BRUDNO: Veterans don't forget

I am an American. I am a Vietnam Combat Veteran. I am a Republican. My heritage is French, Irish and Native American. I have only one question. Should the political winds shift in an ugly direction where will Obama stand? "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" is the second book written by US Senator Barack Obama. It was the number three bestseller on The New York Times nonfiction list as of October 2006. The book represents Obamas personal manifesto for his 2008 campaign for the presidency. A quote for your enlightenment. “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

The problem with asymmetrical warfare is the asymmetrical politics that surround it in the 21st century. The Democrats say they support the troops but not the war. Regardless of how they feel about the war, the opinions and statements of Kennedy, Murtha and Durbin should have never been allowed to reach the floor of the House or the Senate while are military was in combat. We are a nation in which civilians manage the military. Our military cannot criticize the decisions of President or the Congress in response to such hubris. From Obama, Reid and Pelosi, nothing but exquisite silence when our troops returning from Iraq were denied use of the facilities in the Oakland Airport and the town of Berkeley endorsing the harassment of our troops at the USMC recruiting station. This is the same type of "patriotism" that left the scars of blame on the souls of returning Vietnam Veterans. The Vietnam Veterans will hand off their heritage and experiences to this new group of Iraq Veterans. If history is an indicator, this new group won't be as tolerant to the patronization of their patriotism. They will demand an "earn this" definition within their ranks and if not received, they pass on their knowledge of what 'supporting the troops but not the war really means' so that less and less of the next generation will take up the sword. Maybe that's what the spitting patriots of the 1960's want. There are some who still Vietnam POW bracelets as a reminder of the patriotism of that era.

Let us not forget that, incredibly, there were veterans who voted for President William Jefferson Clinton, who dodged the draft not once but twice, said that he loathed the military, and led anti-war protests in this country and in London. If I remember correctly, even the American Legion supported President Clinton. When President Clinton went to the Vietnam Memorial after his first inauguration, a group of 1000 Vietnam veterans protested and turned their backs on the President when he rose to speak. However, protesters were placed at least a football field away from where the President was speaking and with a barrier set up between the two that most people were unaware of their protests. I still remember one political cartoon in The Washington Times which featured a young boy kneeling, with his hand on a name on the Wall, saying, "Dad, you'll never guess who is President of the United States."

Well said, the forced surrender in Nam is why the Democrats lost so many Presidential elections after the 60s, now they are trying to do the same thing in Iraq. The real big difference is that this time the enemy will come over here and attack us, this time the blood on the Democrats hands won't be third worlders but fellow American. There isn't enough soap to wash the Southeast Asian blood off their hands and there won't be enough to wash the American blood off their hands.

What exactly are we going to win in Iraq? Please don't tell me what the Iraqi's are "winning" on the backs of our dead. What do WE win? What 'victory' do WE get for our half a trillion dollars and counting?

What are we going to win in Iraq? Congress past the act allowing it. What were they supposed to win? It's like asking what were going to win when Congress past the biofuels legislation? Cleaner air? What we ended up with was a disruption of a food production system in equilibrium, a shift in the commodities market, a food shortage scare and higer food prices. We have made the decision right or wrong, what did you want to win?

So your answer is that once we've done something stupid we're condemned into perpetuity into continuing it? That seems an extremely poor reason to sacrafice more of the best our country has to offer and a ton of our money to boot. Same goes for the insanity with the biofuel legistation. No one willing to admit they f'd up on that one and repeal it? We need to undo the damage caused by the last 7 1/2 years of madness. Throwing our hands in the air and and shrugging our shoulders and continue to the beat of the same drum is like lemmings marching off a cliff. Iraq is now stable enough. Al Qeada is wiped out in Iraq. Staying to fight against militia's and taking sides in Iraq's internal disputes is a poor reason to get any more of our soldiers killed or spend anymore money we don't have. We should leave. Wish them the best, cross our fingers they don't turn on us (being the rabid anti-semites they are I'm not taking that bet) but don't count on it and go home.

Veterans have paid their dues and deserve the benefits they were promised. My wife and I have family members and friends who are Vietnam Veterans, but they do not have the same benefits, even though they served the same Nation. Senator McCain has voted against Veterans too many times, and again just recently by failing to show up to vote for the GI Bill. From what we understand he was at a fundraiser in California. We're ready to get more legislation for Veterans and military families passed that's been long overdue. Obama is the grandson of a WWII veteran who fought in Patton's army. His voting records shows a strong commitment to Veterans issues. Senator Obama appears to be one of the few politicians among Democrats and Republicans that remembers the Powell Doctrine. Senator Obama was the one asking the though questions during the recent Iraq hearing such as what is the definition of success, the Powell Doctrine requires a clear mission, but it remained silent during the 5th anniversary when Senator Obama confronted the panel. That's another reason for my Veterans for Obama sign, not the only one in Virginia. Last but not least, anti-Americanism has seen a return to the European theatre over the last couple of decades. This generation of Europeans no longer remembers the Marshall Plan. The generation that did has for the most part passed away. The United States has been losing the propaganda war in Europe. During Bill Clinton McDonalds branches were burned down, not in the middle east but in France, during Bush the graves of our soldiers in France were disrespected, and sympathy quickly turned into disgusting "jokes" after 9/11. Within two decades, hate has returned to Europe on a level we have not seen since WWII. I view this as a dangerous trend for the security of the European continent and that of the United States. The reason why Colin Powell addressed European leaders in 2004, to remind them of their responsibilities to ensure there will never be another war in Europe. Powell has complained about the State Department so many times but nothing changed. Given the fact we've been in the nuclear age for some time now, we need a President that can reverse this trend, like President Kennedy and President Reagan were able to do. Words do not mean nothing. They are more powerful in a propaganda war than any weapon. That's the experience I seek in the Commander-in-Chief today and the experience I was looking for when I voted for Reagan, as well as the requirements spelled out in the US Constitution. Senator Hagel would make an excellent Secretary of Defense or VP, another rare politician who remembers the Powell Doctrine. Like Lincoln said, a house divided...