I'm sorry if this is old news to some, but I just found out. And I'm pleasantly surprised, but not too surprised. In a previous diary, OBAMA and the Military I wrote that:
I'm seeing a growing trend of openness. I no longer automatically expect a harsh debate or a snide remark when I mention being a Democrat. I'm not sure what statistics show but I'm definitely noticing a culture change.
And now come to find out, according to the Associated Press, ...
Troops donate more campaign money to Obama than McCain, despite McCain's military record
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday.
Troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's, the Center for Responsive Politics said.
OK, can we say that again. SIX FRICKING TIMES!
Troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's, the Center for Responsive Politics said.
The results also are striking because they favored Obama, who never has served in the military. McCain meanwhile, is a decorated war veteran who spent nearly five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Arizona senator graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and had a 22-year career as a naval aviator.
Obama has opposed the war in Iraq and says he would withdraw combat troops within 16 months. McCain has been a steadfast supporter of the war, saying he would withdraw the troops only when conditions on the ground warrant it.
See, during the debate McCain tried to make the case that we (want) to be Iraq. Said John McCain: "General Petraeus invited Senator Lindsey Graham and me to attend a ceremony where 688 brave young Americans, whose enlistment had expired, were reenlisting to stay and fight for Iraqi freedom and American freedom."
I thoroughly slashed and burned this ridiculous statement in my post-debate rebuttal to John McCain.
Senator McCain, I see your reenlistments (I reenlisted BTW) and raise you TROOPS OVERWHELMINGLY DONATING TO OBAMA.
"Obama will work tirelessly to uphold this nation's sacred trust with its veterans, to ensure they are not forgotten after they return home and he will provide our troops with the leadership they deserve, as well as the support they and their families need," Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said.
McCain's campaign played down the significance of the donations.
"John McCain has been endorsed by more retired admirals and generals than Barack Obama has military donors," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said in a statement.
Wow. How fricking arrogant can you get?
"We feel confident that many U.S. troops stationed overseas will support John McCain in the election this fall, but we suspect most are too busy doing the important work of defending this country than to make political contributions," Goldfarb said.
And the irony is most of our troopers don't even know they have a new GI Bill coming to them, much less that John McCain opposed it. I've been informing as many of our young Soldiers as I can about the new Bill. Their reaction is usually, "really? Wow!" And it surprises me because there was even a front page article in the Army Times about it.