http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080225/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_2;_ylt=Ah6R41u4DH87R3mXQGmpzfRg.3QA

I give McCain credit for sticking to his guns even in the face of criticism ... but he's right. It's a deal-breaker for many of us.

Winston S. Churchill was shown the door after WWII by an ungrateful public who didn't want to be reminded of the war they'd just narrowly won.

If Mr. McCain loses, at least he loses fighting the good fight....against terror.

Herb

There are those that think we're fighting an imaginary enemy. Yes, there are terrorists, but their ability to do the kind of damage that prompts us to spend $800 Billion to prevent is IMAGINARY.

There is no terror threat at home that can best the threats of other Americans here (drunk drivers) and a smart president will be able to keep overseas terrorists at bay for a few billion bucks.

So Skeptical, your willing to tell the parents of a child killed in a terrorist attack, well, thats too bad, but we just didn't w3nt to spend the money to stop it.

Of course he is, think about who you are asking

Hey, that's not really the implication on the table.

It's not about not wanting to spend the money. That's not even up for discussion. EVERYBODY wants to deal with terror.

We can't have a war on it, because it's an idea --a tactic. Those things do not die with people. They are not things we can kill or blow up.

All we can do is make sure doing them is absolutely not worth it. That's winning right there. That means killing people, blowing things up, and all that other rather obvious and easy military stuff.

However, it also means political and economic attacks as well. If we are doing the right things, for the right reasons, the world will be with us.

Spending the money in a way that's gonna impact terror is the point of discussion. So far, that's not really been the case, as our largely military policy has not diminished terror all that much, if at all.

In fact, there is a pretty damn strong case for us being weaker on terror, right now, as a result of our poor efforts in this area.

Remember, Iraq was about the OIL, not terror. Now it's about terror, but not because we meant for that to be the case, or them. It's about terror now because we mangled the occupation, rebuilding and support element.

The war was won. Saddam is gone, government toppled, and that's that. And that was not a war on terror, but a war on Iraq --OIL related.

We are spending a ton on securing OIL. And we are having to deal with an angry Iraqi people and their new terrorist friends. Friends we set the stage to be available and where we provided a very strong motivation to get involved with them.

And that really sucks huge. It's hard to imagine us doing much worse in Iraq.

Right now, it's very difficult to talk to those parents. We have to tell them we have really not done all that good of a job and that it's costing us a lot in terms of people, dollars and world leadership potential.

We need to tell them it can change for the better, but that's gonna take an election to resolve so that we can get past the personal character failings of this administration.

It's gonna be really tough to tell them we were united both as a nation and with most of the world that matters after 911. It was a key time where the expectation was that finally the strong Americans would deal with this and that expectation was held high.

At that time there was little that we could have asked for that we would not have gotten.

What happened?

This administration exploited it instead. Instead of bringing strength and unity to bear on a common problem, they managed the fear, cultivated it --continue to cultivate it to this very day, so that their agenda may see greater success.

That's not really a great conversation to have right now. I wouldn't feel good about it, and I strongly suspect most people would share that feeling.

Maybe it's just easier to lie. Don't know.

On the positive side, we can tell them that much of the world is waiting for us to sort that stuff out! We can also tell them that most all Americans are totally committed to dealing with terror -eliminating it if we can.

There is every indication that we can still have that support we had after 911. There exists strong motivations to solve the problem, despite all the trouble we've had.

That's good stuff. It's gonna happen soon, rendering these lame emotional barbs largely moot.

That is the main reason why I would NEVER be caught dead voting for MCcain, I want the war over with. No matter if we leave now or in 10 years, nothing will change! Get the troops out and don't vote for Mccain. Id rather vote for the Huckster than Mccain.

The problem of terror is not a GOP only thing, as in , elect them, or lose.

Not true at all. Stupid to even think that.

Terror is a global problem --an American problem now too. That's all of us, not just some of us.

Everybody wants to deal with it. The only discussion on the table is how that is best done.

If McCain loses it will be because the American people are wanting a new approach to the problem and nothing else.

