McCain and Obama both vote every year to fund the war. They are both puppets of the advocates of war. Only the Libertarian Party will end the war now. Vote Libertarian for a change.

I always think it's interesting when I hear McCain point out that we've continued to have military bases in Japan. It seems like a terrible example given how 85% of the people of Okinawa want the military to leave, but I suppose McCain is relying on most people not knowing what is going on over there.

National Security expert? McCain gets a free ride on national security because he is allowed to hide behind his military career, but not his real “career” but his misfortune as a POW—which apparently makes him a “hero”. Had he left Vietnam somehow enlightened to the inherent inhumanity of war then I would say—that dude is a hero and he has something to teach—but NO, McCain has NOTHING to teach because all those years in captivity did not alter his mind towards the total irresponsibility of our government and the utter meaninglessness of the Vietnam War!!!!!!

But National Security has very little to do with the military! That is why all of this BS about the military and national security is so disgusting—it's an excellent example of what Chomsky calls Manufacturing Consent!

In order to go to war in Iraq the most serious crime that can be committed in regards to National Security occurred. The intelligence agencies were compromised. The purpose of the intelligence agencies is to make assessments in regards to potential threats to the nation based on information and from this information policy makers shape and form their policy. In the case of the Iraq war, the policy had already been formed (we were going to invade Iraq and the policy was “find a way to justify it) and intelligence was picked that coincided with the already decided policy. All intelligence that contradicted the chosen policy was buried! In other words the Intelligence agencies were compromised because they were politically manipulated.

The instant the intelligence agencies become compromised in this fashion they move from the realm of national security to becoming a part of the marketing department and hence they don't protect “National Security” but rather they “Manufacture Consent”!

For example national security in regards to Iraq would be the economic consequences. The consequence of going into debt and how this will effect the nation. Obviously the economic aspects were deemed disastrous—thus to maintain consent the Bushies fired Paul O'Neill. That the war would be disastrous and the logic of counter terrorism was deemed flawed, the Bushies maintain consent by firing the “counter-terrorism Czar” Dick Clark, that the war itself was deemed militarily idiotic the Bushies fired General Anthony Zinni to manufacture consent for the idiotic Iraq invasion plan. So here “National Security has be compromised from the top down—the president has been allowed to undermine national security by removing experts whose expert opinions differed from his—thus our entire system of national security has been compromised!!!!!!!

McCain wants to maintain that tradition of “compromised security” and sell it as “National Security”.

From this perspective the man is a direct threat to the nation just as the president is!!!!!! I mean just think that every second we remain in Iraq costs about 16,000 dollars, or every 2 seconds we have slightly less than the yearly income of the average American. That's the yearly income of 30 Americans a minute or it costs about the yearly income of around 43,200 Americans a day—so how can we afford this and how can such an expenditure be called “national security”????? For twenty years in Iraq we could give every single American 36,000 dollars—at that kind of a rate we could offer every American a college education paid for by Uncle Sam! What would be better for national security—Every Americans with a college degree or 30 million Iraqis living in the hell of anarchy and 20,000 American soldiers dead and every country on the face of the earth hating us?

World War II was a legitimate declared war against Germany and Japan, so bases in those countries seems to me to be legitimate; but, when the United States attacks a country that hasn't attacked the United States for private industry, then having bases there to protect private industry is illegitimate. Iraq did not attack the United States in any way; therefore Americans fighting in Iraq for private industry is illegitimate and all American troops should be brought home immediately, if not sooner.

Afghanistan didn't attack the United States either. All but one of the members of the crew that allegedly attacked the United States were from Saudi Arabia, the United States' ally; and the one alleged attacker that wasn't from Saudi Arabia was not from either Iraq or Afghanistan.

It doesn't make sense that after Saudi Arabians attacked the United States that the United States would attack Afghanistan and Iraq declaring an endless war against terrorism, when it was alleged to be known exactly who attacked the United States. There is something really smelly afoot; hopefully a new administration can routed it out and bring our troops home.

McCain is McSame so it won't happen with McBush; therefore change will only happen if we elect President Obama.

Hey MarthaA, just thought I'd point out the whole training bases & state protection thing that Bin Laden and his followers had going on in Afghanistan. The real problem it seems to me stemmed from the USSR invasion and war with Afghanistan. After the CIA funded the rebellion that threw the Russians out of the country the US should have done more to encourage stable democracy in Afghanistan, I mean the people down there were supposed to be our allies (although I fear some of the money and weapons may have fallen into Bin Ladens hands). These things have deep roots and we really need to do what we can from to stabilize countries that we had a hand in making a mess of, although the military presence in Iraq is obviously counter productive.

jeugenen, this has very little to do with israel. take your antisemitism elsewhere.