NOTE: WA Democrats for McCain website will be up and running by July 24th, 2008.

Today about 75 military veterans (including myself) and the founder for Washington Democrats for McCain, rallied in front of the Seattle Veterans Museum to show support and enthusiasm for John McCain as our next Commander-in-Chief.  Taking the podium first was Doug Roulstone, (Capt, USN, retired) the Washington State Chair for the Veterans for McCain effort in Washington state.

"As veterans we know the importance of integrity, duty and honor when it comes to serving as Commander-in-Chief of our military and John McCain has all these qualities to lead our nation," declared Roulstone while a KING 5 TV News crew filmed the event.

The Pierce County McCain Vets Chair, Bob Lawrence (Col., USAF, retired) offered his three reasons for supporting McCain which are summed up as character, experience and compassionate leadership. Lawrence recounted how McCain sought him out of a crowd at an event two months ago because he noticed Lawrence wearing a military lapel pin.

"He sought me out to thank me for my service. When I told him my own son was serving in Iraq, he took an interest in his well being. My son has been a McCain fan since 2000, so just imagine the excitement that went around his unit when I e-mailed him a picture of me and John McCain with a note of thanks from McCain to him."

The most inspiring speaker of all was Capt. Bill Metzger (USN, retired) himself a POW that served time with McCain at Hanoi Hilton. His message was most effective as he recounted the experience McCain brings to the national discussion of leadership. It would be laughable if it weren't so frightening how stark the comparison is between Obama and McCain.

Metzger explained how many people live their entire lives without really being tested and yet it is precisely through the trials and difficulties of life where the true character of a human being is revealed. McCain's experience speaks of a human being that has been tested and refined over years of service which includes his 1,966 days as a POW, where he was repeatedly beaten, starved and tortured. Being the son of an Admiral, McCain was offered an early release from the hellhole. Instead of taking the pass, he told his captors to "go to hell," staying true to the military fighting man's oath to leave no one behind.

Metzger continued by describing McCain's 22 years of service to the Navy, his 26 years as a US Senator as well as being the father of one son serving in Iraq and another completing his military training. All these factors combine to create a powerful resume, but more importantly a testimony of his values. McCain's experience speaks to the hallmark of military leadership, which is selfless duty and, by definition, in service to those being lead.

Metzger ended with a quote from Mark Halpern, the former Foreign Affairs adviser to Bob Dole. In an address sponsored by Hillsdale College, Halpern outlined the necessary qualities for effective leadership, and noted the role of military leadership in forming strong national leaders:

Electorates rightly favor those who have endured combat, not as a
matter of reward for service, as is commonly believed, but because
the willingness of a soldier to give his life is a strong sign of his correct
priorities, and that in the future he will truly understand that statesmen
are not rulers but servants.

 

What do we have from Obama's resume that speaks to effective leadership qualities?  An Ivy League education? Grassroots community service? 143 days of total service in the United State Senate? A book about....oh yeah, his favorite topic, himself. A pretty face, some fine speech performances and 143 days of service in the Senate. None of these are bad things, but they could just as easily be the resume for my neighborhood accountant or a university professor. Where is the sacrifice? Where is the sense of duty to others without counting the cost? I see none.

For a nation at war, facing some historic challenges of geopolitical consequence, I'd offer this simple statement regarding our next President:neophytes need not apply.