Neither does John McCain.
[shrug] Not the sort of courage we need in a POTUS, who is never even allowed to risk his own life.
The last combat veteran we had for POTUS was Bush I. Looking back, there is no reason to think the experience made him a better POTUS. The greatest president of the past century was FDR, and he never could have done military service, yet his courage was equal to the task. Lincoln fought in maybe one or two Indian-War battles and he was the bravest president we’ve ever had.
Not quite true - I thought he got polio fairly late in life, long after he would have been in the military in any case.
But any party whose leaders were Bush II and Cheney would have to be pretty hypocritical to bring this up - so I expect it.
They’re not running. Bush’s lack of experience may not have mattered when Bush was running against Gore, who also didn’t have any (from a practical standpoint), but McCain has it and Obama doesn’t. So expect to hear plenty about it.
For those who give a shit, this was easy to predict in 2004. Which I did. How amazing!
-Joe
Except that if you think Bush and Cheney did good jobs as commanders in chief then experience can’t be that necessary, and if you think experience is necessary then they did rotten jobs.
Not that I’m convinced that being a fighter jockey and a prisoner show military leadership skills. Bravery and heroism, yes, but heroism doesn’t correlate to leadership ability.
Something can be good without being necessary. And you know what they say about “a foolish consistency.”
To tell the truth, I’m not nearly as worried as the mud the official republican party will try but the e-mails full of lies that will get forwarded around. People hear McCain call Obama a socialist, and they think it’s just a politican trying to get votes. If they get an e-mail from their friend that Obama is a terrorist, well, why would my friend lie to me?
The Evangelical Lutherans and the Episcopalians aren’t mainline?
But you’re right about the broader point, you probably won’t see much of it this time - it was a wedge issue, using state constitutional amendments as a vehicle, to get anti-Kerry voters out in 2004. Even if the “Massachusetts liberal” approach would be appropriate this time, the backlash is past and the acceptance is growing to where it might well be a counterbacklash this time.
But look for the old “ultraliberal, far-left, loony, anti-freedom” warhorses to be trotted out once again.
If you don’t for McCain, scary brown people are going to attack us and you’re going to DIE, DIE, DIE I TELL YOU!
He’ll raise your taxes
You’ll be waiting in line to see a doctor you don’t even know because his system is just like Canada’s.
He wants to take away your guns.
He’s going to force us to accept gay marriage.
He’s going to replace all of Gideon’s Bibles in hotels with the Koran.
He’s going to outlaw the Pledge of Allegiance.
He’s going to surrender to terrorists.
He’s going to make the entire population of Mexico US citizens.
He’s in favor of the designated hitter.
He’ll make the US subservient to the United Nations.
He’ll appoint judges who will make abortions mandatory.
He’ll take In God We Trust off our coins and replace it with Allah Akbar
He’ll put racial quotas everywhere.
He’ll disband the army.
Did you know his middle name is Hussein?
That’s what he wants you to think! It’s actually “Fidel”!
You mean apart from being an officer, commanding men in combat?
Regards,
Shodan
He was a pilot, he didn’t “command men in combat.”
His status as an officer is about as relevant as Obama being president of the Harvard Law Review.
ETA You know who DID command men in combat? John Kerry.
You know who didn’t? GWB.
Guess you’ll have to find a different angle.
He was a squadron commander. Cite.
Do you really not know this stuff, or is the comeback going to be “commanders don’t command”?
Regards,
Shodan
McCain was indeed a Commanding Officer, but as Dio said, he never led men in combat. While his leadership record in Jacksonville, Florida is fairly impressive, it was not Hanoi.
Do you really not know this stuff?
One they might not have the balls to use, would be something simple and straightforward- ‘who do you want to be your President, John Sidney McCain or Barack HUSSIEN Obama?’. McCain should definitely start referring to him by all three of his names, just for any possible subliminal effect 
Well, at least we would then be able to infer that he doesn’t have any hidden weapons of mass destruction.
He was a “commander” the way that Obama was a “president.”