Posted on 03/20/2007 10:06:51 AM PDT by RWR8189
Since announcing my support of Sen. John McCain's candidacy for president recently, the most curious question I have received is "why now?" The simplest answer is "why not now?"
Candidates are beginning to emerge. The '08 gates have opened, and now is the time to help a friend who I believe is the most able, proven leader in our midst to be the next president of the United States.
What compels me to speak out now about the many reasons I believe my friend of 25 years is the right person to lead this country? Because I believe that John McCain's leadership is needed now - more than ever.
As we begin to ask hard questions of those who put forward their credentials for the presidency, it's critically important that those credentials are equal to the challenges and opportunities before us. We need a leader who fits the times, not merely a candidate who thinks it's his or her time to lead.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, much has changed. We are safer than we have ever been. We are thriving despite those who tried to thwart us. Progress is measurable, but we must make the utmost effort to sustain those successes and build new means to protect and defend the nation and to prosper in a 21st-century world. We must face difficulty as the definition of difficulty continues to change.
The challenge of our time, however, is not simply to change, but also to leave nothing to chance. That is particularly true when electing the next president of the United States.
John McCain is well known as the soldier's soldier and the citizen's soldier, whose attention to duty to country is unequalled. We know the mettle of the man who has been tested and has passed the test – as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, as a member of the United States Congress, and as a statesman who engenders the respect of our friends and allies around the world.
I know John as a good friend, but also as an artful leader, a diplomat, a tenacious legislator, a stalwart conservative, an astute negotiator and a consensus-builder. I know that while partisans think in terms of red versus blue, John thinks in terms of red, white and blue. For him, patriotism is not an ideal. It's a verb. It's a way of life. It's John's way of life, one that has never wavered in steadfast determination to defend the security and freedom of the American people.
In my view, the times are calling John McCain forward. They are calling for the man who understands the demands of war, the leader who has long advocated a new strategy in Iraq and repeatedly called for more troops to stabilize the region. They are calling for the senator with the long view, who understands what the consequences of failure in Iraq could mean to us all.
The times call for a leader who has fought in the relentless way that only John has fought, to ensure that America has the best equipped and supported military in the world, to ensure that the men and women of our armed forces have the resources and reinforcements they need.
Our next president must lead as John has led: with the knowledge that, on the home front, security is not a federal effort; it's a national mission, one that requires the active role of federal, state and local authorities.
With boundless energy, John has traveled the country to build relationships and communication at all levels. He was of great help to me in pushing forward improvements in commercial aviation, port security and cargo screening. He led the call for comprehensive immigration reform and increased border security. He's worked hard to build bridges to one another and barriers to terrorists.
Some say timing is everything in life. I am of the view that the life of John McCain and his exemplary record of service have led to this moment. The nation has called him forward to serve before. We must do so again. The times demand it.
That is why there is no better time for me, than now, to ask my fellow citizens to call John McCain forward once again - to serve as president and commander-in-chief.
"...I wish he would have listened to McCain when it came to sending in more troops right from the start."
The half-measure approach to Afghanistan and Iraq opened the door to war opposition from day one.
Cost 2006 midterms.
I agree to a point, I was skeptical of transformation but I really wanted it to work, it didnt keep me from supporting the war. Transformation was a good idea, but like most ideas that come out of government buracracy, it was too big and too ambitios and cost to much dam money to make it work.
And wow I suck at spelling, sorry about that.
Erie got so much snow this year, it stopped up his ears and clogged his brain.
Good old "color code" Tom. I'm not impressed.
My question would be "Are you retarded?"
If this op-ed had a color-coded barf alert it would be chartreuse.
Tom Ridge is PATHETIC!! he was ANOTHER mistake Bush made!
Apparently, at least in pairs
Crazy can't be dealt with. It's like a suicide bomber, the only thing you can do is destroy it...
or not elect it in the first place.
Is this the SAME "do nothing" Tom Ridge of Duct Tape & Visqueen fame...???
I think I'm gonna heave.
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