In a post before the presidential debate last week, I wrote about five key things< /a>that veterans would be watching for in the debate. And, most of those questions were actually addressed, which was great. But two issues remain very much unresolved. It's my hope that there's a deeper...

When Senators Barack Obama and John McCain debate Foreign Policy tonight, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be looking for answers on five key points, and will heavily judge the debate on those points.

1) Will the candidates (and the moderator) note the difference between "tactical"...

So, because there's a financial crisis, Senator McCain cannot take 90 minutes to address how he will face challenges around the world, including how and when he will send American troops to fight, and possibly die.

Wow. Troops would sure love that luxury.

Unfortunately, though, insurgents in Iraq don't stop...

Last week's Republican convention sure made every superficial effort to come off as pro-Troop and pro-Veteran. And, of course, the media ate it up, not challenging a single thing. But to those of us who did serve, it was offense after offense after offense. Let's count the ways:

McCain Didn't...

When Sarah Palin was announced as John McCain's Vice Presidential pick, I found it a little disturbing that she told the public that her oldest son, Track, would be deploying to Iraq on September 11. Generally, disclosing the date of deployment is against Operational Security (OPSEC) and illegal.

I'm going to be very blunt, here. I wish Senator McCain a very long and happy life. But, at age 72 with a history of cancer, John McCain may not live through his first term, if elected. That would make Sarah Palin our Commander in Chief. I, and other vets...

VoteVets.org is back with one of our hard-hitting ads, holding public officials accountable on issues of importance to the troops and veterans. This time, we're exposing the dreadful record of former Congressman Bob Schaffer. Here's the ad:

Out...

"Why do the troops hate the troops?"

Honestly, after years of hearing that if you don't support the Bush military policy, you don't support the troops, you have to wonder what the neo-cons will do now. Today, a study by the Center for Responsive Politics reported that members of...

Why is John McCain treating our national security, literally, as a joke?

This week, Senator John McCain made clear that you shouldn't try to combat the rising cost of gas by checking your car's tire pressure, so your car gets more per gallon (something everyone from Al Gore to...

John McCain sure is a maverick, I'll give him that.

In just a week, he's managed to alienate the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Iraqi people, the American people, and the veterans community. The question is, is this the kind of maverick that we really want to see?

First, just after...

Welcome to the party, Senator McCain.

Five years ago, on the April 10, 2003 Hannity and Colmes, John McCain said, "Nobody in Afghanistan threatens the United States of America and nobody is running terrorist training camps to orchestrate attacks on the United States of America." And, for the next five...

You'd think with all the media consternation with the non-existent "flip flop" of Obama on Iraq (you know, the one where he didn't change his position at all), reporters would be blowing their stack at the true flip flop from John McCain on Iraq.

Late yesterday, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki...

I've been running VoteVets.org for a couple of years now. In 2006 and in 2008, we've endorsed a number of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for Congress. It's still a story that the press is largely interested in, and when they call me to talk about it, I always -- always...

Boy, talk about your echo chamber in the media. Yesterday, General Wesley Clark went on CBS' Face the Nation, and repeated something he's said many times before. If you missed it, here's the full quote in context :

Bob Schieffer: Well you, you went so far as to say...

It's crunch time. This week, the Senate is expected to take up the 21st Century GI Bill, offered by Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel, after the measure passed the House last week. And, VoteVets.org is right there to keep the pressure on, with a 36-hour ad blitz on...

There is some great news coming from Texas, where two polls show that Afghanistan Veteran, Rick Noriega, is well within striking distance of Senator John Cornyn.

A recent Rasmussen Poll finds that Cornyn now only leads by four points - 47-43. Now, before you dismiss it as just one...

Sometimes it's just flat-out funny to watch the Bush administration spin when it comes to military operations. The New York Times reported this weekend that the U.S. could see a surge of troops into Afghanistan. Surely, groups like VoteVets.org have to be happy with that, right? I mean, since...

A shocking story got lost in the media frenzy on the Pennsylvania primary this weekend. The New York Times had an explosive report finding that most of the retired brass and senior experts that you see on television are merely reciting Pentagon talking points. A massive Pentagon PR effort, started...

I'm not bitter, I'm livid.

I didn't bother watching the debate last night, because I knew what was coming. Each and every time we have our candidates in the same place at the same time, it's one big game of stupid. Flag pins? Tuzla? Who the hell cares? Distractions like...

Much has been made in the Democratic primary over which candidate has passed or failed the Commander-in-Chief test. Yet, it's neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton who hasn't passed that test. It's John McCain, who has now failed that test twice.

If I was drawing up the Commander in Chief...