'Don't hope for a better life; vote for one'

From the morning e-mail ... The McCain campaign weighs in with a TV ad, called "Love," stressing the presumptive GOP nominee's record of national service; this ad makes for an interesting contrast to the Obama "The Country I Love" ad noted in a June 19 Opinion Blog post:

We released a new television ad this week highlighting John McCain's years of service to our country and his commitment to bringing real change as president. Please take a moment to watch this ad and pass it along to any friends and family who may be interested in watching.

As President of the United States, John McCain will always put his country first. He has done this his entire life. He has an enormous sense of responsibility and duty.

When John McCain was offered a chance to go home early from prison camp in North Vietnam, he refused and put America before his own self-interest. John McCain has consistently put his country before politics and party, and will do the same as president.

Please follow this link today and watch "Love" to learn a little more about John McCain's life and why he owes so much to our great country.

Comments?

Comments

[DanielC]

Cute... kinda gets me right there... in my wallet.

Look with every dollar he spends prior to the convention, he is breaking Federal Election Laws. So prior to even getting the official nod by the Bush/Cheney/McCain Republican Party elitist, he is taking the stand he is above the law.

We have had eight years of two gentlemen that consider every action they take to be above the law.

The reference to '68-'69 is cute how the message that kids in school that were protesting a war in SE Asia are less patriotic than someone that lost five multimillion dollar jets and was able to still keep flying because his dad was the Admiral is a total rewrite of history.

If he is banking this election on his military record, then release it. He and the Rep. Elites made such a fuss over Mr. Kerry's military record, but we don't hear squat from Rush, Lonesome Rhode, or the rest of the yak radio about McCain's unreleased records.

He has admitted many, many, many times and in the SC debate proved this multi-millionaire knows nothing about how to balance a checkbook much less the National Economy, which is not the Presidents job anyhow.

His most recent (just last week) voting record shows that he does not care for us. He is quoted as stating that the FISA 2008 Act is "of vital national security" and DID NOT vote. McCain made such a fuss over Obama when he was against the bill, but then McCain fails to show up to vote on what he stated was one of the more important things this session.

This greedy man is so wrong for what we need right now. He has no spine when it comes to the party. Look at his voting record. He is a Democrat in a Republican suit. And it's not me getting vocal about reaching across the isle. We need more reaching across the isle, we need to get rid of the "isle" and remember the people not the corporations elect the government.

Least we the people used to elect the governing class, till electronic voting came about, now it's anyone's guess. And who brought us touch-screen voting? Bush/Cheney and with that Diebold's CEO assured Mr. Bush that Ohio was his for the winning, and guess what? Amongst issues with the machines, he took Ohio.

In recent primary's these past few months, the machines we use without audit trails, have been found to miss count votes at the County level, while maintaining correct numbers at the Precinct level. This has only come to light where a PAPER AUDIT trail is in place. We have no paper trail in South Carolina.

Sorry, got off topic on the machines, it's a button of mine.

Denney, I love the blog, I like most everyone here even though we don't see eye to eye, but this McCain is McBush III and we can not afford four more years of this spineless corporate government.

Have a great day,
DanielC

[Denney Clements]

Glad you like the blog, Daniel. You have certainly done your part to make it interesting.

On McCain, you make generally valid points, but I, for one, do not doubt he is an authentic American hero. Gen. Clark may not have been wrong in saying that captivity alone is not a presidential qualification. But as former Vietnam-era cog in the awesome U.S. naval aviation machine (enlisted radar technician in a fighter squadron), I admire the guts, discipline and strength of mind McCain showed while in communist captivity. I believe that guts, discipline and strength ARE good characteristics in a president. You have to be tough to do the job well.

The other viable option for president in '08, Obama, does not seem to have these qualities -- witness his gutless turnabout on wiretapping of innocent Americans in the recent FISA bill vote.

I'm not yet saying I plan to vote for McCain. But all candidates in every presidential election have their liabilities; there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. The older I get, the more I lose patience with folks who expect a messiah for America to emerge from our political class. The politicians are ALL tainted, due to the compromise-oriented nature of the system, which for all its faults is still the best one devised by mankind. But right now, McCain is looking -- to me, at least -- like a good choice who won't be an extension of W. but his own man.

dc

[Dr. James E. Dunn]

My, My, McCain wants badly to stay in Iraq, but now Bush wants many of the troops to go to Afghanastan.

Very good strategy, John!

DrJED

[Richard L. Wolfe]

I may have to vote for McCain in fact I may have to vote straight republican. My reason is we cannot afford one party rule. I don't believe Obama or McCain will make a good president. However, I don't want to hear you did vote so you don't have a voice.

A war hero and a president. This is one of those classic apples and oranges comparisons. U.S. Grant was a hero to the North but a terrible and corrupt president.

[Denney Clements]

True, Richard, and Eisenhower was a hero of World War II and a good president. Military service per se is not a good predictor of whether a person could be a good president. All I'm saying is that McCain's grit is a point in his favor. Legislating does not prepare one for the presidency, either. Neither he nor Obama has executive experience. So in that sense, voters face a crap shoot in deciding who is better suited to govern.

dc

[DanielC]

I ain't happy with the crowd we got going to the chair this year either D or R.

I attempt to look at Baldwin, but get that cricket "chirp, chirp, chirp" sound from the campaign and associated website.

I attempt to look at Barr, and see something that is coming to a head, so to say, and start to get a "warm-n-fuzzy", but who knows that may be last night Mexician dinner coming back to haunt me.

You are correct in that we will not ever have a politico messiah out of the current two parties.

Let me interject another thought here. This one bothered me with Dr. Paul too. Being Prez is rough. Every one of um that have gone in office since I've been old enough to pay attention is grey and tired looking at the end of year two and clean up year 4 for re-election. But if they make it for eight years, they look like pooh.

Both Paul and McCain are 72+ years old. I don't care if McCain's ma is 160, her butt is not in the chair so it's an apples to nuts comparison for me.

Reagan was too old for office, but by the grace of God he made it the 1st term, then Bush I took over.

McCain needs to retire and go to his 8 homes and mow the grass, not attempt to balance the Federal Budget, which in 30 years as a Senator he has FAILED to achieve in the least bit.

Now I'll get off the soapbox.

DSC

[DanielC]

"...
I may have to vote for McCain in fact I may have to vote straight republican. My reason is we cannot afford one party rule. I don't believe Obama or McCain will make a good president. However, I don't want to hear you did vote so you don't have a voice.
..."

They won, the two party co-op won your vote with that statement. Your vote counts, at least to you, to whomever you think would best represent your core beliefs. You have to stay the tide and vote our heart not the MSM line.

DSC

[jeremy]

I think Winnie the Pooh still looks great!

[Denney Clements]

Daniel: I have been voting in presidential elections since 1964 and don't recall ever being happy with the choices available. I don't think the framers cared about happiness with candidates for president or Congress; they just wanted to create a system that prevented any one person or group amassing too much power and were stunningly successful in that endeavor. That's why I agree with your point about divided government. Forget personality and think strategically when voting; that's my motto.

dc