NSA wiretapped Obama in 2004, proves congress is grandstanding again

Russ Tice, Bush-Era Whistleblower, Claims NSA Ordered Wiretap Of Barack Obama In 2004
The Huffington Post
By Nick Wing
Posted: 06/20/2013

Russ Tice, a former intelligence analyst who in 2005 blew the whistle on what he alleged was massive unconstitutional domestic spying across multiple agencies, claimed Wednesday that the NSA had ordered wiretaps on phones connected to then-Senate candidate Barack Obama in 2004.

Speaking on "The Boiling Frogs Show," Tice claimed the intelligence community had ordered surveillance on a wide range of groups and individuals, including high-ranking military officials, lawmakers and diplomats.

"Here's the big one ... this was in summer of 2004, one of the papers that I held in my hand was to wiretap a bunch of numbers associated with a 40-something-year-old wannabe senator for Illinois," he said. "You wouldn't happen to know where that guy lives right now would you? It's a big white house in Washington, D.C. That's who they went after, and that's the president of the United States now."
read more here

Romney has a "specific" problem

Romney has a "specific" problem
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
August 21, 2012


I don't like political emails from either side. I usually hit delete unless it involves veterans.

At first I thought this was some kind of yet another political attack against Romney coming from the opposition but I followed where the article came from and found it on USA Today.

Linked from Daily Kos is this.

Romney, Ryan fault Obama on Afghanistan
By Jackie Kucinich
USA TODAY
Aug 20, 2012

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, criticized President Obama Monday for his handling of the war in Afghanistan during a town hall-style event here that offered a rare opportunity during this campaign season to talk about the ongoing conflict.

"I have a very pressing question to ask you," the man said. "If you guys take over Washington, what are you going to do about this damn mess in Afghanistan?"

Romney, who has been critical of the president for not defining the mission of the war in Afghanistan, pledged to "communicate to the American people" about the cause and goals of any conflict while troops are in harm's way.

"I can tell you this, when I become commander in chief if I'm so lucky, I will address the American people about these issues," which Obama has not done, Romney said. "With regards to Afghanistan, I will do everything in my power to transition from our military to their military as soon as possible, bring our men and women home and do so in a way consistent with our mission, which is to keep Afghanistan from being overrun by a new entity that would allow Afghanistan to be a launching point for terror again like it was on 9/11."
read more here

Let's get honest here. No one running for office of any kind knows everything about everything. Romney isn't even aware that Obama does have plans for Afghanistan and even has a date to get the troops back home. While it would be wonderful if he also had a plan to stop Afghans from pretending to be on the troops side then blowing them away would be a great thing to do, Romney either lied or didn't know. That is why they hire experts on every subject to advise them. Case in point is when President Obama was running for office, he was well aware of military suicides because he had an advisor telling him what was going on. He traveled very quietly to the Montana National Guard because of what they were doing to address suicides.

Spc. Chris Dana's story told to Obama by step brother
August 28, 2008

Stepbrother tells guardsman's story to Obama
Helena soldier took his own life after tour of duty in Iraq
By LAURA TODE
Of The Gazette Staff

Montana National Guard Spc. Chris Dana will never know the impact his life and ultimately his death may someday have on the lives of veterans nationwide.

Dana took his life in March 2007, less than two years after returning from a tour in Iraq. His family believes he was a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder, brought on by his combat experience.

Since Dana's death, his stepbrother Matt Kuntz has campaigned for more awareness of the costs of untreated post-traumatic stress syndrome in Iraq war veterans.

Wednesday, he was invited to meet with Sen. Barack Obama to share the message he's been spreading statewide for more than a year. At a quiet picnic table at Riverfront Park, Obama sat across from Kuntz, his wife, Sandy, and their infant daughter, Fiona.

I was very impressed he knew that at the time, the Montana National Guard had the best program going on. It was my job to know since I track all of this across the country focusing on Combat PTSD and military suicides. I couldn't figure out how Obama knew. Then it dawned on me that he had found the right experts to find out what was going on. He was also on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee proving he did care. After all his Grandfather was a veteran.

There is no way anyone could know without getting the right advice. That seems to be Romney's biggest problem. He isn't specific about anything. He is smart of he wouldn't have made so much money. So how can this smart guy with a lot of money fail when it comes to getting advice on what he should do to straighten out all the problems this country has. It is not that Romney is new to how things get done since he's been running for President over and over again. Does he even know Ryan's budget calls for the VA budget to be cut by $11 billion? Or that it also calls for privatizing it?

If he does have a plan then the voters need to know what it is specifically! If he doesn't have plans for all of this mess, then voters need to know especially this close to the day they have to decide who should run this country next. If Romney hasn't hired the right people to advise him after all this time, who will he hire if he gets the job he's going after? Will it be more of the same of either bad advice or no advice at all?

President Elect Obama's last day as senator

Obama says thanks on last day as senator
President-elect Barack Obama said "a very affectionate thanks" to the people of Illinois in a letter published Sunday in newspapers across his home state. Several Illinois Democrats have been mentioned as possible Senate replacements for Obama. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is assembling a panel to look over likely candidates. full story

Obama's Nev. campaign director dies at 44

Family: Obama's Nev. campaign director dies at 44
By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer

Monday, November 3, 2008


A family spokesman says the Nevada campaign director for Barack Obama's campaign and a former top aide to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has died at 44.

Family spokesman Basil Smikle said Monday that Terence Tolbert died of a heart attack Sunday in Las Vegas.
click post title for more

Obama's grandmother dies hours before election

Obama's grandmother dies hours before election
Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died following a bout with cancer, Obama and his sister said today. She was 86. Obama, who spoke about his grandmother often on the stump, left the campaign trail for two days in late October to visit Dunham in Hawaii. developing story

Political Storm Finds a Columbia Professor

Political Storm Finds a Columbia Professor
By MARC SANTORA and ELISSA GOOTMAN
Rashid Khalidi, a passionate defender of Palestinian rights, has found himself portrayed as part of a rogues’ gallery of Barack Obama associates.

