I think many independents, democrats and republicans all feel that The Military Times is a respected publication. I often look at it for information as a citizen. They've compared the candidates positions on military issues in a pretty clear way. The article isn't full of finger pointing or mud slinging. I hope you enjoy it.

I know I catch some criticism for cut and pastes but I think this is well worth a read for people.

Candidates’ positions on the military


Posted : Thursday Oct 23, 2008 15:34:32 EDT

Here’s how McCain, Obama compare on military topics
Defense spending

McCain: Defense, along with veterans and homeland security funding, would be the only budget accounts allowed to grow under McCain’s economic plan. He says he wants defense dollars to go further by expanding the use of fixed-price procurement contracts to reduce cost overruns, adding that some contractors make unrealistically low bids to get contracts while knowing full well that more will be needed to eventually finish the project.

Obama: Defense spending would remain at current levels, with adjustment for inflation, for the first few years but what would happen after that is not clear. Obama proposes a complete review of military weapons and capabilities to reorder priorities, with more emphasis on weapons that can respond to a wider range of threats and missions and more careful scrutiny of programs that have more limited applications.
Military pay

McCain: Disagrees with Bush administration efforts to limit military pay raises to only match, but not exceed, increases in private-sector wage growth and is glad that Congress ignored the administration’s views for 2009. While not endorsing a particular amount or formula, he says pay needs to remain at levels to sustain the all-volunteer military. He also has issued a pledge to military retirees to ensure their health care and retirement benefits remain comparable to those of retired federal employees.

Obama: Supports pay raises that keep pace with inflation and restore parity with the private sector. He also calls for an overall compensation package that provides for family needs. “I think we can do a much better job than we are doing right now,” he said. “I don’t know a higher priority than making sure that the men and women who are putting themselves in harm’s way day in and day out are getting decent pay and decent benefits.”
Iraq

McCain: While saying he would have combat troops out of Iraq by the end of his first term as president, McCain opposes a fixed timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces. He says the U.S. is winning in Iraq but withdrawing too quickly would be a “grave mistake” because it would potentially leave Iraq as a failed state with al-Qaida still wielding influence. The result, he says, could end up requiring the U.S. to return to Iraq or lead to a larger war. “I do not want to keep our troops in Iraq a minute longer than necessary to secure our interests there,” McCain has said.

Obama: Has promised to remove one or two combat brigades per month from Iraq and get all combat forces out within 18 months if conditions allow and military commanders agree. He has said that reducing troops on a timetable is a way to apply pressure on the Iraqi government to make the political decisions needed to facilitate a withdrawal without leaving chaos behind. A residual force of U.S. troops to provide security and to continue anti-terrorist missions would remain in Iraq under Obama’s plan.
Afghanistan

McCain: Says more troops need to be sent, and would like some or most to be NATO forces. He has spoken of having a troop surge — similar to the one in Iraq that some credit with a significant drop in violence — with up to three additional combat brigades deployed. But he adds that troop levels, and what additional troops would do, depends on U.S. commanders. “I’d like to hear from our military leaders, our chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as well as the military commanders there,” he said.

Obama: Wants to boost troop levels in Afghanistan as troops levels in Iraq go down. “The decision to invade Iraq diverted resources from the war in Afghanistan, making it harder for us to kill or capture Osama bin Laden and others involved in the 9/11 attacks,” Obama said. “Nearly seven years later, the Taliban has reemerged in southern Afghanistan while al-Qaida has used the space provided by the Iraq war to regroup, train and plan for another attack on the United States.”
Force size

McCain: “We must increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps. We just can’t otherwise not, in my view, because of the contingencies that we may face throughout the world,” he said. He has made no similar pledge regarding the Air Force or Navy. “For too long, we have asked too much of too few — with the result that many service personnel are on their second, third and even fourth tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said.

Obama: Has a similar plan to increase the Army by 65,000 people and the Marine Corps by 27,000 — increases that are already underway. Obama says having too-small ground forces is a major cause of stress on troops, and that a larger military will help them have more time between deployments to spend with their families, train and re-equip.
Reserve forces

McCain: Supports having a four-star officer as the chief of the National Guard Bureau, a move recently approved by Congress, and calls for steps to get rid of “policies, practices, and customs that fail to promote a seamless total force based on cooperation, jointness and the mutual respect for all components, including the Guard and reserve.” He also supports better career protections for reservists. “When employers exceed the requirements of the law in supporting the Guard commitments of their workers, we should encourage and honor that. And when employers fall short of those legal requirements, the sanctions should be serious, and they must be enforced.”

