Attytood

ABC's big "surprise": The actual troops don't want McCain -- they want to come home

Maybe the absence of the "M word" is not so surprising: Why would the troops support a candidate who wants to keep them fighting in the desert for a long, long time, when they mainly want to come home?

20 comments

ABC's big "surprise": The actual troops don't want McCain -- they want to come home

POSTED: Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 1:13 PM

Filed Under: World

While Gen. Petraeus makes the case in Congress today for extending the war in Iraq, ABC News and its reporter over there, Martha Raddatz, have a story out about how the troops see the presidential race back home. The story's headlined, "Surprising Political Endorsements By U.S. Troops," and I assume this is what they meant by that.

The story never once mentions the M-word.

As in McCain. Nope. Not. Mentioned. Even. Once. But if you read the whole story, which involves actual journalism, as in talking to real people who happen to be soldiers and asking then what they think, maybe that's not really so "surprising." Why would they support a candidate who wants to keep troops like them fighting in the desert for a long, long time, when they mainly want to come home?

As in, come home, like, tomorrow:

Though the military is generally a more conservative group, soldiers like Sgt. Justin Sarbaum are just as eager for a pull-out as the Democratic candidates. Sarbaum said he wondered which presidential candidate would be able to better the U.S. relationship with rogue nations, such as Iran, so that soldiers are not sent off to another war.

"Iran is obviously a big issue," Sarbaum said, "Here in Iraq for my third time; starting another war right now — is it really necessary?"

Sgt. Cory Messingham from Lewisville, Texas, said he wasn't following the race, but he was concerned about candidates' paying attention to the emotional toll that the war has taken on soldiers.

"My biggest issue is support for the military, military funding and our deployments, not having long deployments anymore. Because [the] majority of us are doing ...15-month deployments. So, it's tough on the soldiers and tough on the soldiers' families. Those are really my biggest issues."

If you're keeping score, of the five solidiers who express a candidate preference in the article, four are backing Obama -- the man who said of Iraq in 2002 that "I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war." One backs Hillary Clinton, and then there is he who shall not be named. These soldiers/citizens/voters are concerned about the same things their like-minded Americans back home care about, like the economy and avoiding future wars that might be even more ill-advised than the one they've been sent to fight.

I think this article is one more layer of evidence that those of us who say we support the troops by wanting them to end this misguided mission and return safely are, well, yes, supporting the troops.

And yet the ABC article says that what it found was "surprising" -- leaving the reader to assume that we should all be surprised that more troops aren't backing McCain and his awesome surge. (It also notes, without any backup whatsoever, that "the military is generally a more conservative group." Maybe -- but prove it.) To me, there's only one thing "surprising" about the article.

That somebody asked our troops, what do you think?

Will Bunch @ 1:13 PM Permalink | 20 comments

20 comments

Comments (20)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:46 AM, 04/09/2008

They're obviously phony troops who hate Amerika, duh.

— exrepublican

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:48 AM, 04/09/2008

Legatus, your son's service doesn't make you any less a chickenhawk coward.

— exrepublican

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:22 AM, 04/09/2008

and last i checked, both McCain and Hillary had far more endorsements from high-ranking vets/military personel than Obama...of the 2 Dems, Hillary had 31 to only 9 for Obama...here`s All Hillary`s: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=6500 in Penn., http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=6935 http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=6751

— justme819

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:26 AM, 04/09/2008

It's clear that those troops don't support the troops. Lousy commies! Learn to speak American!

— Jamey

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:27 AM, 04/09/2008

exrepublican, explain why you think that I am a chicken, explain why you think that I am a hawk, and explain why you think that I am a chickenhawk. FWIW, I've written many comments which have not appeared on the thread. Included in these is an answer to SteveMG's question above. It says that my messages are "being routed for approval", but yet they never show up. I haven't used profanity, I haven't been offensive to any poster. What gives, Will?

— legatus

| View All Comments | View All By Latest

View comments: 1 | 2

'Corbett Hood' takes from the poor ... again
From Istanbul to Rio to Philly, this democracy thing is broken
Nutter's awful, terrible, not good appearance on national TV
UPDATED: One man against the world
It's past time for fast food workers to get a living wage
Bad to the bone
This 1 factoid will demolish your faith in Chris Christie
"Tell me what is being done in my name"
"Do something now"
Obama, Putin asked about 2013 Phillies

About this blog

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

PLEASE COMMENT WITH PASSION...

...but not with racial slurs, potentially libelous allegations, obscenities or other juvenile noise. Such comments will, at our discretion, be deleted in their entirety, and repeat offenders will be blocked from commenting. ALSO: Any commenter advocating killing any government official will be immediately banned.

Reach Will at bunchw@phillynews.com.

Will Bunch

Get our top stories