Patriotism in a President

Lately the McCain camp and the Obama camp have been trading barbs about questioning each other’s patriotism. Wesley Clark implies that being a downed pilot doesn't qualify McCain for president. True enough. I know many a soldier, sailor, airman and Marine who should not be president.
Does being rammed by a Japanese destroyer qualify you for Commander in Chief? How about commanding a Swift boat? LBJ served honorably in WWII earning a Silver Star. GHW Bush was shot down near Japan. Al Gore took pictures in Vietnam. None of those acts alone qualify one for the job. We can point to hundreds of great warriors that have no business in the Oval Office. President Patton....I don't think so. President McArthur...nope. Sherman burned is way to the sea and helped win the Civil War. President? Nope. Harry Truman, average soldier, great president. Reagan, made instructional films for the Army. So let's just table the whole issue of military service and qualification for president. It is nice on the resume but not necessary.

I do want to talk about the patriotism thing. Is Barak Obama un-patriotic when he calls for immediate withdrawal of US troops? Granted, he has "modified" his position but his end game is essentially the same, removal of all troops from Iraq in a "time definite" manner. Was he un-patriotic when he voted against the surge? In both cases I maintain he was very patriotic. He feels it was in the best interest of the US military and the US in general to get out of Iraq. Unpatriotic? Nope. Wrong, foolish, stupid....Yes!

Neville Chamberlin was a patriot. Peace in our time? Tell that to Poland,France,the Baltics, you know the rest.

George McClellan sat on his ass and let the confederates’ slip away time and time again prolonging the war. When he got fired, he turned around and ran for President as a Democrat on a platform that included suing for peace with the south and returning to status quo ante. A patriot? Yes. A president? I don't think so. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Brilliant General loved his country so much he wanted to make it better by starting the KKK. Patriot sure, racist yes.

John McCain and Barak Obama are both card carrying board certified bonafide patriots. The difference is that Obama's domestic and foreign policies and political leanings will bankrupt our country and get us killed.

Personally, I don't give a rat’s ass about his patriotism.