He was an adviser to the Palestinian delegation during Middle East peace talks from 1991 to 1993. From 1987 until 2003, he was a professor at the University of Chicago, where he became friends with Mr. Obama.

At Mr. Khalidi’s farewell party in 2003, according to the Los Angeles Times article, Mr. Obama fondly recalled their many conversations, saying they provided “consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases.” But Mr. Khalidi told Harper’s Magazine that a report in National Review Online that he had baby-sat for Mr. Obama’s children was nonsense

click link for more but I have a feeling if you're reading this blog, you won't feel any need to. It's a lot more of nothing from McCain and Palin. You could ask McCain why the same man received a boat load of money from the board McCain is the chair of, but I doubt you would get an answer.

Veterans and Military Families for Progress Endorses Barack Obama

Veterans and Military Families for Progress Endorses Barack Obama ...
MarketWatch - USA
WASHINGTON, Oct 29, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- By vote of the Board of Directors, Veterans and Military Families for Progress ( http://www.vmfp.org/) proudly endorses Senator Barack Obama in the upcoming United States presidential election. Founded in 2005, VMFP is dedicated to ensuring that the rights and needs of veterans, those currently serving (including national guard and reservists), and their families are understood by the American public, endorsed by our elected officials, and protected by legislation, regulation, and public policy initiatives.

As the grandson of a veteran of World War II, his appreciation of veterans' issues is underscored not by words but by actions. He serves on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has shown leadership by introducing several non-partisan bills, some of which have been enacted into law, for the benefit of veterans. He shares the values of our military forces, and fights to ensure our forces are well-rested and properly equipped. Of particular interest to VMFP, Senator Obama shows superior support for veterans' "coming home" issues such as accessible physical and mental health care, expanded educational benefits and job opportunities, and reduction of homelessness and suicide within the ranks of America's veterans.

From his days as head of Harvard's Law Review to the moment he entered the Senate, Obama's leadership to our country has been recognized. His superior commitment to the issues that are critical to veterans, those serving, and their families is unsurpassed by other candidates in this election. His public support for full funding of the Veterans Administration and his declared determination to provide for the establishment of a national veterans and military family policy give veterans and their families hope -- hope that at long last a president will support veterans in such a way as to honor the sacred trust of those who have served and sacrificed.
click link for more

Obama wants all military votes to count, even though most will go to McCain

Obama has been part of all the changes for the better in the VA and sits on the Veterans Affairs Committee. He has a higher rating from the service organizations for supporting veterans spending bills and legislation. He wants the military honored for their service and used as if they were of value to this nation instead of simply expendable and he wants the veterans taken care of. Now this. Yet with all of this what does he receive in return? Too many in the military are still supporting McCain just because he says he support them and veterans but his record proves he does not when it comes to actually doing it. Compare his record to Obama and you'll know who really supports the military and the veterans.

Obama camp wants every military vote counted

By Rick Maze - Staff writ
Posted : Wednesday Oct 29, 2008 12:06:36 EDT

The Barack Obama campaign is urging state election officials to make an extra effort to count all military absentee votes, even though most of those votes might be expected to support the Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

In an Oct. 27 letter to the top election officials in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Robert Bauer, general counsel for the Obama for America organization, asks states to make an extra effort to count absentee ballots cast by service members.

The letters come despite recognition by senior Obama campaign officials that many military voters —possibly a majority of military voters — are more likely to vote for Republican presidential candidate Arizona Sen. John McCain rather than Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois.

“A military voter who is timely registered with the state and has submitted his or her federal write-in absentee ballot by the state’s deadline should be in no doubt that their vote will be counted,” Bauer says in the letters.

One state already has had a legal battle over military ballots. Virginia election officials initially balked at accepting federal write-in ballots because the federal form omits one piece of information required under state election laws — the address of the people witnessing the voter signing the ballot.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_obama_militaryvoters_102908w/

Shocking, CNN has a typo "Arizona senator trails McCain"

Meanwhile, a new poll of polls in Florida shows a similar story. The Arizona senator trails McCain by 4 points there, 49 percent to 45 percent. That gap is 3 points higher than it was earlier today and is largely due to a newly released survey from LA Times/Bloomberg showing McCain down 7 points in the state. The Florida poll of polls also includes surveys from Suffolk University and Reuters/Zogby.

Polls show McCain not making up ground in Ohio
Posted: 09:00 PM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

McCain is still trailing in Ohio.
(CNN) — John McCain does not appear to be making up ground in Ohio, the key battleground state that is crucial to keeping his White House hopes alive.
According to CNN's latest poll of polls of the state, the Arizona senator now trails Obama by 6 points there, 50 percent to 44 percent. That gap is two points wider than it was Monday and double what it was one week ago.
click link for more
Glad to see that I'm not the only one who does this. I do it all the time but hardly ever catch CNN doing it.

Barbara West Orlando TV Anchor asked Biden if Obama is a Marxist. Shame on her!

So much for everyone working together. Barbara West did the opening remarks at the Orlando VA ground breaking ceremony I attended. I posted about how wonderful it was that people from all sides came together for the sake of the veterans. It really was great that everyone there was there for the greater good. Now, after this question from West, whatever she had to say for veterans, now seems like empty words.

West quoted Karl Marx

"You may recognize this famous quote," West said. "'From each according to his abilities to each according to his needs.' That's from Karl Marx. How is Sen. Obama not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around?"

This quote came after even Greenspan admitted that this is what has to be done to fix the economy of this nation. While McCain fails to understand that greed is not good and fails to understand what any economist is talking about, people like West use great words from a polarizing figure instead of a beloved figure like Christ who said basically the same thing. Gee, wonder why she did that?

