I am not a believer in politicians visiting war zones except as cheerleaders. The troops assigned to their safety are taken away from their primary focus of military operations and their own safety and the safety of those in their units.

However, given the silliness of this campaign season where flag pins are considered a necessity for being a patriot, a trip seems to be required to appease everyone who has something to say.

If Barack goes, I would recommend he travel without an entourage and a million member press corps. He should go with a military sponsor with ground combat experience. He should meet with officers and enlisted alike. He needs the time to ask questions and to listen to answers and the information he receives should be given to him in confidence so that the uniformed types can speak freely without fear of retribution.

At the end of the day, Barack Obama or John McCain will learn more from a visit to a base in the USA where men and women can speak with some reflection and some distance from the deployment worries. Most importantly, both will learn as much about the demands of these two wars from the families of those serving than will be learned from a trip overseas. And what is learned will clarify for one and all, why we cannot continue with the demands of deployment and multiple tours with insufficient time between tours regardless of the politics of the moment.

You’re partially correct. “If Obama is somehow targeted in Iraq” I guarantee you that “conspiratorial divisions” will be the least of our worries. It will literally tear this country apart.

I do, however, agree with those concerned for Obama’s safety, when he goes. If Obama is somehow targeted in Iraq, it would result in conspiratorial divisions that wouldn’t abate in our lifetime.

The trip is important. His safety is essential.

Russert was married and had a wife and kid. Or does the good preacher just hate the guy because he was in the media ?

(but McC going is an uplifting experience of commerce in the carpet mart).

“The presumed Democratic presidential nominee…”

Newsflash: Obama IS the Democratic presidential nominee.

No, he is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee until the convention makes him the official nominee. Now is not the time to quibble over such minute and irrelevant issues. Now is the time for unity and a full bore campaign to make the real issues front and center. In this, we all need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Let the Republicans do the quibbling (and they will). Let them lose.

* the corporate powers that be including big oil, big pharma, health insurance, banking, and those gaining from the MIC.

* those from the Bush Crime Family fearing prosecution from an Obama administration

* Anyone that could gain the Dem nominee due to Obama’s death

Iraq itself may not be a great threat, but a huge threat by those that would like to use Iraq as an excuse.

wacth your back Obama.

McCane’s minions will now attack when, and how many times, Obama goes there.

I don’t have to go to Iraq to understand the horror of what the United States is allowing to happen, all in the name of oil and mercenary contractor profits.
Barack Obama won’t be going to Iraq to make a show of how much progress has been made, or how safe it is… he’ll be going there to assess the damage and figure out how to fix it.
Because he knows he will inherit the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of our nation.

“I suggest you put away your hate..”
“the Hillary hating rhetoric…”

We won’t look to you for any space to put away the hate…

http://progressiveworldreview.com

link.

Are you serious about believing what Rev. Whack-Job Phelps says or, as I hope, it was a spoof?

Can you spell thrashing?