McCain GI Bill Corollary

John McCain claims that if Iraq veterans are offered a free education after their first deployment to Iraq the army will suffer from decreased re enlistments and that this would weaken the army.

The corollary to this argument is that a college education must be much more attractive to soldiers than fighting in Iraq and thus we should not offer them this opportunity so that they will be forced to stay in the less desirable situation.

How is McCain's position not considered as not supporting the troops?

McCain's argument worded a little less artfully might read "don't reward the soldiers service with anything valuable or they might leave the miserable situation they are currently in."

Barack is to Race what NeoCons are to the Middle East?

The critical reaction to Obama's speech by many of the punditocracy expresses their skepticism about whether working class whites will accept Obama's nuanced attempts to bridge the racial divide. The consensus seems to be that Obama is expecting too much from these people and they will most likely reject his perspective and embrace the more traditional and comfortable John McCain.

Idealistic liberals bemoan this conservative skepticism but should they be so quick to criticize? Liberals love to remind the neoconservatives of their naive belief that the Iraqi people could rise above sectarian grievances because of the irresistible allure of freedom and democracy. That gamble has failed, will Obama's?

If Obama fails on the race issue will we be forced to embrace a pessimistic skepticism for all issues foreign and domestic?

I hope not.