Obama: I Have The Same Amount Of Executive Experience As McCain [Reader Post]

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On 60 minutes last night Obama said they he and McCain had the exact same about of executive experience. The comment comes around the 30 second mark on this video. Sorry Senator Obama, but I beg to differ.

McCain’s combat duty began in 1967 when he was thirty years old. He was almost killed later that year. Lieutenant Commander McCain was almost killed when a Zuni rocket discharged on the flight deck. Of the USS Forestal here escaped from his jet and helped another man escape before the explotion. After this tragedy McCain volunteered to serve on the USS Oriskany.

On October 26 1967 McCain went down in Hanoi and was taken Prisoner by the Viet-cong. He served two years in solidary confinement. He was offered release but refused because their were others who had been POW’s longer. August of 68 is when a prolong series of torture began. He was beaten every two hours! His injuries has left him unable to raise his arms above his head. McCain was released on March 14, 1973 after serving five and a half years has a POW.

When John McCain came back to America he received rehab for his injuries and attended the War College in 1976 he became a commanding officer of a training squad in Florida. The squad won a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

In 1977 McCain served as the Navy’s liason to the U.S. Senate According to McCain, this was the begining of McCain’s political career. McCain retired from the Navy in 1981 has a Captain. He had received 17 Millitary rewards: The Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal were just a few of them.

So McCain was a Lieutenant Commander and a Captain. After receiving some comments saying this shouldn’t qualify has executive experience I thought I should find out what the responsiblities for these ranks were.

A Lieutenant Commander is a senior department officer on a large ship or shore installation. They may also be commanding officer or executive officer (second-in-command) of a smaller ship or installation. Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) is a junior officer rank, with the pay grade of O-4. Lieutenant Commander ranks above Lieutenant and below commander. Lieutenant Commander is equivalent to the rank of Major in the other uniformed services. The Lieutenant Commander is the most senior of the junior officer ranks.

Captain (CAPT) is a senior officer rank, with the pay grade of O-6. It ranks above Commander and below Rear Admiral (lower half). It is equivalent to the rank of Colonel in the other uniformed services. Navy Captains may also fill important senior staff positions or have shore based command assignments, such as commanding officer of a naval station, naval air station, naval support activities, specialized centers or commanders of test wings or training air wings.

John McCain was an officer in the U.S. navy for 14 years. He trained men and gave orders that entire time. He made decisions that other men had to follow and he had these men’s lives in his hands. Has an officer he was also responsible for setting an example for his men to follow. If that doesn’t count has executive experience I must not understand the what the term means.

I guess Obama once again forgot about McCain’s military record when he was speaking on 60 minutes. Obama seems to forget about McCain’s military record frequently. It’s come to the point I no longer believe it’s an accident. I believe that Obama is intentionally ignoring McCain’s military record because he doesn’t have one of his own.

Does not having served make someone unfit to be President? Absolutely not. Just as simply being in the military does not make someone qualified to be President. However saying someone with 14 years of executive experience in our military has the same amount of executive experience has a Freshman Senator who served has a community organizer and a State Senator is absurd. If Obama really believes McCain has no executive experience that alone should disqualify him from becoming our next President.

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Guns or butter, fellas, guns or butter. Didn’t you all learn anythink in community college.
The world is passing us by while we are fighting a war contrived over oil.
Move on.

dot org

Mata, let’s say i jumped to perhaps the wrong conclusion on that poster and we can squash that.

with regards to my cynicism and your lack of naivety, the fact is, if no credible third party evolves, nothing changes and the two parties simply converge when the wind blows, just like now with the wall street mess. it is no solution for a supposedly free society. i will keep voting this way until things change. and like i said, i will read up on the CAC.

Scott,

you keep pushing me to defend obama. that is not what i am here for. if however you want me to tell you why mccain is worse, i can. he is almost wrong on every issue excepting free trade. we can get into more details if you wish

No Sam, I’m not trying to get you to defend Obama. No need to be defensive. My point is that I vote-me personally-on foreign policy. On foreign policy, McCain and Obama are almost identical for the issues of the future, BUT when it comes time for the next President to use force (and every President sends men and women into harm’s way, and we are at war so it is inevitable on day #1)…McCain has the lesser chance of getting Deer Fever, Buck Fever, or cold feet. I think he’s the only candidate prepared to kill other human beings, and sadly that is something very necessary for the next President.

Scott, i see no evidence in obama’s background to suggest he would hesitate to go to war. every president has fought at least a minor war, and that won’t change. i am more concerned about a president who seems to ache for war, and that is mccain.

Scott wrote:

And man, you do not wanna get me going on wmd or regime ties to AQ. It was necessary, unavoidable, and when you talk about wars being fought unconventionally,

SamIsHereToSquashHisLies wrote:

we can have the iraq debate if you want; you will lose.

i am more concerned about a president who seems to ache for war, and that is mccain.

