I respected McCain a great deal for coming out strongly against the Bush Administration's/US Military's policies of torture. He was in many ways a lone voice among the Republicans and, though he was harshly criticized for it, he stood up and did the right thing. He restored in me some hope that people, on both sides of the political spectrum, might sometimes stand up for what is humane, what is right (something we see so rarely from prominent politicians of any ilk).
For this reason, I'm very disappointed now to hear that he would support sending over 21,000 more of our young and largely underprivileged sons and daughters (sisters, brothers, fathers, and mothers) to not only join the ranks of the many soldiers who have died there already, but to continue the inhumane occupation of the country and commit further acts of violence against the Iraqi people. Didn't we learn anything in Vietnam? We won't "win" against guerrilla tactics...against a community who has nothing to lose and everything to gain in fighting back against oppression.
To add salt to the wound, McCain, Lieberman, and other bedfellows, elected theoretically at the behest of the electorate but salivating over a GOP presidential nomination next year, have completely disregarded the wishes of the American People in pursuing this policy of maintaining and even drastically expanding our occupation of Iraq.
I can only hope that people speak as strongly for positive change with their vote in 2008 as they did this past November. We desperately need to move toward becoming a much more forward thinking, compassionate country if we want to survive as a nation (and as members of a viable planet).
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