This whole interview was not an interview a journalist would do but one a political attack queen would do. If she really cared about the veterans as she claimed the other day when she was standing in front of all gathered for the ceremony to begin construction on the VA hospital, she would have mentioned the fact that McCain has been voting against the veterans all these years. His record speaks for itself.

This is from the AFLCIO

McCAIN HAS NOT DELIVERED ON HIS PROMISES TO VETERANS

Union members respect Sen. John McCain’s service to our country. When will he start respecting ours? Although McCain talks about his support for veterans, he repeatedly votes against increased funding for veterans’ health care—and more. We call on John McCain to join us in supporting our veterans and working to turn around America.

McCAIN REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST VETERANS’ HEALTH BENEFITS

McCain Opposes the 21st Century GI Bill Because It Is Too Generous. McCain did not vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses for those who have served at least three years since the 9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he thinks the generous benefits would “encourage more people to leave the military.” (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137, 5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/08; Boston Globe, 5/23/08; ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)

McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans’ Health Care. Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans’ health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans’ health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

Opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans’ Health Care. McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans’ health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans’ population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)

McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans’ Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)

Voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities. McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year. (S.Amdt. 2735 to S.Amdt. 2707 to H.R. 4297, Vote 7, 2/2/06)

McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)

McCain Voted in Support of Disabled Veterans Only 25 Percent of the Time from 2004-2005. While McCain claims he “has been a leading advocate” for veterans with disabilities, statistics show he supported the Disabled American Veterans’ interests only 25 percent of the time in 2004-2005. In 2006, that figure slipped to 20 percent of the time. (Project Vote Smart)

McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans. McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-ofliving adjustments for certain veterans’ benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)

INCLUDING BETTER ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR GUARD AND RESERVISTS

McCain Opposed Increasing Spending on TRICARE and Giving Greater Access to National Guard and Reservists. Although his campaign website devotes a large section to veterans issues, including expanding benefits for reservists and members of the National Guard, McCain voted against increasing spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts for the wealthy. (www.johnmccain.com/Informing/ Issues/9cb5d2aa-f237-464e-9cdf-a5ad32771b9f.htm; S.Amdt. 324 to S.C.R. 23, Vote 81, 3/25/03)

McCAIN ALSO VOTED TO OUTSOURCE JOBS AT MILITARY FACILITIES

McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs. McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)

He Also Supported Outsourcing at Walter Reed. McCain opposed an amendment to prevent the outsourcing of 350 federal employee jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—outsourcing that contributed to the scandalous treatment of veterans at Walter Reed that McCain called a “disgrace.” (S.Amdt. 4895 to H.R. 5631, Vote 234, 9/6/06; Speech to VFW in Kansas City, Mo., 4/4/08)

AND HE REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST FUNDING FOR THE VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

2003: McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)

2001: McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)

2000: McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)

1999: McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)

1996: McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)

1995: McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)

1995: McCain Voted Against Closing Tax Loopholes to Increase Veterans Funding by $74 Million. McCain voted against eliminating tax breaks and closing tax loopholes to provide revenue to restore some of the proposed cuts in Veterans Affairs spending. (S.C.R. 13, Vote 226, 5/25/95)

1994: McCain Voted Against Funding the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of nine senators to vote against appropriating $90 billion in budget authority for the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development departments. (H.R. 4624, Vote 306, 9/27/94)


http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_vets.cfm

Central Florida veterans have been waiting too many years to have a hospital built here. Did West ever wonder how much faster they would have had one if McCain had really supported the veterans she claims to love? Did West ever ask McCain why he voted against all these bills for veterans or why he has received such low rankings from all the major service organizations? Has West even attempted to be a real journalist on McCain's record or on Obama's record, what he's done since he's been in the Senate or the fact that while McCain did not see fit to serve on the Veterans Affairs committee, Obama has?

West has just turned a wonderful day of unity for the sake of the veterans into something I will now remember as a bunch of empty words when it comes to the veterans who have been suffering. The same veterans I've been fighting for 26 years for. The same veterans who are turned away from VA hospitals, have had their claims denied yet served this nation and did all we asked of them. Too many have taken there own lives because people in the media failed them. They failed to report on the miserable records of politicians who voted against taking care of them. Now I put West into that category. Shame on her!!!

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com

http://www.namguardianangel.org/

http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Orlando TV Anchor conducts 'unprofessional interview' of Biden
David Edwards and Andrew McLemore
Published: Saturday October 25, 2008


"Are you joking?"

That was one of Sen. Joe Biden's responses during an interview with a Florida news station that the Obama campaign said was so "unprofessional" it canceled another planned interview with his wife, Jill Biden.

Barbara West conducted the interview for WFTV-Channel 9 and asked the Democratic vice presidential candidate if Sen. Barack Obama was a "Marxist," referenced a recent statement Obama made in Ohio to Joe the lumber about "spreading the wealth around," and was Biden "embarassed" about Obama's alleged ties to ACORN.

"You may recognize this famous quote," West said. "'From each according to his abilities to each according to his needs.' That's from Karl Marx. How is Sen. Obama not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around?"

Biden did not immediately take the question seriously.

"Are you joking? Is this a joke or is that a real question?" Biden said. "It's a ridiculous comparison with all due respect."

For her final question, West asked Biden what he would say to the people "who are concerned that Barack Obama will want to turn American into a socialist country, much like Sweden?"

WFTV news director Bob Jordan defended the interview as hard-hitting journalism and rebuked criticisms of West as mere complaints that she didn't ask "softball questions," The Orlando Sentinel reported.

"When you get a shot to ask these candidates, you want to make the most of it," Jordan said. "They usually give you five minutes."

