Gallup is out with a story on McCain's support among veterans.  Of course, McCain is in front among veterans, and the article's headline makes that clear.

But, when you dig into the details, it's apparent that McCain is not leading among veterans as much as he should be.

McCain is up 56-34 among military veterans, with 10 percent undecided.  Assuming that the undecideds break 50-50, that would be a roughly 60-40 split for McCain.

How does that compare with 2004?

[In] Gallup's final pre-election poll in 2004, 55% of registered voters who had served in the military backed George W. Bush, compared with 39% who supported John Kerry.  It is notable, then, that McCain is doing only about as well among military veterans as Bush did in 2004, despite the two Republican candidates' varying military backgrounds.

One additional fact Gallup leaves out: in 2004, the Democrats were running a Vietnam veteran.  Even with the swiftboat attacks, Kerry had a natural advantage among veterans, which Obama is matching.

My lovely girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to attend the 50th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show yesterday, and I would like to dedicate this diary to admiration, respect, and gratitude for all of the brave men and women of our Armed Services.

The air show put on by the U.S. Navy in Chicago yesterday was truly a sight to behold..more on the flip.

cross-posted at Blue Hampshire

On Sunday I attended a Vets BBQ at the Sweeney VFW post in Manchester, NH to support the re-election of Carol-Shea Porter (D-NH) to the US Congress from the first district. An overflow crowd, they even ran out of hamburgers, greeted CSP and her guest in NH that day, Congressman Chet Edwards (D-TX) from the 17th district which includes the village of Crawford which is currently missing the idiot that is currently and woefully living in the White House, most woefully.

The two have become fast friends in DC as Congressman Edwards, Carol's new BFF down there, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and VA (MILCON/VA). He came to NH to see what's up first hand. He was impressed with the turnout at the event, so was I.

Carol's remarks were brief and focused on the outrage that NH is currently the only state in America that does not have a full service VA hospital. Follow me below the fold for all the remarks because as Carol told us all in attendance: "There is no excuse."

This was initially going to be a comment on TomP's diary, but I decided to expand...

I think McCain would be a lousy president, but, as he is running for office in the 21st century, is doomed to have his statements gone over with a fine tooth comb by everyone with access to The Google and wikipedia.  Such is politics.

However, I am leery of hitting him on this.  Yes, maybe it's a lie put together by his handlers.  But there is a history of false memories among vets that needs to be added to the context here.

Really?  The theme of the day when the Vice Presidential candidate speaks will be Securing America's Future?  

Every Clark supporter knows that Clark's website, begun in 2004, was never WesClark.com the way it was with others running for president at that time.  It was, and has always been, SecuringAmerica.com.  

Every Clark supporter knows that Clark never begins a political speech without first asking every veteran in the audience to stand up and be applauded.

Every Clark supporter knows that Clark was an extraordinarily popular surrogate among people running for Congress because of his military background and that over the past four years he has dedicated himself to aiding the fundraising efforts of Democratic candidates, particularly supporting those who are veterans.

Could he be the vp pick?  

I've got about 20 minutes before I have to shuffle off to work, but I wanted to write in support of "This Diary Should Never Be Written," a diary by Black Leather Rain that's on the Rec list but deserves even more views and more support.

I've sent $25.09 for this cause, which benefits homeless US military veterans here in my state of North Carolina.  Would you consider matching my donation?

Send donations via PayPal to lauraconners(at)earthlink.net
Or send donations directly to the VFW at:
VFW Post 2087, 2605 S. Elm-Eugene St., Greensboro, NC 27406-3622

When the U.S. military death toll in Iraq dropped to 13 last month it received wide attention.  But now, midway through August, the toll this month has already topped the July rate.  Meanwhile, two more Iraq vets have killed themselves here at home.  

A U.S. marine killed by gunmen in Fallujah west of Baghdad on Thursday became the 15th American to die in August.  A troubling seven had died in noncombat incidents.   The 15 tally tops July by two.

And the war at home?

Imagine, if you will, giving the best years of your youth to your government, fighting for your life overseas, and seeing friends and enemies die on what seems like a daily basis.  When your responsibilities end, you return home to your small midwestern town, only to find out that no one can give you a job - the economy is trashed, they have nothing to offer.

A friend, however, says that he's heard there are jobs in California.

You take the majority of what is left of your savings and your money from the government and buy a pickup that can make it across a few states without breaking down.  When you make it out to California with a few hundred dollars to your name, you find you cannot afford a permanent place to live.

Then you find out that no one's willing to give you a job without a permanent address to your name.

Soon, you're living out of the only asset you have to your name - your truck.

It's not long before you have to sell your truck, however, just so you have money for food.

Now, you're one of a growing number in this country: 20-some year old homeless Iraqi veterans.

