Posted on 11/12/2007 4:28:30 PM PST by shrinkermd
When it comes to the war in Iraq, none of the candidates for president has been more hawkish than John McCain. Or more optimistic the United States will succeed.
"If we see the same progress we made in the last seven, eight months, since the start of the surge, the war in Iraq will be largely under control and American casualties will be way down," McCain said this week.
McCain's criticism of previous strategies in Iraq and his assessments of the situation there have been based on "my background and knowledge and experience for the last 50 years" dealing with national security issues.
Now it's personal.
McCain's son, Jimmy, 18, a Marine Corps enlistee, is now serving in Iraq, where more than 6,000 Marines have been injured and about 650 killed.
McCain, however, has said precious little about Jimmy's deployment. He did mention it to Linn County Republicans on Tuesday night, telling them his son has been promoted to lance corporal.
It's unusual for McCain to talk about it, and Chuck Larson, senior adviser to McCain's Iowa campaign, doubts he will make a habit of it.
"It's rare to hear the senator to discuss it," said Larson, who served in Iraq as a member of the Army Reserve. "It's obviously a sensitive issue."
(Excerpt) Read more at iowacaucus.com ...
So let’s have a newspaper article about it.
While I’m not a too big of a fan of McCain, I respect the fact that he’s not using his son for political purposes.
His son is younger than I would have thought.
God Bless the Mc Cain family for sending yet another son off to war.
Not sure what you point is on this.
The implication is that these levels are high. Not by historic standards.
God bless Jimmy McCain. Prayers for his wellbeing and safe return home.
I’m no McCain supporter, but I respect, and appreciate very much, his service to our country. I don’t blame him for not mentioning his son fighting in Iraq too often. The job is dangerous enough without calling special attention to him.
How about the fact that he raised a son who decided to enlist in the Marines, though he certainly has many, many, other easy options.
As much as I swore I would never vote for McCain for his MSM suck-up / needless attacks on our fine current CinC/POUTS....(not to mention voting against the needed tax-cuts in 01/02).
Reality is, McCain would certainly be a better choice (without question) over any of the DEMs....and within the group of current Republican's.....He is in the Top 3.
Well, it's Jim McCain now, not Jimmy. Good luck, Jim, and thank you. We pray for your success and your safe return.
This was news to me as well. Probably doesn’t say much because it will make him a target for the terrorists to kidnap.
I AM a supporter of McCain for the Presidency - he is hawkish on the war on terror. Now, another reason to admire him.
And a POX on all those who say the Congress critters do not send their children. If YOU were in congress, would YOU advertise the fact that your child was at the war theater?
I thought that to. Now AlQ will go all out to find him and we’ll have to pull a saving Pvt. Ryan all over again
When did we have to pull a saving Pvt. Ryan the first time?
And let me second the motion to commend Mr. McCain for not having made it a campaign issue.
Sen. McCain did not “send” his son. His son enlisted.
That was news to me as well. I thought Hunter was the only one.
McCain went through some tough times when he got captured in Viet Nam. His son is brave to volunteer even after hearing about that.
God bless Jimmy McCain. And the rest of our troops for that matter.
Given the current release, I would say that was not using his son in the past tense.
Anyway my nephew made it home today, two or three purple hearts later, sure hope he and his little woman have some prime time tonight.
He’s more conservative than Giuliani and Romney combined, but granted he sure can piss me off from time to time. I will support him over the other two.
I understand. Semantics.
Good luck to his son. I pray he returns safe and sound. McCain was an officer and his son is an enlisted. Wonder if that is a source of contention?
I Thank them for their years of service to our wonderful Country.
Perhaps that's why he doesn't speak of it...Thank you Jimmy for your service. That said, I'm still not voting for your old man.
Interesting. It's almost like you are speaking about inflation, unemployment, or some other data driven subject.
I promise you that your post is meaningless to people who have lost someone they care about. I understand what you are trying to say, but it really isn't very helpful, or necessary. BTW, if we lost only 1 person in a war/conflict, it would be worth missing (especially if it was you! or someone you cared about)
Jimmy McCain is the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of Naval officers. He’s the grandson and the great-grandson of Admirals. And I think every one of them would be proud as anything that he enlisted instead of gaining a commission.
WOW..I had no idea he had a son in Iraq. He’s just gone up several rungs for not using that for political purposes.
But are we not taking about war? Fortunately the casualties have been minimal. My son was there for many months and constantly exposed to danger, and engaged in more than one battle. He lost three of his men, and a fiend and classmate was killed—accidentally at Najaf. But after 15 months when he turned in his battered hummer, there was not a single bullet hole in it. To dwell on casualties in this war is to deprecate the men who have fought it. Great danger, but they have inflicted a hundred casualties on the enemy for each one of ours. The fact that they have endured with so little loss is a testimony to their toughness and efficiency, which ought to serve as a warning to our adversaries. Al Qaeda, I am sure, appreciates their worth far more than Hilary Clinton et al.
he also has a son at Annapolis. Whatever failings he has, he is rock solid here.
I see where you are coming from.
Why would that be a source of contention?
I think McCain is doing best by not talking about his son. The son does not need all the hostile reporters swarming him in Iraq or the hostility in the press back home as MSM tries to use him against his father.
Six months ago rat friends and family were telling me McCain was our natural candidate - I laughed.
Maybe he is our natural out of the bunch we're looking at. I'd like to see Huckabee or Hunter do something, anything, but absent that McCain probably has my vote, albeit grudgingly.
I believe that there is no question that McCain is a war hero.
There is no question that McCain is a great American.
There is also no question that he is crazy if he believes that his heroism allows him and his legislation attempting to end Free Speech in this Nation will ever be a platform launching him to the Presidency.
That and his absurd illegal immigration support renders his candidacy irrelevant.
I used to work as a civilian at the Dept of the Navy where there was a definite distinction among the 3 groups—officers, civilians and enlisted in that order.
SEMPER FI
He was a grad many months back at MCRD here in San Diego
Both McCain & Hunter’s sons are in the war.
Third tour for Hunter.
McCain has a son also at the Naval Academy
You think they have disdain for enlisted?
Is Jimmy McCain third generation, or fourth?
Less so, I suspect, than the fact that John was a Naval Aviator and Jimmy is a Marine. don't know if the USNA makes room for legacies, like many colleges do, but if so Jimmy's in like Flynn -- son of a POW, grandson of an a four-star admiral, and great-grandson of another four-star admiral. Apparently, his big brother, John IV, is already in Annapolis.
I assume he is Senator McCain’s son.
And another son is attending the Naval Academy. I am not a fan of McCain, but the fact that he has a personal stake in the outcome in Iraq and still advocates victory and is against a rapid troop pullout says a lot about him.
I believe RobbyS was pointing out the writer’s insinuation of these numbers being high, and providing historical data to show they are not.
Data are fine, but it is like the difference between a chicken’s and pig’s views of a ham and egg sandwich. The chicken is involved, the pig is committed.
Prayers for a safe return. I can’t imagine any parent using their 18 year old for political purposes, especially one serving in war.
I respect him greatly for not using his kid for political gain unlike that POS Webb from Virginia.
Pardon me for being dense, but how does your comment relate to the bias of the author?
I was pointing the irrelevancy of RobbyS’s comments about the data and how that affects the fact that McCain has a son serving in Iraq. McCain’s son is in a war zone and, as a Marine, exposed to the dangers there. It matters not whether the deaths in Iraq are comparatively less than in some other wars hence my comment about the pig and chicken. In this case, RobbyS is the chicken and McCain the pig.
Semper Fi to a Grand Rapids, Marine. I’m in Grand Rapids also.
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