and alkaida maniac muslims are STILL nesting.

To all the angry people who insult the people you disagree with: If you make blanket statements about "the left" or "the right" always doing or all feeling the same thing, then that makes the group you are labeling much less likely to listen to you! I should think that as citizens of this country we would all prefer to influence our fellow citizens to see things they way we do. So do you want to change my mind, or just insult me? If the former, be civil. If the latter, I'll just ignore you, no matter what your politics. We are all in this together, whether we like it or not, and we all, presumably are patriotic citizens. Let's act that way.

I think Sen Harkin is making a valuable point. Yes C-in-C is an important part of being President, but it isn't the be all and end all, and other experiences are in some ways as relevant as having experience in the military.

My concerns are w/ his mental stability. I want to hear from his psychologist, because I don't think he is mentally stable after 6yrs of torture.

First the left-wing blames Bush and Cheney for not serving, now they're blaming McCain for serving too much, not very consistent is it? Goldilocks indeed!

I am an independent, so I don't subscribe to either party's beliefs. I don't know much about Harkin, and am not influenced by him.

I have been thinking the same thing, however. It isn't McCain's fault, but he has been raised in a combative military environment where there is the enemy and us. The solution is to go to war. Unfortunately, people die and get injured and disabled in the process. Many vets are coming back and committing suicide.

I want a president that will go to war if necessary, but as a last resort. We need to try other things first. As far as raising this question on Memorial Day, it is the perfect day for it because if we can solve some problems with diplomacy, there will be fewer dead soldiers to honor on Memorial Day. We can honor those who live on Veterans Day and every other day--while they are ALIVE.

Harkin is affiliated with the Obama campaign and this is the exact type of boneheaded comments that will cause Obama to be defeated come November. Obama has surrounded himself with the usual suspects (all of who are salivating about the opportunity to take advantage of the younger, inexperienced Obama). There's no way that Obama will win this thing backed by the likes of Harkin.
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Obama and BitterGate, lest we forget!
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Should we then also blame Eisenhower as well, for winning the war in Europe and being career military? How about Teddy Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant, Andrew Jackson, or George Washington? This kind of argument by the Democrats is only going to lose them votes in November, Harkin must be insane!