As a career serviceman, I'm a bit bemused by all the importance that gets placed on a candidate's military record.  What really stuns me is that the nation puts the greatest importance on factors that do the least in measuring executive ability.  Further, we forget to put experience in the context of time.  If I'm applying for a management position in the business world, what I did 3 years ago is only marginally relevant, and what I did 3 decades ago is the hallmark of a pathetic resume.  If the experience offered won't fly in business, why should it fly in picking the president?

Just now topping The New York Times' web site is a report from Afghanistan with the scare headline:

"AFGHAN WAR ESCALATES WITH WORST TALIBAN RAID IN 6 YEARS."

The story opens:" Taliban insurgents mounted their most serious attacks in six years of fighting in Afghanistan over the last two days, including a coordinated assault by at least 10 suicide bombers against one of the largest American military bases in the country, and another by about 100 insurgents who killed 10 elite French paratroopers."

Off with your tin-foil hats, lefties.  Bush ain’t gonna find sanctuary in Paraguay no more.  It’s his own fault really, because he failed to put freedom and democracy on the march down there.  It’s hard work to be President.  So many wars; so little time.

Alright, you may see this a just a rant, but I am simply sick and tired of hearing the term "commander in chief"!  I am sick and tired of framing our national conversation in terms of national security, then framing national security in terms of military might, then framing our leaders in terms of who has the biggest balls to use that might!  

We spend more money on our military than every other nation in the world combined!  We stage a military presence in 70% of the world's countries.  Yet we seem to be the only country running off the cliff to fight 2 wars, threaten a third (Iran) and  fourth (Korea) and now perhaps a fifth (Russia).  Who knows, Nigeria and who knows where else are just around the corner.  

My lovely girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to attend the 50th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show yesterday, and I would like to dedicate this diary to admiration, respect, and gratitude for all of the brave men and women of our Armed Services.

The air show put on by the U.S. Navy in Chicago yesterday was truly a sight to behold..more on the flip.

There it is again!  McCain questions Obama's judgment.  It was a  drum beat on NPR today.  It is ridiculous.  George Lakoff must be screaming about it and I am unable to resist  ranting here!  How does he question Obama's judgment?   John McCain is promising that he can bring us victory!  Yup, for the first time in world history if we elect this man he will bring us victory in the occupation of another country!  He did not tell us what that meant.  Incidentally, he framed it as a "war".  But GWB declared the war over some years ago.  We are into an occupation.  Just a while ago we had an increase in our occupying forces.  The people who said the war was over some time ago called this increase in troop levels a "surge".  Today John McCain said that Obama lacks judgment because he still fails to acknowledge the success of the surge.  These are the front lines of the framing wars and Lakoff has warned us about them.  It seems that the warning that we can only lose the debate by accepting their framing still needs to be understood.  Look below the break and let's try again.

I am no writer, but I am going to try to offer my perspectives on the state of our republic. When do we begin to discuss the issues that will shape the future? President Bush was a figurehead that read the teleprompter and could repeat simple phrases. We need to campaign against the Republican Party, not against Bush. He is not worth it.
We need to examine the policies advocated by Republicans and the obvious failures of Republican government. At first glance, the word "incompetence" comes to mind Remember Katrina?  How is that balanced budget going? The War on Drugs? How about deregulation of the financial industry? How is that working for us? Deregulation of the airlines, good idea? Food safety? Foreign Policy? Would the Republicans prefer more or less democracy? Why does The United States hold the most prisoners per capita, in the most profitable prisons in the world? If the leaders of the three main factions in Iraq were to admit to John McCain that The Surge worked, and the USA won the war, can the troops come home?
Who would replace Dick Cheney as Chief Executive in a McCain administration?
I want to see some discussion of ISSUES. The Repubs have a lot to answer for.

There is so much to write about!

John McCain, married to a filthy-rich heiress, a guy who owns like eleven houses throughout the world and doesn't pay taxes on them, has decided that His Big Thing is that he's gonna spend OUR money to "win" in Iraq.

Republican John McCain, addressing fellow veterans of foreign wars in Orlando today, is telling them that both he and Democratic rival Barack Obama plan to bring U.S. forces home from the war in Iraq - "the great difference is that I intend to win it first.''

Let's see, the world's lone superpower, the country that spends 50% of the world's military budgets combined, has just spent more years trying to "win" in Iraq than it took to win World War Two.

But McCain can do it.  He knows he can do it.  The different will be "HIM" at the helm!  What kind of monumental, psychopathically monstrous EGO does this man have?

