• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

We Don’t Leave Our Men or Women in Uniform Behind

We Don’t Leave Our Men or Women in Uniform Behind

  • Total voters
    59
pbrauer said:
What about bringing him home and get his side of the story? And if it's warranted court martial him.
Was John McCain a traitor?
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? John McCain was offered a chance to go home by the North Vietnamese for propaganda reasons. His father was CINCPAC. He told the North Vietnamese he would leave after all of those POW's who were caught before left, in other words when his turn came. James Stockdale who was our VP nominee spoke very highly of John McCain during their stints as POW's.

This is what disgusts me about partisan politics. The willingness to drag good men's name through the mud just for political gain. What ever one may feel about McCain's politics of today or his service in the senate has nothing to do with his military service. If this is what this thread is about, have at as I am through with it before even getting started. This type of politics makes me sick.
 
pbrauer said:
You are correct he didn't desert his post, but there were people who accused him of collaborating with the North Vietnamese.
Click to expand...

I am no admirer of McCain but I never heard anything about collaboration. He was severely tortured because he wouldn't collaborate.
 
pbrauer said:
Obviously referring to Prisoners of war.


  • Agree
  • Disagree
  • Other
Click to expand...

I agree.
But I do not agree with negotiating with terrorists.
 
MaggieD said:
It doesn't obviously refer to prisononers of war to me, though. To me, it applies to every soldier in trouble. Injured on the battlefield? We won't leave you, buddy. We're here. Helicopter shot down behind enemy lines? We won't leave you, buddy. We're coming.

In fact, as I think about it, it hardly applies to prisoners of war.
Click to expand...

Absolute nonsense. You don't leave POWs behind, you do what it takes to go in and get them. For crying out loud, they're American fighting men, your buddies, fathers, brothers, children, what are you going to do, just forget about them, go home and have a beer while the enemy tortures and kills them?
 
Last edited:
How valuable are 5 beardsters who haven't even been to Afghanistan in over a decade?
 
DA60 said:
If the only way to get them back is to negotiate and make deals with terrorist organizations (either directly or indirectly) then, were I POTUS, then I am afraid that they would regrettably be left behind...though a physical extraction would never be off of the table.

I believe that you NEVER make deals with terrorists...either stall for time until you can kill the terrorists/free the hostages through force or ignore them.

But never make deals.

Otherwise you just encourage other terrorists to capture others.
Click to expand...

The best statement to make is you will kill the prisoners yourself if you find them instead of extracting them. It makes the point with emphasis that you wont negotiate with them. It also makes capturing prisoners a pointless exercise. They would be of no value.
 
Perotista said:
Are you kidding? John McCain was offered a chance to go home by the North Vietnamese for propaganda reasons. His father was CINCPAC. He told the North Vietnamese he would leave after all of those POW's who were caught before left, in other words when his turn came. James Stockdale who was our VP nominee spoke very highly of John McCain during their stints as POW's.

This is what disgusts me about partisan politics. The willingness to drag good men's name through the mud just for political gain. What ever one may feel about McCain's politics of today or his service in the senate has nothing to do with his military service. If this is what this thread is about, have at as I am through with it before even getting started. This type of politics makes me sick.
Click to expand...

I didn't call John McCain a traitor, but there were plenty who did. My point is that we don't know Bergdahl's side of the story, so how can we judge him when it appears to be one sided?
 
pbrauer said:
I don't know if it's true, but I am hearing the Taliban threatened to kill him.
Click to expand...

Changes nothing...terrorists threaten to kill their hostages all the time.

Imo, don't negotiate with terrorists.

Will that mean some hostages will die initially? Probably.

But it also means that far less hostages will probably be kidnapped in the future. Why will terrorists bother if they know you will not negotiate with them?
 
Muhammed said:
You don't have one, do you?
Click to expand...

I think he should be brought home, and I also think if the military wants to charge him with desertion they have the right to do so. He just needs to have his day in court if they are going to charge him, not a whole populace, and media lynch mob after the guy.
 
Perotista said:
Are you kidding? John McCain was offered a chance to go home by the North Vietnamese for propaganda reasons. His father was CINCPAC. He told the North Vietnamese he would leave after all of those POW's who were caught before left, in other words when his turn came. James Stockdale who was our VP nominee spoke very highly of John McCain during their stints as POW's.

This is what disgusts me about partisan politics. The willingness to drag good men's name through the mud just for political gain. What ever one may feel about McCain's politics of today or his service in the senate has nothing to do with his military service. If this is what this thread is about, have at as I am through with it before even getting started. This type of politics makes me sick.
Click to expand...

I respect McCain, but I also despise the man and what he has become. Respect and hate are not mutually exclusive. I will happily drag his name through the mud for what he is now, politics has always been and always will be a what have you done for me, or to me, now venture, and anyone who gets into it will get muddy. Its the nature of the beast. To be blunt politics these days are tame. It aint anywhere close to what it was. It doesn't lessen my respect for what McCain has done as a military man. I respect him as a military man. I doubt I have the intestinal fortitude to deal with what he did for as long. I don't know because I have never been there. But the man earned my respect as a man in that regard with his deeds then. When the **** hits the fan I would have no problem being in the same foxhole with him. I believe that he holds America in high esteem. That said you wouldn't catch me at a party with him though. As a politician, he hasn't earned anything but enmity from me. So it gives me great joy to kick the politician McCain around. In politics its no quarter asked and no quarter given. Its just business. Though everyone these days takes it personally it seems.
 
