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Sense of Duty Compels Retired
Military Officers to Join Political Fray
Their involvement in the campaign — and their physical pres-
ence on the stage in Denver —
underscored the growing trend of
retired military officers getting
involved in national politics.
Just hours before Sen. Barack
Obama accepted the Democratic nomination, more than a
dozen retired flag officers took the
stage before 85,000 people at
Denver’s Invesco Field in a show
of support for the presidential
hopeful.
The former officers, who stood
shoulder to shoulder as one of
their own addressed the roaring
crowd, amounted to just a handful
of the more than 70 retired military
officials who have signed on to
advise and support the Obama
campaign.
REUTERS
Several observers said the trend
began in earnest with former
President Bill Clinton’s first campaign in 1992 as a way to burnish
the then-Arkansas governor’s national security credentials. Since
then, retired military officials have
thrust themselves into the spotlight
in increasing numbers, campaigning for — and openly supporting
— candidates from both parties.
For the 2008 contest, both
Obama and Sen. John McCain, the
Republican presidential nominee,
have enlisted a corps of retired military officials to not only provide
advice on national security matters, but boost their credibility as
U.S. presidential nominees Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Barack
Obama, D-Ill., have enlisted a corps of retired military officials to provide
advice on national security matters and boost their credibility as they campaign to be the next commander in chief.
they campaign to be the next commander in chief.
The McCain campaign announced July 31 that more than 250
retired generals and admirals had
signed a pledge of support for the
Arizona Republican.
“Our next president will confront national security challenges
as significant as those faced by any
administration in at least a generation,” the pledge read. “Success
will require a leader with proven
tenacity, judgment and courage. It
will also require a leader with
detailed knowledge of our military
and other instruments of national
power, and with years of experience dealing seriously with foreign
leaders.”
McCain’s life, they added, “has
been devoted to the service of
America.”
Obama’s generals and admirals
likewise have been making their
case to the American public that the
Democratic candidate is the best
choice for commander in chief.
“I have served under six commanders in chief. And we’re all
here tonight because we know that
leadership does matter. That’s why
we support Barack Obama,” retired
Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration,
