He would have been well to leave it alone...not to try to compete on every single issue...because when it comes to the military part BO cannot trade blows with John McCain.

But no....either through his own arrogance and competitiveness or the advice of Donna the dog face Brazile and Howard " Primal Scream" Dean BO has made an enormous mistake...he has opened up a flank that no one was really paying attention to and he has made himself look like a little boy standing at the train station wondering why his family left him behind.

Why does he feel compelled to compete on this issue...he has to give it to McCain...he is not going to win any points even vicariously on this issue through his great uncle or Auschwitz or anyone or anything else.

This will turn out to be the largest public image blunder that anyone has made so far...The RFK comments can't even come close.

Time for Obama to get some new advice...cuz this latest advice sucks.

Sources, please.

McCain may have laid out enough rope to hang himself with his 100 years in Iraq remark, that is if people are still in the same mood as during the last election when the House and Senate changed hands, mostly because of the war issue. And Kerry's medals did nothing for him.

was a war hero and lost to Bill Clinton, who said "It's the economy, stupid!"

All the same worrisome kitchen table issues are here again: unemployment, high prices, credit crunch, cratering dollar, plus the meltdown in home sales, construction and mortgages.

There appears to be a resurgence of jingoism taking place out there even in the face of the kitchen table issues. Amazing when you consider how badly we need to get the hell out of the middle east right now and yet the core of the voting populace is still buying it....it just doesn't figure.

Obama needs to steer carefully and respectfully away from McCain's one big gun. Yes Obama has many more weapons but he has nothing in his arsenal to match McCain's military history...this is not another Bush or Kerry...this guy is the real thing. Even making passing statements that try to suck up patriotic image vicariously is a dangerous move.

To put it another way Obama should be able to take him if he keeps it to a gun fight...but if he decides to make it into a howitzer fight McCain will blast his ass off the map. Best to keep the artillery out of the contest. Obama does not...NOT want to get hung up in a debate that features McCains Military record and experience because he will lose it in a spectacular fashion.

He's probably wishing he never siad that...but as I pointed out above there appears to be a resurgance of jingoism taking place....I smell Karl Rove!

to the effect of "How important is military service to you in picking a president?"

I'm betting such a poll would show that the general electorate doesn't care nearly as much about McCain service record as you think they should. After all, we haven't elected a president who's served overseas in 20 years.

Obama taking on McCain's medals? When has he done that? Specifically.

And McCain's service record is nothing to brag about. Spending time in prison may be an indication of sacrifice, but it's not a sign of judgment or competence in military matters, strategies, tactics, economy of effort, etc.

He graduated third for the bottom at Annapolis.

but sometimes...........

Look.. McCain is getting rave reviews and picking up all kinds of points nationally for his red, white and blue speeches...if he wasn't Obama would never have stepped on his dick trying to keep up. I'm tellin ya people get all Star Spangle bannered and Praise the lord and pass the Ammunition when it comes to this stuff..sacrifice for you country and all that shit...nothing wrong with the sentiment but the sad reality is that the sacrifices this time are being made for Wall Street not America.

of anything that even looks like he is...right now he is not doing that.

I really didn’t see BO’s Auschwitz remarks as competition, in fact I never occurred to me. I thought he was making memorial day flavored comments. Bringing up grandpa was a little cheesy, but that ship sailed a long time ago. I’m going to give him a pass on the Buchenwald/Auschwitz gaffe.

New Theory: The days of the war hero are over.

The voter’s of 2008 are increasingly unable to see the valor or value of the last 50 years of American war.

The majority of voters don’t remember the glory days and mythology of WW2. Vietnam, Panama, Kent State, Grenada, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Somalia, Gulf War I, Afghanistan, The Horrors of Iraq. No Audie Murhpy’s there, not even in the movies. John Wayne has been replaced by “Stop Loss”.

Increasingly American’s are aware of the realities of war, not it‘s “virtues“, and certainly not it‘s benefits.

[read the list above; which country is better off because of America’s involvement?]

Post traumatic stress, brain injuries, disfigured young men, VA hospitals, Trillions of dollars wasted in the desert. A large majority is strongly against Iraq.

So my theory for this election is that being a war hero is not what it used to be. By November McCain will become a faded icon of American foreign policy failure.

After the last debate in October, McCain will finish steely eyed challenging America to take arms and fight the next war to end all wars…………and, Obama will be calmly standing, quietly speaking to ears hungry to hear an alternative to Peace through War.

Just a theory.

z

Obama has a right to be proud of his uncles service. There is nothing wrong about saying so on Memorial Day.

Obama was not trying to one up Mccain, thats just absurd and i really think you already know that.

I am proud of my Uncles service in WW2, my fathers service during the korean war and my uncles service in Vietnam and the cold war. I am proud of all of my nieces and nephews who have served and of other loved ones and friends.

Some of whom are deployed right now.

Does that mean I claim to be a warrior, hell no.

Your post is not a fair one.

Why warn about it if you can't be more specific? I'm ready to argue the point, but you're not giving me much to go on.

McCain may be a stubborn old fool and do as you say. On the other hand, I'm guessing public opinion polls (in line with your opinion) will drive him to a more dovish position. Either way, I don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell.