America Saddens Me Sometimes

I just read an interesting article from Slate magazine about John McCain and the 1962 missile crisis. McCain has told crowds at his rallies that he was a fighter pilot on an aircraft carrier waiting for orders to attack. McCain then made a statement that this is the sort of situation that prepared him for the presidency. The article's author takes exception to that.

I take exception to the article. True, being a fighter pilot does not in and of itself prepare one to be president. But to be a fighter pilot in a pressure packed situation like that, where if you're given orders to attack you may be taking part in the initial stages of World War III, that does lend itself to preparing one to deal calmly with crises of massive importance. I certainly think it's better training for the presidency than being a community activist or a Harvard educated law professor at the University of Chicago.

I think once upon a time in America we regarded veterans in general, and veterans like John McCain in particular, who gave of themselves above and beyond the call of duty, with more respect and a sense that the service done by a veteran under certain circumstances perhaps gave them a little more wisdom about life than the average citizen. That regard seems to be missing from America right now, and that saddens me. It should sadden all of us.