But the Obama campaign lambasted the station for its "100 percent false" statements that Obama worked for ACORN and for the "combative" nature of the interview.
click post title for the rest of this

By the way ACORN did what they were supposed to do when idiots decided to sign up fake applicants. They flagged the applications because they had to turn in all of them under the law. They also had to pay for them. ACORN was supported by McCain as well for the work they do, which for the most part has been fantastic for Democrats and Republicans and our Democracy. Does West know what a small percentage the fake applications are? Does she know this is not vote fraud because none of these fake names will show up to vote? Give me a break!!!

Veteran says "The Democrat has made the right promises"

This is one of the biggest points that can be made. The author of this goes on to say how McCain has not supported veterans. In my opinion, with all that has been happening since McCain returned from Vietnam, he has had 26 years of opportunity to be an advocate for veterans but decided he didn't need to stand up for them. He only claimed he did but when more should have been expected out of him as a veteran he turned his back on them. His record proves that.

The Democrat has made the right promises

Date published: 10/24/2008


THE PERSON chosen to be the next president will face extremely difficult challenges over the next few years.

The choices the president makes will undoubtedly upset many Americans in both parties, if our out-of-control economy is to be brought back into balance after eight years of rampant spending under an administration that has done little to provide leadership on economic issues. Now more than ever, true leadership and courage is needed to affect the change in policies we so very much need to change course, and to heal the economic woes faced by so many Americans throughout our great nation.

As a Virginia small-business owner, veteran, and Latino, I'm voting for Sen. Barack Obama for the same reasons as millions of other Americans: because I believe this country desperately needs change. Obama will change our economic policies to help middle-class families, promote the growth of small businesses, and increase funding for veterans' affairs, so no member of our armed services goes without the medical treatment he or she needs and deserves.

As a 26-year veteran of the United States Navy, I have had the opportunity to serve this country under the leadership of Democrats and Republicans alike. I served at the highest levels in both Democratic and Republican administrations. In the ruins of 9/11, I commanded the construction and operation of the Navy's newest and most capable warship. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to lead some of America's bravest men and women, and the privilege to serve my country.
click post title for more of this great piece

Carlos Del Toro is a resident and small-business owner in Stafford County who serves on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Council and as a member of the local Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Former lawmaker stumps for Obama

Former lawmaker stumps for Obama
By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com

The endorsement of Barack Obama by former Secretary of State Colin Powell should help convince voters who are still undecided leading up the Nov. 4 presidential election, former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer said Monday during a stop in Joplin.

Roemer was a congressman from Indiana from 1991 to 2003 and is president of the Center for National Policy, a nonprofit institute dedicated to improving public policy outcomes. He said he has campaigned for Obama throughout the Midwest, and is spending this week meeting with veterans and visiting veterans’ halls to talk about Obama’s stance on veterans’ issues.

He said Obama, after he was elected to the Senate, asked to be placed on the Committee on Veterans Affairs, “because he wants to make sure that veterans get the help they need in health care, education and housing.”

“He sees it as a sacred trust because of the sacrifices veterans make for our country,” Roemer said. “He’s fought for the funding increases and changes in the bureaucracy to make sure they get what they deserve.”

go here for more

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_294221306.html

This is one of the biggest points that keeps getting missed. Obama could have gone onto any committee he wanted after his speech in 2004, but his heart was tugged by veterans. Maybe he felt he owed it to the members of his own family who were in the military as much as to all veterans. They matter to him and he's proven it. McCain, well, his votes proved that while he loves to claim them as his own, he has not served them.

McCain would hurt seniors and veterans among many others

Colin Powell endorses Obama: Video


Why would Powell endorse Obama? He explained it very clearly this morning the same way many other people across the country have. While McCain believes that we owe him our vote because he was a Vietnam POW and served the country, he seems to have forgotten that many across the nation have been left out of receiving any benefit from his years of service in the senate. His voting record proves it.

McCain plans on privatizing social security, which means great harm can come to the lives of seniors across this nation. He wants the younger people to "invest" in the stock market, which as we've all seen, is a dangerous thing to do. This alone would harm seniors without the privatization of the system that has worked all these years.

McCain plans on causing division among veterans by "offering" to allow veterans without combat wounds to seek medical care elsewhere instead of from the VA which they were promised would be there in repayment of their own years of service. McCain's record on veterans funding has been deplorable while he expects they will simply support him no matter what harm he has caused them by voting against what they need and delaying changes needed to address the needs of the wounded as well as the elderly population.

McCain lacks the ability to remove himself from the same policies that caused most of the messes this nation has faced at the same time he expects us to simply trust his word that he has not supported Bush and his failed policies even though McCain took pride in declaring "I voted with the President 90% of the time" when he was in the GOP primary. While McCain expects the job of leading this nation he did not expect that he would have had to earn that right.

While we deserved to have our issues addressed, McCain decided to pull stunts, from selected someone like Sarah Palin, to using every opportunity and dirty trick to cause further division in this nation. Obama on the other hand has sought to restore the unity of the American people. This, the American people have been longing for since the attacks of 9-11 when we were reminded that no matter what our differences were, we are one nation and come together to help each other. We need that unity again. We need to get past the greed is good mentality that has caused so much harm and reward generosity as well as loyalty and true patriotism.

Eyes are opening up in this nation. The majority can see that no matter what color a person's skin is, it in no way something to judge them by. As Martin Luther King Jr. declared, content of their character does matter more than the color of their skin. What matters most to the voters is what matters in our own lives and this is a wonderful thing. kc

Joe the Plumber? What About Jim and Jane the Veteran?

Really think about this.

Joe the Plumber? What About Jim and Jane the Veteran?
Paul Rieckhoff
Posted October 16, 2008


First it was Main Street. Then it was Joe Six-Pack. And last night, Joe the Plumber took center stage. After three presidential debates between Senators McCain and Obama, our nation's veterans can't help but be left wondering: What about us?

