The Winds of Change

In case you missed it last night:

You know, a while back, I met a young man named Seamus in a VFW hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, 6'2", 6'3", clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week.

And as I listened to him explain why he had enlisted -- the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service -- I thought, this young man was all that any of us might ever hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Seamus as well as he's serving us?

I thought of the 900 men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors who won't be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one's full income or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they are going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return and to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace and earn the respect of the world.

Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued. And they must be defeated.

Was it George Bush speaking? Donald Rumsfeld? Dick Cheney?

No, it was Illinois State Senator (D) Barack Obama, running for the U. S. Senate.

Can you get it through your heads veterans, reservists, national guard, and you all serving on active duty? The roles have switched. The Democrats understand you better now than Mr. Bush and his cohorts. The winds of change are happening, and it must be occurring to an awful lot of Republicans that the best minds for the future do not lie in their party.

BTW - you may have just caught a glimpse of the first future black president of the United States. Obama is running unopposed now in one of our largest states because the Repubs can't find anybody other than old football coaches to consider running against him.