Obama: The chief of the National Guard Bureau would be made a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Employment, health and education benefits for Guard and reserve members would be improved to provide equitable benefits in comparison to active-duty forces. Guard and reserve units would get enough equipment for deployments and domestic emergencies, and units would get more time between deployments to bring them back to full capabilities.
Veterans

McCain: Promises to modernize the disability system to provide fair and fast payments. He also proposes creating what he calls a Veterans’ Care Access Card that would allow veterans with service-connected injuries who do not live close to a veterans’ hospital to use civilian hospitals and doctors instead. The access card also helps feed another McCain initiative to expand treatment for military women. If veterans’ hospitals do not have specialists to treat military women, access cards would allow women to seek veterans’ care from civilian doctors.

Obama: Would reverse a 2003 policy preventing veterans without service-connected injuries from receiving health care if they have modest incomes, allowing millions more veterans to receive treatment. Would hire additional claims processors to tackle the backlog of disability and benefits claims and expand their training in an attempt to reduce the error rate. Also promises full funding of VA health care.
Respect for military leaders

McCain: Says the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not speak up enough during the early years of the Bush administration, but believes the new generation of leaders created by years of war is “probably as good or better than this country has ever been blessed with.” In particular, McCain is a big fan of Army Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. Central Command chief, whom he calls “one of the finest military leaders that this nation has ever produced.”

Obama: Talks of restoring mutual respect, saying the relationship between the military and civilian leadership has been “dysfunctional” during the early part of the Bush administration. Says that while those in uniform are expected to follow orders, they deserve to be heard. Obama also says he will have a defense secretary who listens to professional military advice.
Return of the draft

McCain: Says he does not believe a draft is needed and could never support it unless it is more fair than the Vietnam-era draft. “Why should we go back to a draft when by all accounts and by every outside expert opinion we have the best equipped, best trained, most professional, bravest military in history? … Before I would even have the remote consideration of it, somebody is going to have to tell me how rich people are forced to serve along with poor people. Rich people always can find a doctor to say they have a bad knee.”

Obama: Opposes a draft but supports having women register with the Selective Service. “I think that if women are registered for service — not necessarily in combat roles, and I don’t agree with the draft — I think it will help to send a message to my two daughters that they’ve got obligations to this great country as well as boys do,” he said. Supports a large national service volunteer program that he says could have spillover effects on encouraging people to enlist. Obama says stop-loss policies amount to a “back-door” draft and opposes its use.
Gays in the military

McCain: While acknowledging that gays have and continue to serve honorably and effectively in the military, McCain has no intention of changing current policy that prohibits them from openly serving. If military leaders asked, he would support re-evaluation the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, but he sees no reason for a change. “I rely on the judgment of our military leaders, and every time I ask them, they tell me that it’s effective and they don’t want to abandon it,” he said last fall of the military’s ban on openly gay service members.

Obama: Wants gays to be allowed to serve openly but is not eager for a fight on the issue with military leaders. Has said he would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the underlying law stating that homosexuality is incompatible with military service, but would consult with the Joint Chiefs of Staff before proposing any change. “I want to make sure that we are doing it in a thoughtful and principled way. But I do believe that at a time when we are shorthanded, that everybody who is willing to lay down their lives on behalf of the United States, and can do so effectively, can perform critical functions, should have the opportunity to do so,” he said.

This is a good non bias article I think.


As a veteran though, I strongly believe that McCain has the best interest of our military at heart here.

When G.W. Bush was elected our troops received a pay raise for the first time in years. I am glad to see that both candidates will continue to support pay raises for the military one way or another.

Lynann, I guess mud slinging is all people really care about. Since there is none in this article you posted, it seems no one really has their own opinion what is best for our military based off their own experiences.

It's a shame that people only respond to bias posts that involve finger pointing.

haha Yes, I noticed that more than once on these boards.

Doesn't really surprise me anymore.

As a vetrean myself I think Mccain will be more likely to start a war and get our men and woman in uniform killed. He and Bush have been reckless with their lives and the lives of innocent civilians.

Did you really read the article above, or did you just feel the need to disagree with me here?

Glad I could help!

I read the article and I responded to your " I am a vetrean" comment. so lets get real, how does supporting a war based on lies "look out for the best interests" of the troops? the only interests being serverd are those of the arms merchants. I am discusted that the opium growers in Afghanistan are haveing another record crop under US occupation. These wars are nothing but a scam of taxpayer money and everything else is a distracting side show.

Well, the actual reality is, that we are there fighting those wars, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, should have and should not have.

You want to talk about killing the people in Uniform, that's exactly what will happen with a dramatic decrease in troops in Iraq like Obama wants. Whether or not we should be there really has nothing to do with it at this point. We are there.

war has always been good for the economy and right now the only industry that the US has is the industrial war machine..if youre not using the bombs and tanks you build then thats not good for business....

There are vets, honorable men and women, who support each candidate.

Remember that!

One of my friends made an interesting comment last night.
They think it might be a good idea to have a war tax because of how much we are spending monthly on Iraq.