Saturday, August 16, 2008

Master Of Shrugging Off Reality

PaddyMac is all gaga over McCain and his "tough guy" response to Russia's invasion of Georgia.

Paddy even dismisses that McCain's top foreign policy advisor is a PR mouthpiece for Georgia, and has for years been funneling money from Georgia to McCain. For this, McCain has been exceptionally friendly towards this small country.

We will look past the hypocrisy of McCain and the right, who criticize Russia for invading this sovereign nation, while they cheer Bush's invasion of Iraq, and encourage an invasion of Iran as well.

What we will look at is the fact that the military apparently isn't too keen on all of McCain's posturing. The fine men and women of our military apparently are all too aware of what the consequences are for this cowboy mentality. Not wanting anymore of the same kind of poor leadership and impulsive, reckless orders that they've had to deal with for the past six years in service of this country, they have been donating money by the fistfuls to Senator Obama. For every dollar a military person has donated to McCain, they have donated six to Obama's camp. That alone is pretty telling.

And if that wasn't clear enough, let us let some of the top military leaders clarify it:
It is not difficult in Washington to find high-level military officials who have had close encounters with John McCain's temper, and who find it worrisome. Politicians sometimes scream for effect, but the concern is that McCain has, at times, come across as out of control. It is difficult to find current or former officers willing to describe those encounters in detail on the record. That's because, by and large, those officers admire McCain. But that doesn't mean they want his finger on the proverbial button, and they are supporting Clinton or Obama instead.

"I like McCain. I respect McCain. But I am a little worried by his knee-jerk response factor," said retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004 and is now campaigning for Clinton. "I think it is a little scary. I think this guy's first reactions are not necessarily the best reactions. I believe that he acts on impulse."

"I studied leadership for a long time during 32 years in the military," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, a one-time Republican who is supporting Obama. "It is all about character. Who can motivate willing followers? Who has the vision? Who can inspire people?" Gration asked. "I have tremendous respect for John McCain, but I would not follow him."

"One of the things the senior military would like to see when they go visit the president is a kind of consistency, a kind of reliability," explained retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Republican, former chief of staff of the Air Force and former fighter pilot who flew 285 combat missions. McPeak said his perception is that Obama is "not that up when he is up and not that down when he is down. He is kind of a steady Eddie. This is a very important feature," McPeak said. On the other hand, he said, "McCain has got a reputation for being a little volatile." McPeak is campaigning for Obama.

So, given Paddy's posting on the matter, one must wonder: Why does Patrick McIlhern hate the troops?

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