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Why a Pennsylvania Two Tour Iraq Vets Supports Obama

By Veterans For Obama - Volunteer Outreach Director - Apr 8th, 2008 at 3:19 pm EDT

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Why I Support Senator Obama

Presented by Michael Kotyk, 2 Tour Iraq War Veteran

Arcadia University 04/03/08 Good afternoon. My name is Michael Kotyk, and I'm a recently retired veteran of the

U.S. Navy. I've been invited to share with you my reasons for supporting Senator Barack Obama for President.

I support Senator Obama because I feel that our nation needs a serious change in direction. We have entered the fifth year of the Iraq War and still there is little effective management or strategy to guide it. The war has become, as Senator Obama stated in 2002, “ a dumb war ... a rash war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics”. This combination of passion and politics has cost our country the lives of over 4,000 Americans. It has created a struggling economy and has seriously strained relationships with our allies overseas. Because of our current policies, we are an isolated nation fighting a war, seemingly, on our own. I believe that if we really are to win the war on terrorism, we must change not only how we view the world, but also how we function in it. We need to have leadership from Washington that is based upon good, solid judgment; not on rash decisions or faulty intelligence. We need someone who can bridge the gap between enemy and friend.
In the service, we have a saying, “no man left behind”. But when you consider how poorly veterans have been treated, how our soldiers have been left to fight with what they have rather than what they need, I believe that the current administration has, without a doubt, left us behind. We deserve better than that. We need a leader in Washington who values us as human beings rather than some statistic on a daily report. Real leaders take care of their people. I believe that Senator Obama will do this as President.

The best leaders, according to Dwight D. Eisenhower, are the ones who can get someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. What has impressed me the most about Senator Obama, is his ability to bring people of diverse backgrounds together; uniting them to work actively towards a common cause.

This was demonstrated at the Convention Center in Philadelphia where Senator Obama delivered his famous speech on race relations in America. As we entered the auditorium, the words of Rev. Wright still echoed in our ears. We were a racially and culturally diverse audience. The crowd didn't seem to intermingle with each other much. However, after hearing Senator Obama speak, it was like he touched each one of us personally. I noticed how our attitudes toward one another began to change. By the end of the speech, we understood a little more about where the other person was coming from. Despite our fears, we recognized that we had much more in common than we did in difference. We discovered that we could work together. To be able to bring a room of such diversity together, speaks loudly about Senator Obama's ability to unite people of different backgrounds. Our choices are clear, Senator Obama's opponents wish to continue the same policies which have isolated us as a people and as a nation. We cannot continue the way we are going. We need change. Senator Obama, through his actions, has proven to me that he has the makings of a true leader. This nation does not need someone who throws out sound bytes for the six o'clock news, but rather someone who actually practices what he preaches. This is why I am supporting Senator Obama for President.

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Outstanding! | Report to Admin

By Dave Singer Apr 15th 2008 at 6:51 am EDT

MANY vets are supporting Obama; it's the story the right-wing doesn't want you to know.

Content on blogs in My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign.