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Delayed Dividends

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Gabriel Read

Published: February 15, 2008

What goes around, comes around. Sen. McCain's long-time allegiance to President Bush has finally paid off. His position on the Iraqi war, amnesty bill, Free Trade bills, prescriptive drug bill, pension exemption for corporations bill, the China negotiation process, you name it, Sen. McCain was behind Bush all the way.

What with all the talk about change, even by McCain, guess who endorses McCain? The establishment! Sen. McCain, war hero, beloved by all Americans, now vaulted to the front in the Republican race. How fitting. He was brutally trashed by those supporters of Bush in South Carolina in 2000, but said nothing (perhaps because of what happened to him in Vietnam). He did not blame President Bush. In fact, he supported just about all of Bush's policies, especially Iraq.

All well and good, except for one key factor. He has reversed himself on almost all of them in the last two months, except one, the Iraqi war. He now proclaims his Straight Talk Express, which appears to have lost a wheel. He is promising just about everything, even getting Osama bin Ladin, because "he knows how." If so, why not now? He is pandering to every segment of the population, even the conservatives. He is counting on the military for support; yet, the government has exploited them from day one of the war.

The troops had to wait for years to get armor for their vehicles and themselves. Their families were forbidden to send same to them. The troops' tours were extended up to a year, and were returned to combat two to three times. Hundreds were drummed out of the military because they were "malingerers," when actually they were shell shocked and brain damaged. Somehow it took four years of the war to learn that Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome is a real injury, that having vehicles blown up under them do cause real damage. Then the wounded troops returned home to face all kinds of bureaucracy that delayed medical care for recovery.

Sen. McCain, reformed national hero, is the Republican nominee. Another national hero was exploited, too. He resigned as Secretary of State.

Gabriel Read
Avon Park

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