President Bush and his minions vowed to continue to pummel Russia with strong words and harsh rhetoric over that country's continued occupation of Georgia. "It worked against them Democratics down in Congress, so I reckon it'll work against ol' Putie," the President said to a confused group of scouts visiting the White House.

This was initially going to be a comment on TomP's diary, but I decided to expand...

I think McCain would be a lousy president, but, as he is running for office in the 21st century, is doomed to have his statements gone over with a fine tooth comb by everyone with access to The Google and wikipedia.  Such is politics.

However, I am leery of hitting him on this.  Yes, maybe it's a lie put together by his handlers.  But there is a history of false memories among vets that needs to be added to the context here.

Here's an interview I recently did that I thought might raise some good discussion here.

Getting past all the meaningless political talk it gets hard to really make sense of what just occurred in the Georgia-Russian war. We all know the superficial details as they have been presented, Georgia first invaded Ossetia to re establish it's dominion over what was originally a part of its sovereignty. Ossetia is on record stating its preference to Russian rule. So Georgia invades and things are going as planned when Russia counter invades with an over whelming force. A force apparently waiting for a Georgian invasion of Ossetia. The USA has been reported to have actually encouraged the Georgian incursion. The USA, Israel and a few other nations have been training and supplying arms to the Georgian military. Russia after repelling Georgian troops in Ossetia then continues on into Georgia itself.

on this media matters sight at j. corsi discussing with Hannity supposed legislation B. Obama supported that would allow after birth abortions, and I mean that literally, you have a baby, freshly born, and Obama wants you as a mother to be able to kill it.
    Heres the link again, I edited the diary from yesterday to add info as I got called out on what the hell I was raving about.
http://mediamatters.org/...
  Go see it, all the info you need is right there, I am not going to rehash it up for you.

We have two theaters of occupations of others in destroyed countries, destroyed by us, one in continuing destruction from others before to us now and our broken promises of helping to rebuild as that theater grows more dangerous, the other totally destroyed on the trumped up lies of a twisted ideology of a few, tens of thousands dead and maimed, millions living as refugee's, billions of dollars wasted, stolen, lost in the machine of war profitteering, soldiers serving mutiple tours in both, families of same scraficing as a nation that is not moves along, most not caring what is happening In Their Names.

We call this "The War On Terror" and in the seven years these conflict theaters have been raging all we've created are the hatreds that will feed the ranks of the criminal terrorists leading to damaged National Securities around the globe and more theaters of death, destruction and occupations.

The sub title of this 'War On Terrorism' has been sold to all as a clash of twisted religious ideologies, a 'Religious War', on all sides. Those war hawks supporting and pushing these ideologies, few of them fighting, define everything about these clashes with political and religious labels, those opposed are left to define in same manner.

Glad to be out and about on a Friday night just like the young 'uns for once we went to see Tropic Thunder with Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Ben Stiller.  In the first ten minutes the move tried to dramatize a soldier getting his hands blown off, making fun of person with a disability (stuttering), and then disparaging the life of a child, a son.  We walked out.

Roger Ebert gives this movie a 4.5 out of 5, it was supposed to be a fun good movie, but I don't get using troops being eviscerated and getting their hands blown off as something I'm just supposed to casually accept as make-believe, I won't do it.  I don't know why, but I was wearing my Netroots for the Troops t-shirt I got in Austin tonight.

The REPUBLICAN congressional years 1994 - 2006 (and 2000-2008 President Bush years) will be remembered for all they've accomplished...

Seven year war in Afghanistan, 5 year war in Iraq with close to 660 billion dollars spent, part of which we now owe China to pay for them.

North Korea, Iran and now Russia, are all greater powers then before the GOP took control of government. Pakistan with nukes is about to lose their (U.S. picked) leader. China is now listed as having the most manufacturing companies in the world.

Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

MoveOn.org presents this production with a desire to seek donations.  This self-proclaimed "Progressive" organization hopes to advance the Democratic candidate, and look for dollars to do so.  In essence, MoveOn would wish the public to think that if we advocate for Barack Obama then the Party platform will be fulfilled.  As one who does not necessarily see these two entities as equivalent, I offer this audio-visual presentation more as a tool to inform than a request for a contribution.  

As well as the Georgians recently leaving for obvious reasons what is happening with the rest of the Coalition of the willing.

In UK Daily Telegraph (right wing and with good links to Military establishment) is running a story with saying UK forces will be down from 4,500 to a "few hundred" by mid 2009.

Majority of British troops out of Iraq by spring

More on Brits and others below the fold.