"I'm more of a man than you are."

This would seem to run counter to his ducking a vote on one of the most expansive bills for veterans' benefits. It certainly doesn't take a man to duck a vote this important---why was he so afraid of affording veterans full educational benefits today?

Ronald Reagan never served in the Military.

McBushCain, The Hybrid War Machine that runs on Ignorance, Bullshit, and Fear, has attacked the memory of Ronald Reagan.

I take a backseat to no one in my affection, respect and devotion to veterans. And I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did.

For starters, military service isn't compulsory. Secondly, it's not like Obama was a stockbroker. Even if he was, it doesn't reflect on his political acumen. He supported Webb's GI Bill, McCain didn't.

As a Virginian, I'm not the biggest fan of the Webb for VP idea, although I support him fully. But if McCain keeps this up, I'd fully welcome this battle royale.

That last paragraph is just astounding in its vitriol....McCain is going to get nastier and nastier, and try to pull Obama down into the muck, until there is no longer any distinction between the type of campaign Obama is running and the dirty tricks, smears and attacks McCain is and will be using.

Tread carefully, Sen. Obama, this is a trap. Please don't fall in. Remember what that Ms. Weiss said....(just the 1st 10 seconds captures the sentiment I am going for)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AeBpPjIlaEw

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I think McCain is going down just like Dole did in '96, stumbling off the stage (literally and figuratively), perhaps to do viagra ads or some other silliness.

This statement here makes me feel even more solidly in that. Bush I tried to use military service against Clinton I, as did Dole. Both failed, which is in part why Bush's AWOL didn't hold him back.

It won't be any more effective now. Especially as exhausted as our military and family relatives are becoming with two wars/occupations overseas.

If McCain wants to play that way, Obama ought to say, "Maybe John McCain doesn't realize it, but not everyone who serves in the military can be lucky enough upon returning from war to immediately dump his wife for a young heiress worth $100,000,000, buy eight houses, and go to Washington, D.C., for 30 years to make speeches in Congress and have great health care on the American taxpayer's dime. Not everyone who serves in the military has the inside connections that come with having a father and grandfather who were admirals in the Navy. Maybe John McCain didn't need a G.I. bill to go to college and get decent jobs and health care, but many of our brave veterans do."

Yeah he's ducking and dodging.

And I still can't figure out how not voting on the bill wasn't the WORST of both worlds.

But I hope we're not going to note every time MCCain mentions his military service against a man like Obama who has never served. They "say" he ex-Naval officer, war hero ex-POW and not wdoesn't like to bring it up. So what? They "say" he's no friend of the religious right.

You'd have to be a total idiot to be a highly-decorated, work the hell out of it--especially in a time of war.

Just seems silly to me.

That's why Obama needs a national security VP. A Clark, a Webb, and all of this just goes away.

The attacks made against John Kerry for CLAIMING his military service gives him the EDGE for Presidency -- should now be used against McCain.

Bring out the 527s and how McCain attacked families wanting to bring home EVERY POW in Vietnam.

2 words - Abu Ghraib.

That will have shattered the illusion of that military service is some sort of morally superior commitment to our country's standing in the world.

I said what I had to say here.

"Does McCain Have a Veterans Problem?"

FLAG THE REAL ISSUES, TPM!

This posting misses the real issue in McCain's vitriolic response to Obama this afternoon! Obama was polite to McCain, honoring his service as usual, when he took strong issue with his opposition to the Webb GI Bill. McCain's response was angry, intemperate, vitriolic -- and basically questioned the patriotism of anyone who dares to comment on military issues in the USA without having served in the military. That is a pretty amazing stance for McCain to take -- especially after supporting Bush et al who never served, in fact EVADED service.

All of us on the progressive side need to take STRONG notice when McCain displays an explosive temper -- a real issue about him -- and we should take extreme offense at his suggestion that Americans must serve in the military to be patriotic full citizens. How can one say that Obama, who chose to go into community service after law school, is any less patriotic?

