Republican presidential nominee John McCain lambasted the lack of leadership of his Democratic opponent and promised a strong commitment to bolstering the members of the National Guard and their families as he spoke to thousands of enthusiastic guard officers meeting in Baltimore Sunday.
The crowd of officers and guests from around the country attending the annual conference of the Guard Association interrupted him with applause 18 times, which included cheers and whistling.
“Both candidates in this election pledge to end this war and bring our troops home,” McCain said.
“The great difference is that I intend to win it first,” a line that generated one of the four standing ovations the audience gave McCain.
McCain laid into Sen. Barrack Obama’s lack of support for the Iraq war and the more recent troop surge, and for failing to admit “his own failure in judgment” for not supporting the surge. He also criticized Obama’s failure to provide leadership in the current crisis among financial institutions.
He classified the Illinois senator as one of “those politicians [who] panicked when things got tough, which seems to be a pattern with my opponent. Whether it’s a reversal in war, or an economic emergency, he reacts as a politician and not as a leader, seeking an advantage for himself instead of a solution for his country,” McCain said.
The Arizona senator praised the role of the National Guard, which has borne much of the burden of the war in Iraq through multiple deployments.
“We place great demands on the National Guard,” McCain said. “At times, the guard’s responsibilities exceed even the demands we put on our active-duty forces. And our government has certain obligations that it has not always kept.”
McCain promised better integration of the Guard with regular units, more funding for full-time positions, better equipment if sent into combat and better medical treatment when they get home, including more care for the mental trauma and brain injuries that have become more prevalent during the war in Iraq.
Brig. Gen. Guy Walsh, of the Maryland Air National Guard, said it was “absolutely huge” McCain came to the convention to express his support for the Guard and particularly that he strongly supports better care for returning veterans. Walsh was also impressed that McCain backs “a total force effort,” with better coordination of the Guard with the full-time military.
He said the guard officers certainly had a comfort level with McCain as a career Navy officer, but he also said, “I think you’ll see plenty of support” today when Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, addresses the same audience.
Retired Brig. Gen. David McGinnis, an Obama adviser who listened to the speech, said McCain “doesn’t have a history of supporting us.” McGinnis was a career Army officer before he joined the New York National Guard and then lobbied Congress for the Guard Association.
McCain touted his support of the GI Bill for 21st Century “in its final form,” but McGinnis said he had actually opposed it until it was clear the votes were there to pass it.
Jason Forrester, policy director of Veterans for America and an Obama supporter, said despite his stated regard for the Guard, McCain had led the fight in the Senate against a bill mandating greater time between Guard deployments in Iraq.