"So Skeptical, your willing to tell the parents of a child killed in a terrorist attack, well, thats too bad, but we just didn't w3nt to spend the money to stop it."

Everyday we're already telling kids "your mommy was killed by a drunk driver and that drunk will be out of jail and on the road again in 5 years (no doubt to terrorize kids again).

So Nwokie, go SCARE someone else with your BS.

SCARE! TERROR! BE AFRAID!

Nwokie's been watching to much FAUXNews....

Some people need something to be afraid of. Having "the enemy" --and it really does not matter so much what / who that enemy is, brings some focus and clarity.

You see, it's easier to avoid the hard work of actually dealing with democracy. Instead of dealing with people, having some tolerance and taking the time to think critically, these neeple (needy people) prefer just falling back on being dictated to.

Being led has it's advantages! Really!

For one, there is a solid way to squelch tough opinions. Having a platform to leverage is good too, particularly for those morality issues to be legislated.

All that's gotta happen is play the fear card huge, then the morality issues just come along for the ride! This is GOP 101.

Everybody that has an issue: bigot, racist, class snob, martyr, zealot, etc... has something for them in the GOP. Combined, that's a lot of people.

Never mind their conflicts! Never mind the simple truth of these things being personal issues that have NO BUSINESS in the law.

Just push forward and get some gratification!

That's your perfect value voter. For the value voter, they've got something they want / need so badly to happen, they will pay any price.

And the GOP is right there to dangle that hope in exchange for a vote.

Sad.

"Some people need something to be afraid of."

What a pathetic attempt to ignore the wanton slaughter of 3,000 innocent Americans on 9/11.

Terror is real. Deal with it, or be prepared to lose in the Autumn with the rattle of an enemy sabre. Americans want to be safe and don't want a commander in chief who waves away those who would take us down.

Come to think of it, keep your head in the sand. It'll make it that much easier for those who realize what we're dealing with.

Herb

No, not be afraid, just make sure the bad guys pay for it, so that anyone else will think about it before trying.

911 and Pearl Harbor had about the same number of American deaths.

You all miss the point of this thread.

The majority of the public want the war in Iraq to end and since McCain has no plans to do that, he will lose.

Obama is winning because he is the only candidate to never have supported the war.

Exactly!

Of course terror is real! I seriously doubt you will encounter anyone that matters who will tell us otherwise.

That's probably the number one reason why we need to de-escalate Iraq. It's sapping our strength and has sharply limited our global good will.

We need those things to deal with terror.

And as Radioblogman points out, most people want Iraq to be over and done with. I don't like calling it a war, because it just isn't.

We won that. It's over.

Now, we are failing at standing the new Iraq up. That's different. And in that failure, we lose strength and terror grows there.

I want to deal with it. In my personal life I have. Now all that is needed is for the GOP to get outta the way, so that the nation can actually deal with it, instead of exploiting it.

And that's why Grandpa Mc (about to need a ) Cain is gonna lose huge. Old-school, same old, same old doesn't cut it anymore. We've seen plenty of that. Doesn't work, costs us way too much (both lives and dollars), and is making the problem worse.

Do you think the chant at the GOP convention this year will be:

"100 more years, 100 more years"!!

No! It will be more like....

DUHbya's gone! DUHbya's gone!

We can FINALLY repair our broken party.

What else can it be at this point?

They sure can't run on the economy. Education kind of sucks, with lots of kids left behind. New jobs are a plus, but only if you count baristas and launderers.

Hard to talk about family values with all the outings and sex scandals. Not to mention how many times most of them have been married.

Heck, one story this morning is all about how they are trying to avoid appearing racist or bigoted. (Hint: It would help significantly to just not be racists or bigots, but that's just me, I suppose.)

God in the white house is a non-starter too. Sure, that gets the 23 percenters, for the most part, but then everybody else is gonna ask lots of ugly questions about that.

Pro-life will resonate, but really it's not an election issue. Lump in the anti-gay, flag burning, god, gays, girls, guns and the usual voters will vote. That set is shared with the 23 percenters too, so not a huge gain.

