why are we there? Why are youg girls and boys being killed for what? Bring them HOME!

The most important issues right now are JOBS, economic growth and without them our returning veterans, money for defense spending that is needed and the needed healthcare of our wounded veterans will not happen. Its the economy stupid theme....not I killed Osama bin Laden...and the closing of our off shore oil drilling, which would get us out of dependence on the middle-east or pandering to the environmentalists etc. and anyone else that would get him votes.

The only time the military is an issue in campaigns, is when there is a political goal to be reached by it. In 2006 and 2008, the Democrats scored major points by going against President Bush's efforts in the war on terror (er, sorry overseas contingency operation). The Democrats won big victories in those years because the Iraq operation had slogged on for far too long, and even those who voted for it, then became its biggest opponents. One could sense that the thrill of political gain led many to actually cheer American set backs. John Murtha famously convicted some marines for some civilian murders, all to help his party score points. The marines were later exonerated. NEW PARAGRAPH: Senator Obama was harsh in questioning General Petraeus about the war, and famously opposed the surge which led to ultimate stability. But he was a hawk on Afghanistan, declaring it the good war, but never exactly saying why it was so good. Clearly, he was trying to brandish military credentials, but was ignorant about what success would look like there. NEW PARAGRAPH: Juliette likes to tout her foreign policy background. But she is a liberal first, and ignores the obvious in columns like this.

Veterans issues remind Republicans of all the dead and disabled Americans their reckless and incompetent policies caused. Does Paul Ryan even own a passport??

Here in northeast FL, with very heavy concentration of Navy bases and families, we recently had a visit by Michelle Obama with both speeches and workshops related to her program that engages corporations to hire veterans at separation. Several responsible companies also took part, and many complete families were delighted to meet the first lady. The local paper letters to the editor and comments sections, though, were almost completely damning, contained trashy insulting comments about the Obama family and about "those dangerous liberals." The GOP and the tea party foster righteous indignation about defense issues but can't even keep a straight face when the administration tries to help the troops who actually do the work. Those who supplement these political goons, and I assume the defense contractors among them, have no interest in American society but just in their own enrichment and their own point of view.

It's pretty hard to talk about these particular wars when you have to avoid any mention or any hint of a mention of the root problem - Islam. These are the euphemism wars. We are fighting against militants, insurgents, radicals. We have blues and greens. We are the blues and the greens are a euphemism for our Afghan so-called allies. Sometimes the greens turn their guns on the blues and everybody pretends they have no idea why the greens would do such a thing. Of course they know why, they just can't say it out loud. It's because the greens are Muslims and the blues are infidels. There is plenty of blame to go around for this sorry state of affairs. It's not just the Republicans or the Democrats, it's the White House holding iftar dinners and cozying up to the Muslim Brotherhood, it's the Pentagon scrubbing any mention of Islam from their official manuals, it's congress dumping an avalanche of criticism on Congresswoman Bachmann for having the temerity to suggest there is Islamic infiltration at the highest levels of our government. And of course it is the media which seems to get most of its press releases from CAIR. Meanwhile the troops that all the bumper stickers proclaim "we support" continue to lose their lives and limbs in a pointless war against an enemy whose name must never be mentioned.

Cetainly should be front and center for both parties. i see 2 culprits  - once Bush left office the wars went from front page, 1st story on news to an after thought becuase the smsm couldn't bash Bush anymore. 2. Obama has absolute disdain for the military and so does the rest of the liberal "elite."

Juliette leaves out a few "inconvenient facts" in order to REINVENT Obama's miserable foreign policy record. ---Let's see, How come no mention of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's "Arab Spring" offensive in Egypt? You know, the one that the Globe called a huige success for democracy? Apparently Juliette doesn't read her own newspaper.--Or perhaps it's because the Muslim Brotherhood is taking over Egypt and threatening Israel, you know, an inconvenient truth.---Or if Obama is so thoughtful of vweterans, how come he joined the usuak left wing groups to SUE the State of Ohio when Ohio attempted to give veterans extra early voting days by absentee ballot? ----ACTUALLY Juliette, most veterans are OPPOSED to their Commander in Chief's foreign policy. BUT, by yet another executive order, active military are barred from writing on-line criticisms of the government.---OR, Juliette, for some reason, you forgot to include any POLL of veterans as to who they would voter for? --It's almost 2-1 AGAINST the Commander in Chief.----And, last but not least, if again, Juliette read elsewhere in TODAY' GLOBE, she would find that Benjamin Netanyahu is upset that the U.S. is again asking Israel to hold off on attacking Iran because "it might start a war in the Middle East".

Juliette leaves out a few "inconvenient facts" in order to REINVENT Obama's miserable foreign policy record. ---Let's see, How come no mention of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's "Arab Spring" offensive in Egypt? You know, the one that the Globe called a huige success for democracy? Apparently Juliette doesn't read her own newspaper.--Or perhaps it's because the Muslim Brotherhood is taking over Egypt and threatening Israel, you know, an inconvenient truth.---Or if Obama is so thoughtful of vweterans, how come he joined the usuak left wing groups to SUE the State of Ohio when Ohio attempted to give veterans extra early voting days by absentee ballot? ----ACTUALLY Juliette, most veterans are OPPOSED to their Commander in Chief's foreign policy. BUT, by yet another executive order, active military are barred from writing on-line criticisms of the government.---OR, Juliette, for some reason, you forgot to include any POLL of veterans as to who they would voter for? --It's almost 2-1 AGAINST the Commander in Chief.----And, last but not least, if again, Juliette read elsewhere in TODAY' GLOBE, she would find that Benjamin Netanyahu is upset that the U.S. is again asking Israel to hold off on attacking Iran because "it might start a war in the Middle East".

The wars were left out for good reason, I'm thinking. Both began during the Bush administration and both became unpopular. I don't see that the Republicans had anything to gain by bringing them up... so why do it?

The Republican Convention could have honored veterans -- especially the dead and disabled -- without political cost, but possibly no political gain either. Could it be that they don't care, so nobody thought of it.