Every Voter Should Hear This Phone Call

In the closing hours before the March 4th elections, I wanted to share an amazing phone call with you. It comes on the heels of a new tracking poll showing Hillary doing better than Sen. Obama against John McCain -- as well as public polls that show Hillary stronger against Sen. McCain in crucial swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

As Hillary has said, all Democrats (and all Americans) should be proud of the historic campaign Democrats have run this cycle and of our great candidates. But no matter who we support, as Dems we can all agree that winning in November and taking back the White House is our imperative. And one thing is increasingly obvious: winning means defeating John McCain -- the likely Republican nominee.

The Democrat who eventually faces Sen. McCain will require a set of skills and experiences that enables them to:

a) compete on a broad playing field;
b) confront and beat back a GOP attack machine waiting to tear them down;
c) put forth and defend core Democratic ideas - and ideals - such as universal health care;
d) build a solid coalition for victory;
e) and importantly, stand toe-to-toe with Sen. McCain on national security.

Hillary excels on each of these fronts. [On the last point, my blogosphere friends know that I spent most of 2004 in the Kerry-Edwards war room and gained some perspective on how national security -- an issue Democrats cannot and will not cede -- takes center stage in a general election.]

Now before you listen to the audio of the call, I want to add a personal note about Hillary: I joined her team in 2006 and I've come to know a person who is brilliant, thoughtful, disciplined, possesses tremendous inner fortitude and courage, and who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to core Democratic values. In short, someone who is the most qualified person running to be president. Someone I am extremely proud to work for. And someone I trust to make this world a better and safer place for the child my wife and I are expecting.

Now, to the call. Listen to it. It is a series of powerful testimonials from eighteen former admirals, generals, and senior defense officials who support Hillary. They are among nearly 30 general and flag officers who have endorsed Hillary.

Whether or not Hillary is your candidate of choice, consider for a moment what these distinguished men and women are saying and why they are saying it. They are aware of the choices, decisions, votes and experience that Hillary brings to the table. And they have come to the same conclusion, a conclusion reached by millions of voters: that Hillary is the Democrat ready to take back the White House and clean up the mess that George W. Bush has left behind.

P.S. Click here for a few individual transcripts from the call.

Follow Peter Daou on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterdaou

Comments

[Eddy333]

Shouldn't paid campaign staffers (in this case Clinton's) have to include some kind of disclaimer about that fact before launching into their ad--er, post about the candidates? It just seems so...icky that these people are posting what is, on the surface, opinion, but is, in reality, just a campaign ad. Should I really expect Mr. Daou to have any objective thoughts about Mr. Obama?

This is the political equivalent of the PEPSI can prominently displayed in the movie you are watching...

[ZombieKiller]

sorry, but the military is the LAST place i go for advice on who to vote for.

[tomcj]

Sorry Peter

You and all the Hillary is fighter people seem to forget that :

a. Bill Clinton was Impeached. That is what you call "fighting"? I call it "losing".

b. The Clinton's fights are all on behalf of The Clinton's. They have NO Cross-over appeal, and have enriched themselves greatly while passing No Major Liberal Legislation.

c. Hillary is timid. She won't even condemn Torture.

d. How many Former Generals/Admirals, etc. will John McCain be endorsed by? Will you change your vote to McCain when his turns out to be longer than hers?

e. It is MARCH. MARCH!!!! A Tracking Poll showing anyone doing anything is a ridiculous reason to vote for anyone.

[Mollye]

Thank you, Peter Daou. This is a thoughtful and articulate commentary. Hillary Clinton is simply the best choice for the Presidency.

[HeevenSteven]

Hillary Clinton = John McCain: The military Industrial complex's candidates. One more reason to vote for someone else.

[FreedomLoverX]

Anyone who takes the time to compare the senatorial records of these two candidates will discover Obama to be the right choice.

[Dap]

Yeah, so what's new about Hillary and the military-industrial complex that President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke about?

Hillary (the Hawk) Clinton knows who will butter Her bread.

[williehorton]

All the more reason to vote against her tomorrow... and on into April, if she doesn't have the decency to admit defeat.

[Ides]

Yet Obama blows Hillary and John McCain away when it comes to campaign donations from soldiers serving in Iraq.

[jp1949]

Dear Peter: Thank you for your wonderful post. I too admire Hillary Clinton. She is all the things a President should be and certainly the person best qualified to be our President. There is a lot to clean up after George Bush and she will get it done. You can't win over people who want Obama. They won't listen to anything. However, have you noted how they demonize her? It is ridiculous, vile and un-American. Gee, I wonder what Obama would think of their writings or maybe he would like it. I am for Hillary all the way, no Obama for me.

[MarkieBee001]

I'd rather listen to the rank-and-file officers and the men and women who actually do the fighting. They've contributed WAY MORE money to Obama's campaign than Hillary's. That tells me something. It tells me that they support the candidate who will get them out of that mess and not Hillary, who voted to put them there.

[BUSHsurvivor]

Peter? What are you doing here on HuffBO? Don't you know Pro-Clinton pieces are not allowed! Heads will roll for this mishap!

[magen]

Wow! Kewel!

They should form a group called:

WARMONGERS FOR HILLARY '08

[Thatcher]

And here is just a short list of military endorsements of Barack Obama:

Sarah Sewell, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Jan Lodal, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense

Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense

Clifford Alexander, Jr., former Secretary of the Army

Susan Ahn Cuddy, first female gunner officer in the U.S. Navy and daughter of Korean Independence fighter Ahn Chang-ho

Tom Daniels, Texas Air National Guard

Richard Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy

Donald Joseph Guter, former Judge Advocate General of the Navy, current Dean, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh

Richard D. Hearney, former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps

John Hutson, former Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy

Jeh Johnson, former General Counsel of the U.S. Air Force

Lester Lyles, former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force

Merrill A. McPeak, former Secretary of the United States Air Force

John B. Nathman, former Vice Chief of Naval Operations

F. Whitten Peters, former Secretary of the Air Force

James Smith, former Deputy Commander, Joint Warfare Center, US Joint Forces Command

So - They both get military endorsements. They both get political endorsements. They both get personal endorsements.

However, the only endorsement that counts is the one that is done in the voting booth by the American people.

[JakeEasy]

Want it both ways? Posters here keep saying that Barack to too cool for military support. He's the cool guy the grunts want to have a beer with. So what if he doesn't understand stuff - his supporters don't either so why would they care.

Just give it up. Hillary Haters and Barack Biters are about to give the election to McCain. Way to go "progressives".

[fabioperiera]

The difference between these endorsements and the ones on this phone call is a matter of rank. The majority of flag officers-- the highest ranking officials in the military, whose rank and prestige requires Congressional approval-- have come out in support of Senator Clinton. What that means is that their opinion should carry a lot more weight because they have a broader view than others.

And if they are saying that experience matters and Sen. Clinton has it, then a rational consideration of the weight of these endorsements means that Senator Clinton's nomination should be taken that much more seriously. To dismiss these out of hand because Senator Obama has some military endorsements too is not rational. And though you may feel that Senator Obama is better, rational thinking is a better way to select a president.

[racom]

Point A: I disagree
B: I disagree
C: I disagree
D: I disagree
E: I disagree
Other than that I had no problem with your post.