Experience

I held off a while before posting this so I could see if I was writing something worthwhile or just knee jerk reacting to something that irritated me. So here are my thoughts, about a week out of date.

I was truly disappointed in General Wes Clark’s comment that Senator McCain’s military service doesn’t “qualify” him for commander in chief. It is certainly a form of experience that will be useful for a president.

John McCain’s service as a fighter pilot and prisoner of war may not “qualify” him for the office of commander in chief. But it does give him a unique understanding of some of the decisions he will have to make.

When I was in Viet Nam, we referred to someone being killed as “wasted”. In fact that term has now become a part of the language for almost anyone who is killed.

For any veteran, solders are not nameless, faceless “troops” they are the people that we lived and served with and one lesson the military instills in all its officers and noncommissioned officers is, while you may have to “spend” your people to reach your objective, GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH!

Since Senator McCain has that unique experience, I should be able to rely on him not to waste our service people. Is that the only qualification for the office of President? Absolutely not! Is it an important consideration? Absolutely.