Beyond the fact that there was no real talk (straight or otherwise) at all about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign policy or military affairs, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are facing unbelievable challenges when they come home. More than 300,000 new veterans are suffering from a serious psychological injury, and less than half are receiving the care they need. Tens of thousands of troops have suffered disabling physical injuries, new veterans are also facing high rates of unemployment, and almost two thousand brave men and women who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have already wound up homeless. And all the economic issues hitting the average American are hitting our military folks even harder. Millions are wrestling with the mortgage crisis, rising food costs, and the high price of gas. Now imagine dealing with all that while being deployed to a war zone for 12 months for the third time in five years. This is what our servicemembers are facing.

But not once during the presidential debates did we hear any substance from the candidates about how they plan to support our veterans.

We've been bombarded with talking point after talking point on the economy, healthcare, and energy. Joe the Plumber even had his name repeated more than a dozen times last night. But Jim and Jane the Veteran have been left behind.

click above for more

We can talk all we want about getting government out of our lives when it comes to our money, but when we do, we limit our view to "self" and cannot see beyond. Our taxes go to the roads we drive on and bridges we cross over expecting them to be safe and well maintained. Taxes pay for checking the food we eat, air we breathe, what we drink, medications we take and products we use so that we can trust they are safe. Taxes pay for the education of our children. Taxes pay for the police and fire departments. We can complain about the fact we are supporting people who have fallen on hard times, the ill who cannot pay for medical care or the elderly.

We can simply forget about all of this because it is just so easy to say government needs to get out of our lives so that our tax burden can be cut but when we are honest we know that sooner or later, it all has to be paid for. With all the talk about tax cuts and how McCain doesn't want anyone to pay more, no one is talking about common sense. McCain and the GOP seem to have no problem just borrowing money this nation cannot afford so they can take care of the rich, just expecting them to do the right thing and take care of those with less. They expect the money to just flow down but after all these years, it hasn't.

We have food that has been contaminated by chemicals imported from China. We have medications that were supposed to be safe, sent into the homes of millions only to discover they are harmful. Roads fall apart and bridges collapse. Schools across then nation leave our children unable to compete with the rest of the world and if you go into any establishment, young cashiers cannot do simple math unless the cash registers tell them exactly how much change to give back. Yet some will simply shut their eyes to what our taxes do.

Another part of what our tax dollars do is to supply the nation with defense. From the citizen soldiers of the National Guard and Reservists to the Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, CIA, FBI and all the other branches, our money pays for them. It is also supposed to be paying for those who have served when they need to be taken care of with medical expenses and compensation if they are wounded in the process.

The man who becomes our next president has to have his mind in the right place. He cannot be one who ignores all that is required of him. Far too little has been said about all of this. It's been about cutting taxes, either for the rich or those who have less. It has not been about doing the right thing or wiser use of the tax dollars collected. What is the most telling of all is that the men and women who served in the military have been forgotten. We have two active military campaigns producing wounded everyday, being added into the system and in need of being taken care of.

Families are living on food stamps, being foreclosed on because their husband or wife has been sent to Afghanistan or Iraq multiple times. We have wounded coming back, faced with having to fight to have their wounds taken care of and compensated for the incomes they are no longer able to obtain. Why is it no one is talking about the fact we owe them?

I listen to people like Ron Paul talking about the evil of taxes but never hear him say what good our tax dollars do. I hear McCain say that he wants people making the most money in this country to not have to suffer for making more, but never hear him mention how he has voted against the veterans needing to be taken care of, especially if it is tied to any kind of corporations having to pay their share. I hear Obama talk about the middle class but not about the poor or the needy or the fact we have to be smarter with the money we do have. None of them have talked about the debt we owe those who serve or the suffering they are going through.

When you hear them talk, notice what they are not talking about and then demand they address the things you are concerned about. If you are not concerned about anything listed here, then please look in the mirror when you read about it all falling apart or another veteran who has committed suicide or see another veteran you pass by on the street because that has become his home. You'll have only yourself to blame because you didn't want to pay taxes and refused to hold them accountable for the taxes you did pay.

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

John McCain is self-serving without honor

John McCain has shown that he comes first and has lost any shread of decency he once had along with the tiny fraction of honor he had left. The man is proving he is not honorable. He cannot run on his record and has consistently tried to run away from his own record as well as the Bush administration he supported so much so that he boasted he voted with the Bush administration almost 90% of the time. Back then he thought only the Republican's were watching the GOP primary debate but the truth is, America was watching. He is self-serving without honor.

McCain can claim he supports veterans until he turns blue but it will not make it the truth. We know his record well. He can say he deserves honor and votes for being a POW, but cannot run away from what he did after his return to this nation. He can claim he served the American people all these years in the Senate but he served only himself going back to the Keating 5 and the Lincoln Savings and loan scandal because he wanted the power enough to sell out the tax payers backing Keating. While McCain served as a senator from Arizona, it was up to them to judge him and the rest of the nation allowed him to operate below the radar until he decided he wanted to control the entire nation in the lead job. Now the national eye is on him and frankly, we no longer like what we see. He is not who we thought he was. The man has no conscience to feel ashamed of how low he has sunk. This nation deserved better out of him and so have the veterans he betrayed. It's time for McCain to answer for his own character and his own actions instead of coming up with lies about Obama.

I thought his votes against veterans were about as low as a person could get but he sunk even lower by claiming he supports them looking them right in the eye. He's lying now still looking at us right in the eye.

Vets group slams McCain on voting record

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 7, 2008 9:05:14 EDT

The nation’s most prestigious group for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans released a congressional scorecard Tuesday that ranks Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona as having one of the worst voting records to support troops and veterans.

The grade is due to his absence on several key votes on military and veterans’ issues over the last two years.

