Iraq trumps traditional issues for older U.S. voters

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061026/pl_nm/elderly_dc

Iraq trumps traditional issues for older U.S. voters

By Jane Sutton 2 hours, 40 minutes ago

MIAMI (Reuters) - America's elderly enjoy outsized influence in elections because they vote in greater numbers, but this year they've focused their clout on the Iraq war more than traditional concerns such as health and retirement benefits.


Poll after poll shows the U.S. war is uppermost in the minds of the gray-haired legions as they help decide whether
President George W. Bush's Republican Party will keep control of Congress in the November 7 election.

"The war in Iraq; it upsets me terribly. I think we weren't told the truth," said 85-year-old Florence Feinstein, who recently skipped her afternoon card game to discuss Medicare prescription drug benefits with Democratic congressional representatives at a retiree center in Sunrise, Florida.

The new drug benefits are important to Feinstein, who relies on six prescription medications. But it is not the top election concern for her, nor for many of her contemporaries surveyed by the Pew Research Center, which found the Iraq war the main issue among voters in all age groups.

"Iraq is the No. 1 issue for seniors who say they will cast a ballot based on national issues," said Andrew Kohut of the center.

Old people VOTE.

God bless her soul

They take offense at the silly neocon WWII analogies that are made with the Iraq War.

remember, the cohort that could have served in Vietnam are now in the 50-62+ age range... and those of us who were children during Vietnam are now in their 40s+!

We are not deluded by the crap issuing from the WH.

he's gone now but my Nana is still living and remembers well.

In WWII - of which I remember little - our military fought TWO wars, one in europe and one in the pacific, and we won both of them with the will to win and the realization that these were wars the HAD to be fought.

Since then we have waged war in Korea, Viet Nam, Panama, Granada, and Iraq. Of these our vaunted military was victorious in Panama and Granada. PANAMA and GRANADA! And we actually lost troops in Granada! And this from the most powerful military in the world!


It's time we realized that it's not the military that is responsible for getting us into wars. It's our political leadership. And as long as we allow our political leadership to lead us into needless wars, that's how long we will be fighting and losing.

Here's a suggestion: Rename the Pentagon for a Department of Peace. Not a Department of War.