Reply #225: I think people can disagree without being disagreeable

[MADem]

I wish more would be a bit more civil when discussing differences, instead of dragging out the hateful invective. It just doesn't advance the discussion. And I think people should be FAIR in their criticism. I find it interesting that Mark Warner isn't in for half the crap that Hillary gets, and his war stance is the same as hers...and, he did not have to put his money where his mouth is with an IWR vote. Same with Wes Clark, a great guy with many good qualities, but his view of the war is well to the right of Hillary's, and he didn't have to cast a vote either, because he has never held office. Jack Murtha and Charlie Rangel, heroes both, want to resume the draft to ensure shared sacrifice...we've got plenty here who would go ballistic if that ever came to pass.

Hillary is a very effective Senator, she has truly EARNED the respect she has gotten in the Senate. And she has been a very valuable member of the Senate Armed Services Committee--she really speaks up for vets, especially the wounded, she pounds the VA hard and pushes for more funding, and she also concerns herself with the quality of life issues for military families, with a focus on those with deployed breadwinners. No one gives her much credit for this, because she doesn't spout off about it, but she is one of the few on our team who really keeps these issues front and center when it comes time for mark ups. And when she goes to Iraq and Afghanistan, she doesn't wear an Army warm up jacket and pose from a stage and with a plastic turkey, she actually MEETS with and TALKS to personnel, from the most junior to the Generals. She has a better sense of the situation on the ground than the Monkey ever could, frankly...