TheDemSocialist said:
I think he should be brought home, and I also think if the military wants to charge him with desertion they have the right to do so. He just needs to have his day in court if they are going to charge him, not a whole populace, and media lynch mob after the guy.
Click to expand...
The more I hear about his case the more I think you would have to be a real dickhead to charge him.
 
Muhammed said:
The more I hear about his case the more I think you would have to be a real dickhead to charge him.
Click to expand...

Indeed, but as much a dickhead to lionize him. And there's the problem, Obama has ensured the guy won't be left alone. Eventually he'll face charges because this admin is too stupid to be trusted with military or foreign policy.
 
pbrauer said:
Obviously referring to Prisoners of war.


  • Agree
  • Disagree
  • Other
Click to expand...

I agree - AWOL, POW, MIA, KIA.

There are branches that are dedicated purely to reconnaissance and reclaiming individuals even if they were KIA and buried long ago.

If they are an American citizen and have deserted their post, etc, they should be brought home and this analyzed and decided based on interviews, investigation, trial - whatever. It's up to us to keep rule over our own people, it's not up to them.

If injustice is suspected then we must apply our own law.

Of course, hankering to do so is sort of at the bottom of the concern list - and in regard to Berghdahl, I have a feeling there's much more to 'the deal' that a cut and dry 5 for 1. I'm curious as to what in the hell he told them - and whether or nto someone like that should remain in foreign possession is really what should be discussed.
 
This was a surrender plain and simple.

We handed over the leaders of a regime that we refused to recognize after they usurped power. That legitimizes them. That's us saying "you win. We lose".

So they threatened to kill Bergdahl? What are they doing with the rest of our troops? Delivering fruit baskets?
 
Muhammed said:
The more I hear about his case the more I think you would have to be a real dickhead to charge him.
Click to expand...

It could be a dickish move. But justice is justice. And if the military wants to see him charged with something they have every right to do so.
 
While the kid may have been AWOL or be a deserter, the US government isn't exactly squeaky clean on how we have handled the "terrorists" we have been holding for years and years with no due process.
 
PirateMk1 said:
I respect McCain, but I also despise the man and what he has become. Respect and hate are not mutually exclusive. I will happily drag his name through the mud for what he is now, politics has always been and always will be a what have you done for me, or to me, now venture, and anyone who gets into it will get muddy. Its the nature of the beast. To be blunt politics these days are tame. It aint anywhere close to what it was. It doesn't lessen my respect for what McCain has done as a military man. I respect him as a military man. I doubt I have the intestinal fortitude to deal with what he did for as long. I don't know because I have never been there. But the man earned my respect as a man in that regard with his deeds then. When the **** hits the fan I would have no problem being in the same foxhole with him. I believe that he holds America in high esteem. That said you wouldn't catch me at a party with him though. As a politician, he hasn't earned anything but enmity from me. So it gives me great joy to kick the politician McCain around. In politics its no quarter asked and no quarter given. Its just business. Though everyone these days takes it personally it seems.
Click to expand...

I understand, I retired from the army in 1986 and I can’t fathom what John McCain went through as a POW, none of any POW in any war either. That is something one must experience to really have an understanding of it. Knock McCain all you want for his job as a senator and for his political beliefs. That is fair game and expected. There is way too much of the politics of personal destruction to suit my fancy today. I firmly believe a campaign should be about ideas, visions, and solutions to problems, not what someone did 30 years or more years ago.

It is just someone saying McCain was a traitor, that just rubbed me the wrong way. So I took a break and put on a Barney Miller DVD, I own all eight seasons and that put me back into the proper mood. I usually do not let anything said on DP bother me, most of the things said here just roll off my back. But for some reason I just thought that went too far in ones attempt to defend Bergdahl and the swap. Attack or challenge McCain on his statements on the swaps all one wants, I am not sure whether he is for or against it myself, maybe he isn’t sure himself. But that is fair game, that is politics, that is what should be done. Not to go back to his POW days and say he was a traitor just because one holds a different political view. Anyway, that is my opinion.

Thanks for the calming post. I appreciate it.
 
Except deserters...they can rot in hell.
 
voyager1 said:
While the kid may have been AWOL or be a deserter, the US government isn't exactly squeaky clean on how we have handled the "terrorists" we have been holding for years and years with no due process.
Click to expand...

You should take a trip to that little island paradise on the coast of Cuba. Better conditions than any US prison.
 
CRUE CAB said:
You should take a trip to that little island paradise on the coast of Cuba. Better conditions than any US prison.
Click to expand...

We are no better then Iran or China.
 
voyager1 said:
While the kid may have been AWOL or be a deserter, the US government isn't exactly squeaky clean on how we have handled the "terrorists" we have been holding for years and years with no due process.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I have to ask. Who's "due process"?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom