Local veterans launch panel to support Sen. Obama

Mark Twine knows not of what he speaks (must be a Democrat) when he says I have a small circle of friends. I talk daily with via email 100 or so former combat aviators who are on our listserver. And I recently served on the national board of directors of the a 501c3 veterans group. Al-Sifr is a leftist bombthrower so I will explain things in language he can grasp. I flew combat for the US Air Force. I detest John Kerry and would only vote for him if the alternative was Barack Obama. Several of the guys who were in the Swift Boat ads are personal friends of mine. "Military service" is much more impressive on a resume than "community organizer" to most employers. I prefer the "smell of napalm in the morning" over perfumed princes like the empty suit from Illinois. Somebody who has a clue please explain the surge's success to Al_Sifr as I am unable to dumb down an explanation for him.

And your credentials are, Mr Al-Sifr?

Are you suggesting that service in the military is a pre-requisite for the presidency? Which country did you fly for again? Argentina?

Do you count Bush's service - what little there was of it? (We seem to have 'lost' most of the records.)

Did you vote for Kerry, who happened to be a decorated Vietnam veteran?

Do you think that every presidential candidate should love 'the smell of napalm in the morning?"

Are you enjoying the current foreign policy blunder, fueled by lies and paid for in military blood?

Just wondering ...

The support among veterans for Obama is pretty well documented. There are even pictures!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/VeteransforObama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hurley/view-from-the-battlefield_b_84741.html

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=220686659

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=774802

http://flickr.com/photos/lawyermama/sets/72157606533327493/

You should prepare yourself for a new commander in chief and practice saying "President Obama."

I am a retired Air Force officer who served two tours in Southeast Asia and flew over 200 combat missions there including 141 over North Vietnam. I am a member of several veterans groups and do not know personally know one single *combat* veteran who supports Senator Obama's candidacy - not one!!! Obama never wore the uniform and never will. His very limited resume includes service as a community organizer, state senator and US senator. In other words no real jobs. No CEO would hire this man to manage a one car funeral much less run the country. I am appalled by the so-called "veterans" who are charmed by this radical in liberal's clothing. Read Jerome Corsi's "The Obama Nation" if you want to know more.

Like the Army captain mentioned in the V-P article about Mrs. Obama's visit to ODU? I wonder what trivial, self-serving "spin" got him awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. There are a lot of career military officers, including quite a few admirals and generals -- true patriots all -- who are supporting Sen. Obama.

You mean like Captain Bucha, Congressional Medal of Honor winner? I wonder what kind of self-serving "spin" got him that distinction.

This is one "large" group of people that deserve front page space on the VP. A bunch of "me" veterans that don't bother to serve the country but instead serve themselves with trivial excuses and spin.....all 35? of them. Geeesh, are their any more NObama stories the VP would like to share? This really getting to be sickening.

I'm retired military, supported McCain in 2000 when he was Bushwhacked in South Carolina by Karl Rove, and respect McCain's service to our country. I've even had the pleasure of meeting him in person. But this election is not about the past; it's about the present and the future. Veterans, like all Americans, are being hurt by government policies that favor the rich and the interests of the oil-company lobbyists over the interests of the average American, policies that McCain wants to continue. The lives of over 4,000 of America's finest young people have been squandered in an unnecessary war; tens of thousands of others will be physically and emotionally scarred for life. McCain wants to continue that war for another 100 years. As veterans we should be appalled at this senseless waste of lives and the hundreds of billions of dollars we've poured down this seemingly bottomless pit. When you vote, vote for your children and grandchildren, not for our dreams of the past.

And I'm also from the same state at Senator Obama. Didn't like him as a State Senator for his Socialist ideations and I sure as heck don't like him as a Presidential candidate.
The "mess" that needs cleaning...well, that's for them to clean. They abdicated their Constitutional duties and surrended to the President.

The "veterans" in this story are greatly misinformed. Senator McCain could have taken the politically easy course and just signed on to Senator Webb's bill in its initial form. But in the middle of a Presidential campaign, and at considerable political risk (he was hammered unfairly by VoteVets.org), McCain took a principled stand for the good of the country. He held out until the bill was revised to include transferability (the ability of a service member to transfer all or a portion of their benefit to a spouse or child after serving for more than one enlistment). By insisting on the inclusion of transferability, McCain accomplished two things: (i) Addressed the number one request of career service members regarding education; and (ii) ensured that the GI Bill would operate to help retain the young leaders necessary to maintain—and grow—the the all-volunteer force. Vets and the country should be thanking JSM for, once again, doing the right thing despite the personal political cost. Many of these claims in your story are just false. The AFL-CIO and other democrat groups are of course trying to slander John McCain’s record regarding veterans legislation. When they came out

As a veteran of the Army and Iraq I find your comment “It's about the candidate that's best for veterans” offensive. For one I served not for the benefits I served for my country. I can only assume you did not!! I want a president that is good for my country not one portion of it. You sir offend me and all real veterans. But of course this is just my opinion as you have yours.

McCain didn't necessarily "neglect veterans by opposing certain bills" He thought some of them were more expensive to the taxpayer, which was true. And that as they were written could have jeopardized the military services and still might. The benifits package were a political tool to try and make Bush/republicans look bad. As a retired veteran please seek support for your solcialist Democratic presidential candidate in some tiny little country like Iran!