Dear Senator McCain:

I realize I am not one of you constituents, but I felt the need to write you this letter. I became acquainted with you during the 2000 primaries. At the time, I was a registered independent, so I could not vote in the primaries, but I followed your campaign with interest. You came across to be as a man of integrity and honor, and though we disagreed on a few things, I was prepared to vote for you. I was deeply disappointed that you did not win the nomination, and due to the manner in which you lost, I could not support your opponent. Since that time, I have watched your career in the Senate with interest, and I must say, I had been impressed. That was up until the election of 2004.

You see, I can understand your vote on Iraq, although I might disagree. Your arguments in support of operations in Iraq where, and still are in most cases, clear and concise. See, although I feel strongly that this was a colossal misstep and even a danger to our country, I can understand and appreciate an opposing few. A good leader is not one who never makes mistakes, but one who finds corrective action against mistakes made. I still feel that your voice is a valuable one in the military arena. I know you do not take lightly the loss of one American man or woman in combat. I know you do not consider the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines chess pieces in some twisted game of imperialist chess. I can disagree with you about this war among other things, because I believe you do listen and consider views other than your own.

What I do not understand, what I cannot forgive is how you have not been all over the abuses you and I both know is going on right now in War on Terror. It turns my stomach to think that “a few bad apples” are sitting in prison, all lower enlisted, and you and I both know they did not think up the type of torture that was depicted in photographs all by themselves. If that was not enough to completely reverse my opinion of you, the fact that there are pictures out there far, far worse than anything seen to date and no one up the chain other than Army Reserve Brigadier General Janis Karpinski (please see http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/082405Z.shtml#1 ) has been held accountable makes me see you through a completely different light. You may be one in a hundred Senators, but you are one Senator with the good will of the majority of the American people. You are the one Senator neither the Right nor Left marginalizes, sneers at or takes for granted. When you speak, people listen, and you had one hell of an opportunity to lead your country back from the brink and you chose not to. You stood beside a man who was implicit if not directly responsible in the smearing of your wife, the other half of yourself, and your child. You put your arm around the man with no more respect for your family than he would have for a fly. I find that unbelievable to say the least. It is a Christian principle to forgive, but God never told anyone to be stupid. These people would turn on you quicker than a rabid dog. You don’t have to get mad at the dog, a smart man stays away from it. When you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas. Senator McCain, you have fleas. Out of all the Senators in this Congress, you are one of the few that could stand up and not have his popularity affected by much. Are you so afraid of the far right that you must sell you honor for change of winning the 2008 primaries? Have you no faith in basic decency of most of the American public? You defend an indefensible President and a corrupt administration, you close your eyes and agree not to look to closely at the ties between Jack Abramoff and Tom Delay during your investigation into the Indian casino hearings, and I am supposed to respect you why. I had hopes that you would be one of the last statesmen left in Washington D.C., I was wrong.

But I do thank you for at least helping me find a political home-in the Democratic Party. At least I know they won’t give me five dollars to put in my front pocket while taken a hundred dollars out of my back pocket.

Sincerely,

Navy Vet
1990-1994
Navy Wife
1995-2004
Wife of Navy Retiree
2004-Present