McCain, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a decorated Navy fighter pilot who spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, received a D on the report card from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. D is the lowest grade given by the nonprofit, nonpartisan group, and McCain is one of just four senators and five members of the House of Representatives who received such a low grade. McCain also is the only veteran among the nine who received a D on the record card.
go here for more

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_
vets_congress_reportcard_100708/

For the whole report go here

http://www.veteranreportcard.org/reportcard.pdf

"If John McCain wants to have a character debate, then I'm happy to have that debate because Mr. McCain's record, despite him calling himself a maverick, actually shows that he is continually somebody who relies on lobbyists for big oil and big corporations," Obama told CNN.

"One of the things we've done throughout this campaign, we don't throw the first punch. But we'll throw the last."

For the campaigns, now it's personal
Agence France-Presse
Published: Monday October 6, 2008
by Myriam Chaplain-Riou

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AFP) - Republican John McCain questioned Barack Obama's character, while the Democrat pressed his foe's alleged weakness on economic issues as tempers escalated ahead of the White House rivals' debate Tuesday.

Both candidates intensified their attacks ahead of the second of three presidential debates, this one to be staged in a "town hall" format with less than a month remaining before the November 4 vote.

The debate was to feature questions from undecided voters in the audience, a format preferred by McCain who frequently paces the stage and engages directly with voters, in contrast to Obama whose style tends to be more reserved and contained.
go here for more
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/For_campaigns_now_its_personal_1006.html

Military Times poll: Troops backing McCain,,,BUT

Military Times poll: Troops backing McCain

By Brendan McGarry - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Oct 5, 2008 9:46:06 EDT

Sen. John McCain enjoys overwhelming support from the military’s professional core, though race appears to be a decisive factor for career-oriented black service members, a Military Times survey of nearly 4,300 readers indicates.

McCain, R-Ariz., handily defeated Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., 68 percent to 23 percent in a voluntary survey of 4,293 active-duty, National Guard and reserve subscribers and former subscribers to Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times and Air Force Times.

The results of the Military Times 2008 Election Poll are not representative of the opinions of the military as a whole. The group surveyed is older, more senior in rank and less ethnically diverse than the overall armed services.

But as a snapshot of careerists, the results suggest Democrats have gained little ground in their attempts to appeal to a traditionally Republican voting bloc in campaign messages and legislative initiatives, such as the recent expansion of GI Bill benefits, experts said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_poll_100508w/


Just a reminder:

Obama, an Illinois senator, brought in more donations from this group than any White House contender from either party. The Democrat announced Wednesday his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2008.

Paul, a Texas congressman and the only GOP presidential hopeful who supports an immediate troop withdrawal, comes in second.

"Paul and Obama are talking straight to soldiers, and what they are saying is resonating," said Larnell Exum, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, who gave $500 to Obama. Exum, who works for the Army as a congressional liaison, is a Democrat but voted for George Bush in 1992.

The center tallied money from donors who list the Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and National Guard as an employer. Overall, these donations are miniscule: Obama got 44 contributions worth about $27,000 and Paul 23 for about $19,300. Republican John McCain, an Iraq war supporter and Vietnam prisoner of war, was third with about $18,500 from 32 donors.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-09-13-military-donors_N.htm

Former President Clinton touts Obama in front of thousands at UCF

Former President Clinton touts Obama in front of thousands at UCF
Jim Stratton Sentinel Staff Writer
1:22 PM EDT, October 1, 2008
ORLANDO - Campaigning in Florida Wednesday, President Bill Clinton told supporters that Barack Obama has the right philosophy, better answers and betters advisers than John McCain.Clinton, speaking to several thousand people at the University of Central Florida, said the country "is a mess" thanks largely to policy decisions made by President George Bush. He told supporters that "it didn't have to be this way" and that Obama and his running mate Joe Biden know that the next administration must "grow the economy from the ground up."

Veterans beware of McCain trick on how he treats you

This Halloween there is something veterans really need to fear and that is a McCain Palin administration. McCain claims to "care about veterans" and it's a claim he's gotten away with making for far too long with having nothing but the opposite to show for it. His record on votes against veterans is legendary. So much for this maverick who betrays his own. While McCain has received a free ride from the broadcast media, the print media has not forgotten his consistent lies about "supporting" veterans. Most Americans who do not read the congressional record of votes or the publications coming in from the DAV, the VFW, American Legion or go onto sites like Vote Vets and IAVA, are stunned when they discover how they have been mislead all these years and tricked into voting against their best interests by supporting people like McCain who do not support them. Military and veteran's families should have expected more out of one of our own.

When I began doing this work with veterans who have PTSD, I took an oath that no matter what party someone belongs to, I will go after them if they do not support veterans. Having the wrong people in office means that all the work I do will mean nothing if they are not one their end fighting just as hard for veterans and what they need. People like McCain are the reason so many are without the care and treatment they not only earned but deserved. What is most telling about McCain is that he can stand in front of the camera with tens of millions of Americans watching and lie without blinking. His claim of how much he supports veterans came out of his mouth as easily as he says the words "my friends" when addressing an audience.

They say that doing the right thing is doing it all the time when someone is watching as well as when they are not. As soon as the cameras are off McCain, when no voter hears his words, he votes against us. Again we are reminded of his attitude with the latest Palin spin.

Gov. Palin was asked a question by a voter about if she thought we should strike in Pakistan if there had been evidence of Al-Qaeda. She said she thought we should. McCain then went on TV with Palin at his side saying that it was a voter who shouted the question across the room and passed it off a "gotcha journalism" insulting all voters in the process. What was not mentioned was the fact that this implies McCain finds no problem with lying to voters. If he does in fact know that Palin agrees with him, then he's approving of this message of lying to voters.

