...because he just isn't any good at this game. I saw a snippet of his appearance on "The View" the other day, and he could barely charm those ladies, let alone get his campaign message across. He didn't look like he was enjoying himself at all. He doesn't look like enjoys any of his political maneuvering, the fighting, all the campaign stuff. He looks tired, confused, and like somebody just gave him the most powerful sour-lemon candy on the market.

when the legions want more than a glorious death.

in vietnam. america learned it can't fight an imperial war with conscript soldiers. now, america is learning that professional soldiers are expensive, maybe too expensive for current resources. the next step is discovering that a large active military doesn't have to listen to politicians. and down the track, the generals cut out the middle man.

kind of fun, watching america follow the same path as previous empires, but it is a shame so many people have to die, or be maimed, so that presidents and generals can make a mark on history.

on the other hand, america has the tools to attain democracy but does not use them. so you could say that they deserve what's coming.

I'm waiting to see if this important issue regarding our soldiers who have risked their lives can elevate the conversatdion on the campaign trail. So far, no. Hopefully the Democrats will go after McCain for his stance, which frankly, seems cheap and grudging toward our troops.

As one who gained from the education benefits of the GI Bill I must say McCain’s stance is morally wrong. Anyone who serves a hitch in the military has earned these benefits and to deny them is patently immoral. These are not handouts as some would characterize them, but something we earned. This stance reminds me of the comment from Reagan’s Secretary of the VA who characterized us as “Welfare Queens” living off the GI Bill.

In addition to the individual economic gains, there are also the societal gains due to the increased educational level of the population. The WWII GI Bill has been called the greatest economic development measure that was ever passed by the Congress.

This just further demonstrates McCain’s lack of character and his lack of fitness for the highest office of the US.

Here's my take: Before anybody starts talking about a goddamned G.I. Bill, FIX the goddamned VA! There are thousands of returned disabled military personnel who are still waiting after a year to get their first evaluation for treatment and disability, what's known in the biz as "Compensation and Pension" or "Comp and Pen."

As much as I hate to admit it, John McCain is right about one thing: You EARN your way into the G.I. Bill system through meritorious service over a period of time. You don't just sign up, do a tour as a cook or or a pencil-pusher, get out and grab all the same benefits as somebody who put their ass on the line in a rifle company going outside the wire several nights a week on patrol. That's insulting to the men and women who are actually in the thick of it most of the time.

Now when it comes to military service and combat experience, Webb stands head and shoulders above John McCain any day. Webb was a company commander in the field, leading Marines in ground combat. He ate, slept, lived in the worst fucking conditions imaginable for months at a time, not only putting his own ass on the line by being there, but also being responsible for the lives of all the men under his command. John McCain? Slept between clean sheets on an aircraft carrier and ate in the Officer's Mess. He had all the perks of his rank. Was his mission dangerous? Of course. But whereas he spent literally minutes at a time over his targets in North Vietnam, he mostly was a glorified delivery truck driver dropping munitions from high in the sky.

Webb? Every fucking day, whether his company was on patrol on some jungle trail, or whether they were swatting bugs on night ambush, or simply trying to find a bomb crater full of water to take a bath in, they could easily be dead in less than a minute from sniper fire or ambush.

John McCain got his ass shot down. That's his claim to fame. I'm sorry he had to spend six years of his life as a P.O.W., but let me tell you this, ladies and gentlemen:

If a Marine or U.S. Army grunt ever got captured alive by the NVA, there was no P.O.W. camp awaiting them. What would happen to a grunt is almost too gruesome to describe. Let's just say that after a few days of hanging by your thumbs and getting the shit beat out of you, they would carve you up, disembowel you and make you eat your own genitals before leaving you for dead. Suddenly being a P.O. fucking W. doesn't seem so bad.

Right, because being in the military was easy. As someone who used up every bit of my GI Bill for first 2 degrees, I felt I earned every penny of that assistance.

Although it sure was easy to leave every other week on some workup or deployment to make sure we were combat ready, or to sleep in a metal rack in a room with 40 other people, or standing watch at all hours of the night, or working 18 hour days in the gulf where it averaged 100+ degrees.

Somewhere along the line McCain must have forgot what the military goes through day in and day out, regardless of service. This is simply inexcusable for him to support some bullshit like this.

That's an interesting perspective of war time service. However, I don't agree that anyone should have to wait in line to get their benefits or choose between VA benefits and education benefits. Our country's dereliction in meeting the needs of returning vets is a disgrace. I'll grant you that but it's not an either/or proposition. Our economic structure has changed greatly since the Vietnam War and having a college degree can make a significant difference in opportunity. That's not too much too grant to those who serve in war zones.