We have two theaters of occupations of others in destroyed countries, destroyed by us, one in continuing destruction from others before to us now and our broken promises of helping to rebuild as that theater grows more dangerous, the other totally destroyed on the trumped up lies of a twisted ideology of a few, tens of thousands dead and maimed, millions living as refugee's, billions of dollars wasted, stolen, lost in the machine of war profitteering, soldiers serving mutiple tours in both, families of same scraficing as a nation that is not moves along, most not caring what is happening In Their Names.

We call this "The War On Terror" and in the seven years these conflict theaters have been raging all we've created are the hatreds that will feed the ranks of the criminal terrorists leading to damaged National Securities around the globe and more theaters of death, destruction and occupations.

The sub title of this 'War On Terrorism' has been sold to all as a clash of twisted religious ideologies, a 'Religious War', on all sides. Those war hawks supporting and pushing these ideologies, few of them fighting, define everything about these clashes with political and religious labels, those opposed are left to define in same manner.

That fringe veteran said John McCain had abandoned the veterans — I don't know if you can understand this, George, but that really hurts. You should be ashamed.

The man that used to be  John McCain said this  in Feb 2000 at the SC Primary debate. Asking George W. Bush to  condemn a smear. Bush ignored him. Just laughed it off.

Four years later the same tactic was used against John Kerry by one Jerome Corsi. The man that used to be  John McCain condemned the attack.

John McCain of today thinks that Jerome Corsi's attack biography of Obama is a laughing matter.

Approached by a curious reporter at an event on Friday and asked about the book, McCain replied:

Gotta keep your sense of humor.

Earlier this week, James Hoyt, one of the first four soldiers in WWII to discover the Buchenwald concentration camp which led to its liberation in 1945, died at his home. He was buried yesterday.

Reports CNN:

Hoyt had rarely spoken about that day in 1945, but he recently opened up to a journalist.

"There were thousands of bodies piled high. I saw hearts that had been taken from live people in medical experiments," Hoyt told author Stephen Bloom in a soon-to-be-published book called "The Oxford Project."

We have truly lost a great American hero, but his story can still teach us about a much-discussed issue plaguing America today: the thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from PTSD.

I saw this video on YouTube, it got sent to me through The Tubes on MySpace, it's pretty amazing. This guy seems to embody all of the wingnuts who we see comments from on Internet boards (other than this one). I didn't think they were real people, because you never see them in real life, or at least I don't living in Manhattan. This video will show you why they are better off staying in their anonymous posting bunkers - this guy gets absolutely pwned, not so much by Sheehan, but by the vets at the event...

Get your popcorn out and enjoy the carnage below the fold...

Somehow I ended up on the e-mail list for the Weekly Talking Points from the Pink Elephants (Lady Rethugs).  I usually just delete them, but every once in a while I read through for a good laugh.  Thought I would share todays.

Dedicated individuals in the nonprofit sector have the programs that our government should be carrying forward to help our troubled vets today and produce fewer wounded vets tomorrow.  Building Veterans Villages helps vets erase post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and build their lives.  Fielding 21 million Americans under the American World Service Corps will eliminate creating future PTSD wounded vets and build stronger lives for all who serve and are served. Visit www.VeteransVillage.org and www.WorldServiceCorps.us to learn more.

Today I spent a few hours with a group of Armed Guard and Merchant Marine veterans.  Their monthly meeting is always held at Hoss’s though it is difficult to navigate a buffet with canes and walkers.  The group is 59 strong if all are in attendance – some bring their spouses or are driven there by a relative since they can travel 30 miles to be there.  

Cross-posted from Progressive Future

What is he thinking?! That's what the Secretary of State of Connecticut, Susan Bysiewicz, asks in her editorial in the New York Times.  It seems that the secretary of Veterans Affairs, James Peake, won't allow nonpartisan voter registration drives at federally funded hospitals, shelters and rehabilitation centers for veterans. So veterans like Martin O’Nieal, who lost his leg in World War II,might not be able to vote.

At the recent Disabled American Veterans Convention Senator McCain was given a tepid welcome, and his remarks were not well received by the veterans there.

A reporter from the Las Vegas newspaper talked to 14 attendees, and only found one that stated he was definately voting for McCain, the rest were fed up with his voting record on veterans issues (wallet issues) and health care. The fact that he also opposed Senator Webbs new G.I. Bill didn't earn him any gratitude from the veterans nor would I think the active duty forces.

Despite the overall drop in U.S. deaths in Iraq there has been a spate of "noncombat" fatalities there in the past week -- including a female soldier who apparently was accidentally shot by a colleague who was cleaning a weapon.  Also, Iraq vets (some who may be set to return there) continue to kill themselves at home at an alarming rate.

The latest example in that latter group was reported this morning.

The 21-year-old Army National Guardsman from Iowa, Jake Clements, had served a tour in Iraq and was likely heading backing there.  He was on the phone with his former girlfriend when he fatally shot himself in the basement of her  home in Holmen, Wisc., late Friday -- while she was upstairs -- officials said.