TO THE MILITARY SERVICE MEN & WOMEN WHO VISIT THIS SITE: See request at the end of this post.
At the end of the debate last night, I recalled a great article I read earlier this year, written by a USMC officer. Before I give my opinion as to why this article below came to mind, consider my thoughts on John McCain:
1) In all sincerity, I am personally grateful for his incredible service to my nation, 2) he epitomizes every attribute of “hero”, a word overused today, and 3) I consider him a military expert.
Those who know me well know that when it comes to our men and women of the armed forces serving our nation, my emotions are close to the surface. Our family lives next to the largest USMC base in the U.S. and we bump into the wonderful Marines and their families all the time in local stores, restaurants, and parks.
But frankly, and as my kids would say, I am so over John McCain! I am tired of hearing John McCain tell Americans and presidential candidates how he is the only person who knows how to be “commander in chief” of the armed forces by virtue of his distinguished military career. I may be wrong in my perception here, but he has this, my-experience-as-a-never-give-up-naval-aviator-officer-POW-never-let-the-troops-down attitude that obviously comes across as condescending to his peers. In my opinion, aside from the drawback of being a Washington, D.C. bureaucrat, he often comes across as a single-issue candidate. We have had many great presidents in this country who never served in the military, many of whom were far better leaders than presidents with prior military experience. And the more McCain thinks he is superior to his peers, the angrier he appears! As a leader, he is a plodder.
Well guess what? Governor Romney, as an experienced, tough leader, is multi-faceted and is skilled in the art of executive leadership in ways that John McCain can only dream of. There is absolutely no question in my mind that Mitt Romney would be a far superior leader in every way that Americans demand of a competent President. When considering every character and leadership trait of those on that stage last night, not one person has the experience, depth of skills, or talent comparable to Governor Romney. Period.
The following article was published March 16, 2007 at UnionLeader.com
[emphasis is mine]
By MICHAEL MOFFETT
Another ViewJOHN MCCAIN is one of my heroes.
Read Robert Timberg’s account of McCain’s prisoner of war experience in “The Nightingales’ Song” and try not to be moved.
Like so many of my fellow veterans, I enthusiastically supported McCain’s 2000 Presidential bid, which saw him win a decisive victory over George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary.
Sen. McCain remains one of my heroes. But I now believe former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the man who should serve as our next commander in chief.
The reasons are many, and they include the impressive analysis of the international situation that Romney articulated after his trip to Asia earlier this year. I expect that as the months go by, many of my fellow veterans will join me in supporting a Romney candidacy in 2008.
No prospective President can come close to offering the diverse record of executive leadership that Romney can.
While McCain has been doing important work in Congress for many years, Romney has run a successful billion dollar business, saved the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and served as the Republican chief executive of one of the country’s most Democratic states. His exemplary record of accomplishment is too lengthy to begin to mention here, but as Americans learn more and more about this extraordinary man they will increasingly like what they see.
There is no substitute for executive leadership experience — a background that one just can’t get in our national legislature, where McCain has but one of 535 votes.
While a senator can lead in different ways, it’s less clear where McCain might lead us, based on so many statements and actions over recent years.
Take some of his sponsored legislation — like the proposed McCain-Kennedy bill which revisits earlier mistakes on dealing with immigration.
It was Ted Kennedy’s support for the 1965 bill that helped create many of the problems we have today. And the 1986 “reform” simply set the stage for current flood of illegals across our borders.
Or the McCain-Feingold bill. This misplaced effort at campaign finance reform has split Americans and the Supreme Court, while expanding federal regulation and abridging First Amendment freedoms.
There are folks who place great faith in expanding government. They’re called Democrats.
Our Republican standard bearer should be someone who remains true to our important principles of limited government while celebrating individual responsibility and personal liberty.
Mitt Romney is such a person.
Romney’s challenge is to better inform Americans about who he is. I expect that he will make it clear he is a man of strong faith, and most will see we share the same values and vision for our country. His wonderful Reaganesque communication skills should enable him to explain his positions on all issues. And most importantly, his true record of achievement needs to be made clear to Americans in the face of the inevitable obfuscation that marks our political process.
There’s plenty of time for this. And when the dust settles next year, I believe that Americans — veterans and non-veterans alike — will embrace this remarkable man to be our next commander in chief.
John McCain will always remain a hero. But Mitt Romney should be our next President.
Michael Moffett is a professor at NHTI-Concord. He is a member of The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Moffett served as a Marine lieutenant colonel infantry officer during Desert Storm and later served on Gen. Tommy Franks’ operations staff at United States Central Command.
(the top photograph of Governor Romney was made by Lieutenant Colonel Martin Moerschell, USAF, via Department of Defense)
To our military men and women serving in America and abroad: We know many of you are visiting this site from places like Kuwait, Iraq, the Philippines, Afghanistan, etc. If you would like to submit a statement as to why you have decided to support Governor Romney for President, please send the email statement to me directly from your military email address, with permission to publish the statement, and I will post it in this blog. If you wish to remain anonymous, I will honor that as long as you send the email from your military email address. Please provide information about yourself such as rank, line of service (Army, Navy…), current service location, hometown, name, etc. Send me a photograph if you like and I will post it as well.
Most of all, on behalf of this blog’s contributors and all Romney supporters and visitors to this site, we honor you. We thank you for your service and the sacrifices you and your families are making for us. God bless you during this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. You are in the personal and family prayers of millions of Americans.
Please pass along my email address to those with whom you serve who would like to submit a statement as to why they plan to support and vote for Governor Romney as our next Commander in Chief. Please submit your statement and photograph (optional) to —–> vic.lundquist@gmail.com
~ Vic
“We sleep peacefully at night, cradled by the big strong hands of America.”
– Val Saintsbury
“Our great modern Republic. May those who seek the blessings of its institutions and the protection of its flag remember the obligations they impose.”
– Ulysses S. Grant
