A recent poster just told some of us to 'shut it' because apparently we are not there and do not know what we are talking about. To that I say, I am a Viet Nam vet and know very well what war is about, more so than this AF wife who has nothing better to do than sit home and make posts on forums. For those of us who have already fought for our country we know the horrors of war and are doing our best to bring our brave men and women home from the mistake of this Iraq war caused by the oil greed of men like Bush and Cheney. The fight belongs in Afghanistan where Bin Laden ran to, not Iraq.

AFWife

I appreciate your husbands service...but did you know the reason soldiers are not getting killed as much is because the insurgents who joined up with the sons of Iraq have been promised things that don't exist? How long do you think it will take before those insurgents realize those positions and money does not exist?

I am sure there are many Iraqiis that don't want us to leave because their country is in the middle of a civil war...a civil war that has been going on for centuries minus the times a despot held the cork in the bottle.

The reason Maliki is saying we want you to leave is because many will lose patience with us if we are occupying them...not only in Iraq...but everywhere al quaeda is recruiting.

I respect what soldiers see but I also know that sometimes soldiers unfortunately do not see the bigger picture because unfortunately they have been put in a situation that calls for them not to.

The split of soldiers as Webb has said and Hagel has said...for those who want us to stay and those who want to get out is about the same as the general American population.

which would mean that most of them want us to leave.

McCain is a total pandering fool, and a horrible choice for President.

Since Republicans took total control of all 3 branches of Government in 2000, their policy (McCain included) has resulted in::

*Our debt has tripled to 9.4 trillion dollars, due to Republicans (largest increase in history). We owe interest on it

*a deeply damaging trade deficit due to Republican trade policy

*All of this is causing our currency to drop in value (at least 25% of the reason why gas is so expensive

*We are stuck in a war that we didn't have to go into - and it appears we were lied to about it

*No investments in alternative energy. No warning of oil crises

*Due to Republican insistence of removal of regulation & oversight, we have now suffered a housing crises, a mutual fund near-disaster

*100's of thousands of jobs outsourced

McCain has a record of voting in-line with the Bush Agenda/Congressional Republicans 87.3% of the time. Keeping this fact in mind, how on earth do people expect a single thing to change at all under him?

Please folks, vote Dem/vote Obama!

and Will

lol Obama is not losing big...he's winning...and on a state by state basis he is starting to win big.

do a little research.

@AFWife

I am also a vet served in Vietnam, Thank you for your very kind words and support. Knowing that I served so you can tell me that I know nothing, and shut up, reminds of the kind sentiments the public showed me when I returned from my tour of duty.

Just maybe some of us have your husband in mine when we think we need to get out. But I guess you wouldn't understand that.

I'm sure Obama will 'reevaluate' his position on Iraq. He just voted for FISA after all. His die hard supporters will find some excuse why whatever the new position is was really his position all along or that whatever he says or does shows how he will deliver us all from the abyss. Blah blah blah

@AFWife

I am also a vet served in Vietnam, Thank you for your very kind words and support. Knowing that I served so you can tell me that I know nothing, and shut up, reminds of the kind sentiments the public showed me when I returned from my tour of duty.

Just maybe some of us have your husband in mind when we think we need to get out. But I guess you wouldn't understand that.

(corrected copy)

Of course Obama will change his position. Why is that such a bad thing, you might ask? Well, seeing as how his entire freaking campaign is based on his apparent judgment relating to opposing the war, I'd say being hopelessly wrong about the surge and only admitting it years later would undermine that just a smidgen.

Also, let's see if he actually ADMITS that he's shifted. To this point, he's tried to pretend that his position has been consistent, when it has demonstrably shifted.

The fact that people are slinging such personal insults at McCain is extremely telling. I guess when you don't have an argument, you attack the man, eh? It's as sad as it is predictable.

It's amazing how many people who know nothing about the economy talk about it anyway. Ann, for one:

"a deeply damaging trade deficit due to Republican trade policy"

GDP and the trade deficit tend to go in opposite directions. I'm assuming you haven't looked at historical trade deficits at all, right? You just declare it "deeply damaging" based on, well, either nothing, or something you think you heard somewhere.

"Due to Republican insistence of removal of regulation & oversight, we have now suffered a housing crises, a mutual fund near-disaster"

I'd love to see some actual evidence that it was the removal of regulation that caused the housing issues. I'm guessing there's none. The reality is that a housing bill some time back (a couple decades, I believe) essentially forced banks to loan to low-income families. Gee, I wonder if that might have had something to do with it...

"100's of thousands of jobs outsourced"

Good. We have 100 million, and the idea that work shouldn't be done outside the country doesn't make a lick of sense. I suppose you think we shouldn't buy or sell things across our borders, either? You should, because economically speaking, it's the same thing.