While McCain took high profile positions on powerful committees, he did not serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Obama saw it as payback for his father, uncle and all veterans to serve on this committee and he's been fighting for veterans ever since. Most of the improvements happened in the last two years with the Democrats in leadership roles and Obama has been part of that. The following is a letter from Senator Obama. When you read it and you get angry that the letter didn't come from McCain, the man who says he supports the veterans, get angry enough to look up his voting record and understand that the way he treats veterans is no treat at all. kc

Senator Obama Seeks Critical VA Data on Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to Improve Veteran Services

U.S. Senator Barack Obama


Sep 30, 2008

September 24, 2008, Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, requesting that he release critical information and data relating to veterans health care, disability claims and Vet Center activity. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, veterans have faced unique challenges as they return to their families and communities, including health-related needs as well as community readjustment concerns. It is essential for Congress to have as much information as possible in order to best determine the needs of community and veterans service organizations so it can better understand how to serve them. The National Academy of Sciences is also expected to begin a study, based on Obama legislation, to document the long term needs of these heroes and will require this information as well.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Secretary Peake:

I am writing to request your cooperation in providing the American people with some critical information regarding the needs of our Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans.

As you know, OIF and OEF veterans have faced unique needs as they return to their families and communities. Some of these needs are health-related, but other needs are related to community readjustment concerns. I am pleased that the National Academy of Sciences is expected to begin a study, based on my legislation, to document the longterm needs of these heroes. However, the VA can assist in our efforts to determine the needs of these veterans by sharing some critical information.

I am requesting the VA release, as soon as practicable, the following information:

1. The latest reports on healthcare use by the OIF and OEF veterans;

2. The latest reports on disability claims made by OIF and OEF veterans;

3. The latest reports on Vet Center activity by OIF and OEF veterans.

I appreciate your cooperation in providing this important information. With this information, the Congress can better determine the needs of this community and veterans service organizations can better understand how to best serve our most recent veterans.

I also want to commend your office on taking into account recommendations that Chairman Akaka, I and other Senators on the Veterans Affairs Committee submitted on the proposed regulations regarding rating disabilities for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The recently released revised regulations are a significant improvement from the draft regulations and I am pleased they will provide for consideration of both the frequency and severity of disabilities. I also appreciate that the VA will notify veterans who were rated under the previous regulations that they have the opportunity for a re-evaluation under these new regulations. As you know, we must do all we can to ensure our nation's heroes receive the benefits and services they deserve. I hope all OIF and OEF veterans are afforded this notice. I also hope we can continue to work together to increase TBI research and care for mild-moderate TBI victims.

Thank you for your assistance and I look forward to hearing from you.

Barack Obama
United States Senator
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/11294

This is more on how veterans feel when they know the difference between who supports them and who does not.

Iraq Veterans Talk About Senator Obama at University of Wisconsin
Signe Brewster


The Badger Herald (Madison, Wisconsin)

Sep 30, 2008
September 30, 2008 - A panel of veterans spoke to University of Wisconsin community members Monday about their experiences at war and why they will support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the November election.

The panelists spoke about their time in Iraq and Afghanistan and how this influenced their choice to support the Illinois senator, citing what they called Obama's commitment to providing health care to veterans.

"We were called to duty and we answered that call," said Abbie Pickett, a veteran of the Iraq war and Desert Storm. "Now where is the support that we need? I came back to a brand-new, different world. Getting help wasn't as easy as I thought it would be."

Pickett sought out psychological care during her tour in Iraq, but said the disorganization of the system prevented her from getting the treatment she needed. She started to drink heavily and entered a "downward spiral."

According to Pickett, she eventually became an advocate for others in need of help and campaigning for Obama is an extension of it.

"I had to look beyond the war hero stories. I looked at the policies and the voting record, and time after time John McCain wasn't the answer," Pickett said. "He isn't the maverick he is made out to be."

go here for more

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/11290

Obama and fallen soldier's name rumor-false

How did this end up making it's way around the net as "Obama can't remember the name on the bracelet he wears?" But after you read this, keep reading to find out how this one is not totally true either.

Sen. Obama responded saying, "I've got a bracelet, too, from Sergeant - from the mother of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek, given to me in Green Bay. She asked me, 'Can you please make sure another mother is not going through what I'm going through?' No U.S. soldier ever dies in vain because they're carrying out the missions of their commander in chief. And we honor all the service that they've provided. Our troops have performed brilliantly. The question is for the next president: 'Are we making good judgments about how to keep America safe? Precisely because sending our military into battle is such an enormous step."

**

In February, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the moment when Tracy Jopek gave Obama the bracelet, and Obama's mentioning of Jopek after he won the Wisconsin primary.

"We're here because of the mother I met in Green Bay, Wisconsin, who gave me this bracelet that I'm wearing," Obama said then. "Inscribed on it is the name of her son Ryan. Next to his name it says...'All gave some but he gave all.' We are here because it is time to ask ourselves as a nation if we are serving Ryan and his compatriots and all our young brave men and women as well as they are serving us. They need us to end this war and bring them home and give them the care and the benefits that they deserve."

Ryan Jopek was 20, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard like his father. He deployed to Iraq in 2005, was killed there in 2006.

In February 2008, Ryan's mother Tracy and his sister Jessica traveled to Green Bay and waited in the cold for 45 minutes to give Obama her son's bracelet. A campaign staffer arranged it so they could meet him.

"I didn't get to say what I wanted to say. I just cried," Tracy Jopek told the newspaper. "It wasn't for anything but for him to know this is real, something he needed to know. . . I do believe (the war) needs to end, but I believe it needs to be done very carefully and very thoughtfully."

She said she was honored by Obama mentioning her son in his speech.

"I couldn't believe it. It was such an honor, such an honor," she said. "To know that he does know his name. It means a lot."

**

But a month later, Ryan's father Brian -- who is no longer married to Tracy -- told Wisconsin Public Radio that his ex-wife had misgivings about Obama wearing the bracelet and mentioning their son on the campaign trail. It seems as though just as Tracy Jopek supports Obama and wants to end the war, Brian Jopek has a different take on what should happen in Iraq and may be more inclined to support McCain.

(You can listen to Brian Jopek about 10 minutes into THIS CLIP.)