Don't get into so much meta-commentary TPM, that you overlook the real issues! Flag them.

Theda Skocpol, Cambridge MA

Oh, please!!! Obama and I are the same age, although I am a white, middle-class woman (supposedly Hillary's demographic but instead a feminist Obama supporter). I'm sure Obama registered for the potential draft back when Carter reinstated it in 1980, but during our 20s, we were not at war (save for the oh-so-brief invasion of Grenada). With our supposedly strong all-volunteer army, why should someone with aspirations toward community organizing and a legal career not serve his country on the domestic front through social service? I respect Sen. McCain's time in uniform, but the Vietnam War era was significantly different than the 1980s. To fault Obama for not voluntarily joining the military during a time of peace is ridiculous (especially in light of Bush and Cheney's duck and dodges when we were at war).

Oh, so now only military folks can run for President? What is this, a junta?

And what's with McCain's tone? He's the most belligerent candidate I've ever heard. It's never, "I respectfully disagree with my good friend, the Senator from Illinois," it's always, "Once again he shows how dangerously ignorant he is."

McCain's got some mighty short arms to be picking fights.

I guess that disqualifies Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Bobby Jindhal, Fred Thompson, and Joe Lieberman from commenting on military affairs as well and definitely disqualifies them from consideratoin for VP. Or McCain is just full of crap. Again.

Hey McBushcain:

The three idiots you are spending the weekend with on your VP search- Romney, Crist and Jindal- they did not serve either. The unpatriotic bastards.

We need to hit back at this sort of under handed smear by McCain. The following steps need to be taken:

1. Line up those veterans supporting the bill with Obama simply to say that Obama has a very good understanding of what it takes to support the veterans of this war. They could also ask whether McCain is questioning their right to speak to the needs of the veteran.

2. Obama should make a public statement noting that the vast majority of the senate and house supported this bill. He should note the number who were veterans. He should then talk about hypocrisy of criticizing him for not having served during a time of peace while McCain supported a Vice-Presidential candidate who had five deferments and simply dismissed his failure to serve during a time of war with the statement that he simply had better things to do.

3. Obama could really make a point of saying that had there been better educational benefits, he might very well have served in the military to gain the benefits.

4. Obama should hit the necessity of having a citizen army by encouraging not only those who want to make it a career but also those citizen soldiers who have proven of such value in service to their nation.

Anybody got a master list of Chicken Hawks in the Bush administration?

I wish McCain had felt so strongly about prior military service when George W. Bush and Richard Cheney were running. (Note: I am retired military and a Vietnam vet. I do not consider Bush's TX Air NG time as military service. In fact, in his case, I consider it military disservice since he wasted hundreds of thousands of tax payers dollars and was a total deadbeat.)

Well, if Obama isn't allowed to criticize McCain for not supporting the bill, would it be okay if the VFW did?

In the VFW's own words: "VFW Demands Passage of New GI Bill for 21st Century"

Or how about the American Legion? Is it okay if they tell McCain he's not supporting vets: American Legion Breaks with Bush, McCain on GI Bill

You're out-gunned, Grampy. Back the fuck off.

I believe that McCain's time in captivity destroyed his mind. What are the odds that he'll die of old age before the election ?

Given Sen. Obama's age I don't see how you could criticize his lack of military service as an issue. Being in his late 40's he was never exposed to the draft nor was he of an age to join up at any time when we were in a conflict of consequence. Persons in his age group, and particularly those gainfully employed, have very low rates of enlistment.

McCain is making an issue of something that is meaningless in any normal context. And if you want to make a big deal of this it's not like Obama was out there making tons of dough in the private sector. He was occupied serving the public good in areas of Chicago where he was able to make a difference. McCain is just so full of it.

No, McCain, NO! Don't claim to care about vets while everyone watching you screw them over- don't you get it? You're supposed to make Obama look BAD in comparison to you...