God forbid people learn a thing or two about economics before spouting off about it.

You can be sure that Senator Obama will change his direction/position again after his trip to Iraq. He has changed it four times so far, why not again. He is pandering but has no idea what really needs to be done. It is scary such a man might be elected. No experience and no judgment whatsoever.
And does America really know what Maliki and Iran might be thinking?????

Slight correction: it wasn't low-income, so much as high-risk (subprime). It was determined that banks were being greedy by not loaning out to people often enough. So, they were made to. Now, surprise surprise, high-risk loans have a high rate of default, and banks are being accused of being greedy again...a technical contradiction that doesn't have the slightest basis in reality.

But that's the Democratic party's MO these days: assign blame on faceless, nebulous business entities (or entire industries). Nevermind if they've actually done anything or wrong, or were made to do it in the first place via government interference. The hubris is stunning...

NOBODY flip-flops more than flip-floppy McCain.

McCain flip-flops

1. The Death Tax
2. Gay Marriage
3. Jerry Falwell
4. Free Speech
5. Abortion:
6. Bush Tax Cuts:
7. Personality conflicts:
8. Charles Wyly:
9. Grover Norquist:
10. Bob Jones University:
11. Torture:
12. Kyoto Accord:
13. Gay Marriage:
14. Ethanol:
15. Confederate flag:
16. Immigration Reform:
17. Ethics Reform / Transparency of 527 donations:
18. Iraq War

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS276&=&q=mccain+flip-flops&btnG=Google+Search

"It's amazing how many people who know nothing about the economy talk about it anyway. Ann, for one:"

Your are perhaps the most full-of-it person I have ever seen. You don't know a thing about economics, and are apparently stuck in some outdated libertarian Austrian economics viewpoint, which has been long tossed-aside as a failure.

"GDP and the trade deficit tend to go in opposite directions. I'm assuming you haven't looked at historical trade deficits at all, right? You just declare it "deeply damaging" based on, well, either nothing, or something you think you heard somewhere."

You need to learn a thing or two about economics if you think running a trade deficit for years is a good thing. Do you even know what it is, or are you just spouting off nonsense?

Attempts to paint McCain as a flip-flopper are flat-out goofy. Changing your mind is one thing, and no candidate should be really criticized for it. But when a candidate changes their mind for no reason, and even insists they haven't changed their mind, THAT'S when it becomes a flip-flop.

McCain's positions on immigration and Iraq have evolved with legislative events (his immigration bill failed...what's he supposed to do, send it up again and again?) and the facts on the ground. Obama's position has changed from day to day, or even hour to hour, as public opinion has changed.

That's the difference. All these goofy attempts to find points in the past where a candidate might have felt differently completely miss the point -- and that goes for people who do it with Obama, too.

"Your are perhaps the most full-of-it person I have ever seen. You don't know a thing about economics, and are apparently stuck in some outdated libertarian Austrian economics viewpoint, which has been long tossed-aside as a failure."

While I'm impressed that you've formed such a comprehensive opinion of me based on a couple scattered comments on a website, you still haven't addressed any of my points.

"You need to learn a thing or two about economics if you think running a trade deficit for years is a good thing. Do you even know what it is, or are you just spouting off nonsense?"

Sure. It's the difference between imports and exports. Whether or not it's a bad thing entirely depends on how much we spend, and how much we HAVE to spend. As I said before, GDP and the trade deficit tend to go in opposite directions. For example: it went up during the boom years of the 90s under Clinton.

It's kind of funny that, when I asked you what you actually knew about the trade deficit, and accused you or not really knowing anything about it, you pretty much just repeated the accusation back at me. Sorry, but it takes more than "I know you are but what am I?" to actually have an argument.

"I'd love to see some actual evidence that it was the removal of regulation that caused the housing issues. I'm guessing there's none. The reality is that a housing bill some time back (a couple decades, I believe) essentially forced banks to loan to low-income families. Gee, I wonder if that might have had something to do with it..."

Sigh. Learn to use google, moron. This has been gone over 1000's of times, and "stated asset/stated income" loans were the cause of this, and acts like HOEPA (REPUBLICAN CREATED) ushered in the deregulation of the entire lending industry. Aren't you even aware that discussion is underway in Government right now to bring oversight & regulation back to the lending industry?

"Sure. It's the difference between imports and exports. Whether or not it's a bad thing entirely depends on how much we spend, and how much we HAVE to spend."

Correct. Next, explain what happens as we keep running trade deficits year after year, even with a 14 trillion dollar GDP?

So, Ann, we are supposed to believe what google puts out? One of the most Liberal websites on the internet?

Enjoying your gas & food prices with that weak dollar policy, Punditish?