Yesterday Skip and I had the opportunity to attend a "No Surrender" rally with John McCain at the Franklin home of the Grimm family. Following that, we rode on the his campaign bus where we chatted some detailed points about Iraq, listened in as he did the Jon Stewart show via cellphone, and ate some chicken wings with the Republican hopeful. Travelling with the Senator were several well-known military men, some POWs, all heroes. Among them was former CIA Director (under Bill Clinton) James Woolsey, Jr. A somewhat familiar face on the cable news circuit, he has long been one of my favored "go-to" people for foreign policy matters. The Wikipedia tells us
Woolsey has been known primarily as a conservative Democrat—hawkish on foreign policy issues but more traditionally Democratic on economic and social issues.[citation needed] A classic Washington insider, Woolsey has held important positions in both Democratic and Republican administrations. His influence has been felt during the Carter, Reagan, Bush (elder), and Clinton administrations. Woolsey is known for clearly articulating the national security argument in support of moving away from fossil fuels and towards distributed generation. In a recent interview with THE FUTURIST magazine he argued that U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil ranks "very high" as a national security concern. 2007 speech in Houston Woolsey was among the first to point the finger at Iraq in the immediate days following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.[1] During the second Bush administration, he has been strong proponent of the war in Iraq.
Mr. Woolsey has thrown his support to John McCain. This, in my mind, says something about Senator McCain’s grasp of the situation we face in the world. As I respect Woolsey’s insight and perspective, I give great creedence to his pick for president. As I’ve often stated, the number one issue for me is the new world war.
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Before we boarded the bus, I had a chance to ask a question of R. James Woolsey, Jr. about the situation in Iran. With camera in hand– unfortunately poorly shot, and lit, (I did better later), I got to hear a realistic, sober assessment of another piece of the "Axis of Evil" and what the future might possibly bring. More reason, as if we needed more, to choose wisely when picking the next president. We’ll never get away with another "holiday from history" like we did in the nineties.
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