And they are in huge ass trouble ethics wise. With all the resignations over corruption or sexual issues, that's ugly and very difficult to play well with having to always push to legislate their crimes away.

FISA and FEAR have a shot at getting immunity through, but it's gonna cost them with a growing number of people wanting simple accountability.

They've no trust. Too many lies --and Iraq is a huge black eye there. Costing a ton too. Right there, front and center.

Can't run on being fiscally conservative either. The national debt is through the roof, and it's on their watch.

Ideological conflicts, and the very real risk of turning off the 23 percenters means promoting feel good social programs won't get a net voter gain, plus they've proven not to be able to execute these. (always under funded, or end up being a corporate handout)

And look at the field of losers they posted up!

Huckabee -- Dominionist NutBag

Ron (Childeren of the Corn) Paul -- and they don't even like him all that much.

Grandpa McCain -- Total wuss. Let Bush throw him under the bus, and is still loyal, like an abused dog.

Fred "The Sleeper" Thompson -- !!!

Rudy "Feels like a woman" Guilanni -- He's so hosed up, I think he only got 1 delegate and spent 50 million or something.


And the beauty of it is, they more or less gotta run with the basic idea that we will get more of the "good stuff" we got from the Resident, yet try and hide him at the same time. Have fun with that.

If they try and pitch real change, well isn't that Obama? Have fun with that too!

That 'total wuss' gave 5.5 agonizing years of his life in a Vietnamese prison so you could call him names.

Herb

He's a wuss now.

I'm sure he was not then. There is a difference.

The guy I see now is kind of a wuss. Sorry, but if he had any real measure of self-respect, he would not be doing what he is doing right now.

I proudly salute the brave Navy pilot who served with distinction. Unfortunately, McCain's tragic experience is not being recognized as a separate and honorable part of his record of achievements and service.

It was a great sacrifice, but it is not an excuse for well over 5.5 years of being an unapologetic lapdog for the shrub, it is not an excuse for his involvement in the Keating scandal, and it is not an excuse for his stance on the Geneva Conventions.

It is simply illogical to support a war -- and interrogation methodology -- that is so similar to the conflict that caused him so much suffering. As an abused child and a victim of severe torture, there is something troubling about his thinking that must be recognized.

Neither one of us is worthy to tie his shoes.

John McCain is a great American. The left doesn't realize how much voters dislike their heros being mocked.

The sheer fact that you call him names reveals how afraid the left is of Mr. McCain.

Herb

Hero worship?

Wow, I dig it, yeah, run with that idea. Forget all about substance, and make it all about image. If the cape and the tights make the candidate, then I am voting for Linda Carter. I like it, another President Carter.

I like everyday heroes the most. Like say a fellow who organized communities, registered many thousands of voters, defended civil rights, and served the great people of Illinois with distinction. Someone who has earned a fine legislative record in the Senate during record filibusters.

It is about the issues, not comic book legends. It is about the reality of what the next four years has in store, and the ideas to make this country strong. I guess I am gonna have to disappoint both her and John. Only Obama has the ability to unite us to rebuild this country.

I'm not afraid of the guy.

I just don't think he's the right guy to lead the nation. Part of that judgment is his character, right now today.

It's not mocking. It's a rational characterization of his overall character, which I do not see as being all that strong.

Everybody gets old, everybody changes, everybody has their issues and these often vary over time.

That puts his service then into a different context when talking about his potential service now.

I agree with Herb, McCain is a great American and a true war hero, but his support for the Iraq war dooms him. If he would say, "I will bring them home soon," he would win my vote.

I think that everyone here respects his service. I thought about him in 2000, because he was a moderate and a decorated Veteran. The new 21st century John McCain may be just as heroic, and frankly unscrupulous, but he is far less principled. He has lost himself. I believe that his decisions show a certain bent that is either partisan pressure, signs of pathology, or both.

The sheer fact that you call him names reveals how afraid the left is of Mr. McCain.

It doesn't look good for my guy.....