After pointing out that he and Tracy are not married anymore, Brian says that "from what I understood from email exchanges with Tracy….she wanted to put a name, she wanted Sen. Obama to know Ryan's name...She wasn't looking to turn it into a big media event...She just wanted it to be something between Barack Obama and herself."

Bryan Jopek went on to say that "because of some of the negative feedback she’s gotten on the Internet, you know Internet blogs, you know people accusing her of… or accusing Obama of trying to get votes doing it… and that sort of thing, she has turned down any subsequent interviews with the media because she just didn’t, she just didn't want it to get turned into something that it wasn’t. She had told me that in an email that she had asked, actually asked Mr. Obama to not wear the bracelet anymore at any of his public appearances."
go here for more
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/bracelet-wars.html

It's really amazing how people can be so fooled!

Then again they didn't notice that McCain lied about the way he feels about veterans either. He says he cares, but votes against them. As for other "issues" no one noticed that McCain doesn't wear a flag pin anymore. What's up with that?

Is there something wrong with is face? Seriously, he doesn't look right.

But then you'd have to believe everything you hear,,,,, turns out the first report on this post is not the whole story.

Soldier's mother 'ecstatic' about Obama's bracelet

AP foreign
Monday September 29 2008

By DINESH RAMDE
Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) - The mother of a Wisconsin soldier who died in Iraq says she was ``ecstatic'' when Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama mentioned during Friday's debate the bracelet she gave him in honor of her son.

Tracy Jopek of Merrill told The Associated Press on Sunday she was honored that Obama remembered Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, who was killed in 2006 by a roadside bomb.

Jopek criticized Internet reports suggesting Obama, D-Ill., exploited her son for political purposes.

``I don't understand how people can take that and turn it into some garbage on the Internet,'' she said.

Jopek acknowledged e-mailing the Obama campaign in February asking that the presidential candidate not mention her son in speeches or debates. But she said Obama's mention on Friday was appropriate because he was responding after Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, said a soldier's mother gave him a bracelet.

``I've got a bracelet, too, from Sergeant - from the mother of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek, given to me in Green Bay,'' Obama said during the debate. ``She asked me, 'Can you please make sure another mother is not going through what I'm going through?' No U.S. soldier ever dies in vain because they're carrying out the missions of their commander in chief. And we honor all the service that they've provided.''
go here for more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7835269

As you can see, it turns out there is a lot of false reporting being done in this country. This is from The Guardian and an AP report. While McCain found it easy to just bring up the fact he wears a bracelet, and has done so many times, Obama respected the meaning of it too much to just use it as a "show of support" and only did it when McCain pulled his stunt.

Another thing that gets overlooked is the fact Obama is on the Veterans Committee and knows how McCain votes against veterans yet when Obama had the chance to correct the false claim McCain always comes out with when he had the chance, he didn't. He should have because the veterans in this country deserve to be reminded of how little McCain has "proven" how he says he supports them.

UPDATE
Unfortunately part of getting emails and alerts means having to read some idiot making false claims intended to damage the "enemy" in their own eyes. In the process these people are not only attacking truth, their lies attack the men and women who serve this country and are paying attention to what is truth and what is nothing more than attempts to keep the truth from being reported. This "Gateway Pundit" is notorious for doing just that.

Busted... Soldier's Family Told Obama Not to Wear Son's Bracelet!
By Gateway Pundit(Gateway Pundit) Matthew Stanley, a resident of New Hampshire and a soldier that lost his life in Iraq in 2006. Obama said that he too had a bracelet. After fumbling and straining to remember the name, he revealed that his had the name of Sergeant Ryan

This mother lost her son and asked Obama to wear his bracelet. While she is very happy that he did and understood when he mentioned the name of her son, what was being reported at first was that Obama couldn't even remember his name, which was proven false. Having failed at trying to spin that one, they turned around and further insulted this woman by saying she was against him wearing it. Now we know that is not true as well but these people have no shame and find no problem using anyone to support their twisted minds.

To support the above that Tracy Jopek was not against Obama, we have this also reported on Army Times, again the report from the AP,,,,,

Mom of GI defends Obama mention of bracelet
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Sep 29, 2008 13:35:58 EDT

MILWAUKEE — After Tracy Jopek gave Sen. Barack Obama a bracelet in honor of her son who was killed in Iraq, she asked Obama not to mention the bracelet on the campaign trail.

But Jopek told The Associated Press on Sunday that she’s satisfied with how Obama discussed it during last week’s presidential debate.

Jopek gave Obama the bracelet at a Green Bay rally in February. It has the name of her son, Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, and the date the 20-year-old was killed by a roadside bomb, Aug. 2, 2006. “All gave some — He gave all,” it says.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_bracelet_092908/

McCain said "take care of veterans" but voted against doing it

When McCain said in the debate with Obama about taking care of veterans, I was lucky to not have anything in my hand to throw at the TV set!

He's voted against them every chance he's gotten to prove it!

Iraq, the "surge" didn't bring about the drop in violence but was only part of it. Paying off the Iraqis to stop killing our troops was a bigger part of it but McCain likes to leave this part out as well. McCain talk about how he's right but when he turned around and said we should hit Iraq right after 9-11 and then pushed to do this, he was wrong and he was wrong when he said Afghanistan was won so it was fine to pull the troops out. He's been wrong all along and the troops along with our veterans can't afford any more of his mistakes in judgment.

Next, if the military really believed McCain would be the better choice as Commander-in-Chief, then they would put their money behind him instead of Obama, who has received the bulk of military donations as well as Ron Paul, who on the Republican side, received a lot more than McCain did.

I am listening to the debate now and still stunned at the lack of any kind of understanding of what all of this is costing the troops and our veterans. You would think that if anyone would understand the suffering of the men and women who serve this country would be understood by anyone, it would be another veteran, but he hasn't a single clue.