Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Ask a serviceman

ABC News asked a few of our soldiers in Iraq about their picks among the presidential candidates. Found via TPM Election Central's Greg Sargent, who rightly notes that
This is hardly a scientific survey, obviously, but more of the troops who spoke to ABC had nice things to say about Obama than about either Hillary or McCain [in fact, no one quoted even mentioned McCain-BV]. For some reason they seem to like the fact that Obama is promising to bring them home.
Here's a short excerpt of the ABC News story, but read the whole thing:

Spc. Joseph Lindsesdt, who is from Alaska, said he was watching for consistency of the candidates' views. "The steadiness of the candidate, whether they've changed their views, constantly, over time, or with political wind, as I like to put it."

To that end, Lindsesdt's pick is Obama. "The fact that he's followed his views, regardless of what they have been [sic] and whether I've agreed with them or not, sometimes. But he's been steady the entire way."

2 comments:

TWM said...

Ben,

In all seriousness, do you really believe that not ONE service member supported McCain, much less didn't mention him at all? If all these troops are worried about is coming home how come the Army is exceeding their reenlistment goals? Even the 3rd ID, a unit that has been there as long or longer than any other, exceeded its reenlistment goal already this year and we aren't even into summer.

I am sure there are military members who support Obama. And Hillary, too. But I will bet you a month's salary that the VAST majority support McCain. And I mean VAST.

One last thing . . . most military members will not tell you who they support unless you are a brother in arms. It's just the way it is.

Ben Varkentine said...

I'm sure that's possible, even likely. Remember, the article did acknowledge that most of the military leans towards the conservative.

But I also think, even if you believe the media is liberal, if that many in the military support him, a least a few would have gone on record.

I have no chapter and verse on this, but I suspect McCain's plan to keep them there with no end in sight isn't doing him any favors.