Jan 03 2009
Service Members Wary About Obama
Well, my fellow polcats, it looks like our fighting men and women in Uncle Sam’s Crotch Factory (aka The U.S. Armed Forces) are a little jittery over our new commander-in-chief, Barack Obama. This news shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the fact that military members tend to hold more Rightwing views than the society at large.
Here’s what Brendan McGarry of The Army Times has to say about the matter.
“When asked how they feel about President-elect Barack Obama as commander in chief, six out of 10 active-duty service members say they are uncertain or pessimistic, according to a Military Times survey.”
McGarry also says that many respondents of the survey “expressed concerns about Obama’s lack of military service and experience leading men and women in uniform.”
I don’t mean to inject my opinion in here (well actually I do) but these service members have good reason to be afraid. His claims of wanting to enlist as a young man to the contrary, Mr. Obama has never served a nanosecond in uniform. The guy’s “service” pales in comparison to the combat-studded, medal-ridden military record of his predecessor, George W. Rambo.
“Being that the Marine Corps can be sent anywhere in the world with the snap of his fingers, nobody has confidence in this guy as commander in chief,” said one lance corporal who asked not to be identified.
“For eight years, members of the U.S. military have served under a Republican commander in chief who reflected their generally conservative views and led them to war in Afghanistan and Iraq,” McGarry adds.
Let’s just hope that when our fighting men and women get sent to a war zone in the next four years, they have adequate body armor this time – and aren’t forced to ask their parents to get it on Ebay.
He’s said time and time again that using the military should be our last option. I’m not concerned and neither should conservatives; if a universal health care system does surface, the first ones to benefit from it would be returning veterans (i.e., The 21st Century GI Bill).
Hrm… army brats. As important as it is, I don’t think our commander-in-chief has to come from the military. There were a lot of great military presidents, but there were also a lot of bad ones.
What Obama did as a community organizer (clean illegal Asbestos out of Chicago’s south side apartments) speaks volumes to me about his character. I think he has an appreciation for human life, something our republican president of the last eight years obviously does not (his extensive list of executions as governor, Katrina, Iraq, etc…). I don’t think we’ll see our marines being sent all around the world for nothing.
“You are being facetious, right?”
Oh come on Oldfart. You should know me enough now to know that that’s sarcasm! George W. Rambo??? LOL
You have got to be joking right? Thank God our President-elect is not from the military or even think in military terms. Our best thinking has landed us here. And this is not the best place to be.
What service people did they ask? Anyway, it is too late for all that now.
Obama is an unknown who will ultimately have their lives in his hands. A little discomfort is understandable. He has never led in a major way and they have no way of knowing how he will handle their futures. Conservative or not, time alone will show the military what to expect and since they can be in a potential life or death situation, don’t they have the right to express concern?