Obama: I need to earn troops’ trust

Obama: I need to earn troops’ trust

Candidate lays out defense policies, touts his judgment over McCain’s, holds civilians accountable for missteps in Iraq
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 7, 2008 13:11:15 EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows that to win the vote of current and former military members and their families, he has to prove himself.

“Precisely because I have not served in uniform, I am somebody who strongly believes I have to earn the trust of men and women in uniform,” Obama said in a July 2 interview with Military Times as he contrasted his lack of service with that of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a Navy retiree and Vietnam veteran who has years of experience in Congress working on national security issues.

Video
• Watch segments of our interview with Obama

“I do not presume that from the day I am sworn in, every single service man or woman suddenly says, ‘This guy knows what he is doing,’” said Obama, a freshman U.S. senator from Illinois, in his most extensive interview to date on a wide range of military issues.
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