Where is the proof of this?! McCain has often referenced how war is hell; which goes back to Scott’s placement of value on not only military service but firsthand war experience, when it comes to the presidency (during a time of war); btw, no one ever placed emphasis on military experience as a requirement for the presidency- you set up that strawman, all on your own. You can even go back to NewConservative’s conclusion to his post:

Does not having served make someone unfit to be President? Absolutely not. Just as simply being in the military does not make someone qualified to be President. However saying someone with 14 years of executive experience in our military has the same amount of executive experience has a Freshman Senator who served has a community organizer and a State Senator is absurd. If Obama really believes McCain has no executive experience that alone should disqualify him from becoming our next President.

Comment #26:


second, why do you insist on painting me as an obama supporter?

Maybe because of defenses like this in the next paragraph:

third, obama is more than a community organizer. he was 23 years old at the bloody time. since then, lawyer, professor, state senator, us senator. and why do you assume being a community organizer is somehow degrading?

Scott didn’t denigrate community organizers either. The “slam” in referencing it, is in regards to Obama citing it to pad up his paper-thin resume to denote “executive experience”; all the while McCain’s experience is minimized.

Scott makes an excellent contrast between their life experiences. McCain’s been tested in life-and-death situations. Obama has not. That counts for something; especially when you consider how it’s tested and shaped McCain’s character.

Comment #37:

warren, if you are going to again resort to ad hominems, please illustrate where my logic or reasoning falls short.

How about in the next paragraph:

regarding axelrod, you probably know more about him than me. the surprise is how someone with his background isn’t running mccain’s campaign. i will take the assumption that i’m somehow being paid by the obama campaign as a compliment; this website is just as bad as kos or the huffington post.

OMG! (no, not the fake commenter, just interjecting) An ad hominem and a fallacy in logic and reasoning!

for your own sake, refrain from doing so, lest you really piss me off

You’re an Obama supporter.

Are you going to threaten to punch the screen again, or will you really do it this time (reference: comment #57)

Comment #47:

i am here to trash mccain and hopefully(dreamland here) get some good folks to cast their votes for a third candidate, whomever that might be.

Any attempt at getting Republican voters to go third party is a vote for Obama. See? You are an Obama supporter. Deal with it (or punch your screen).

Sam #11:

Mata, are you really sure you want to have an argument about reagan’s true legacy with me? you can’t keep up.

MataHarley #34:

In the interest of keeping conversation continuity, why don’t you wander over to the “perfect storm” post and explain to us your comment on the “rewriting history” thread about how our economic status today is the fault of Reagan.

Mike’s America #36:

If you have some comments on the Reagan legacy I’d be only too happy to offer my first person viewpoint in case there is any correction to your view that is required.

Sam #41:

i look forward to presenting my reagan story; let’s say it’s done by thursday, since i’m not getting paid for this and it will be a lengthy piece.

Mata #52

Sam#41. Compose away on the Reagan to subprime link, then post it at your convenience on the thread I mentioned.


Scott, i see no evidence in obama’s background to suggest he would hesitate to go to war. every president has fought at least a minor war, and that won’t change. i am more concerned about a president who seems to ache for war, and that is mccain.

America’s at war already.

As to an Iraq debate…I welcome it. Check Flopping Aces tomorrow morning. I’ll start a vague thread asking, “After eight years of Bush, is America safer”

See you tomorrow
🙂
(bring friends)

UPDATE:
Sam, I’ve drafted the thread and saved it until tomorrow. I’ll put it up around 7am est. Feel free to pop in when you can. I eagerly look forward to the discussion.
🙂

Can’t believe I forgot to add my link to this Post. It’s http://www.thenewconservatives.blogspot.com/

more facts on Obama’s Experience

143 Days
>
> You couldn’t get a job at McDonalds and become district manager after 143
> days of experience.
>
> You couldn’t become chief of surgery after 143 days of experience of being
> a surgeon.
>
> You couldn’t get a job as a teacher and be the superintendent after 143
> days of experience.
>
> You couldn’t join the military and become a colonel after 143 days of
> experience.
>
> You couldn’t get a job as a reporter and become the nightly news anchor
> after 143 days of experience.
>
> But
>
> ‘From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the
> time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he
> logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That’s how many days the
> Senate was actually in session and working.
>
> After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be
> Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World … 143 days.
>
> We all have to start somewhere. The Senate is a good start, but after 143
> days, that’s all it is – a start.
>
> AND, strangely, a large sector of the American public is okay with this
> and campaigning for him. We wouldn’t accept this in our own line of work,
> yet some are okay with this for the President of the United States of
> America?
>
> Come on folks, we are not voting for the next American Idol!
>

re Warren Bonesteel’s post

> In a military environment, you are subject to the authority of others, as others are subject to
> your own. You advance in rank based almost entirely on performance and your ability to work in
> teamwork based environment. …

Yes, and in a military environment, prisoners of war generally advance in rank if the time comes that they would be up for promotion. Why didn’t John McCain advance to Commander while he was a POW? Collaborating with the enemy? As the son of an admiral, he would likely have been one of the first in line to advance.

@Anonymous Coward:

Collaborating with the enemy?

Hmmmm….

That’s coming awfully close to calling John McCain a traitor.

Any evidence to support your outlandish assertion?

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