‘Soldiers’ of McCain

March 29, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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mccainclinton.jpgBy A. Alfaro & Bing Branigin
FAIRFAX, Virginia Filipino American Republicans and Democrats have declared they are ready to act as foot soldiers of Sen. John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, if she is finally selected as the partys candidate in the November elections.
Leading the call to arms are the Filipino American Republicans of Virginia (FARV), who earned their spurs during the campaign of Velie Dietrich Hall for a seat in the Fairfax county board of supervisors last year. They have vowed to campaign actively for McCain.

The Filipino-American Republicans of Virginia are ready to serve as McCains foot soldiers in this election,” declared Atty. Januario Warie Azarcon, FARV president, following the selection of the Arizona senator as the GOP standard bearer.
Not to be outdone, the Democrats in the greater Washington D.C. area also said they are ready to support Sen. Hillary Clinton, a candidate who fights like hell for what she believes in. I want my president to fight like hell for what she believes in and cares for and not surrender until the cause is won, thundered Jon Melegrito, a leading Filipino American volunteer campaigner for Sen. Clinton in the area.
Her victories in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island (March 4) confirm that Hillary will work hard, and even harder still. Another community leader, Francine Youngberg, echoed Melegritos assessment. She said: The prizefighter to bet on is Senator Clinton. She will not give up the fight.
And joining the Democrats in rooting for Hillary are war veterans like Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (ret), the second highest ranking Filipino American in the US Army, Rear Admiral Connie Mariano and 27 other top retired generals. Taguba and his group endorsed Clinton to be our nations next commander-in-chief.
Responding to his endorsement, Clinton praised Taguba for his service to the country with uncommon dignity and courage. He is a man of tremendous principle and integrity.
Supporters of Sen. Barack Obama, the rival of Sen. Clinton, have remained silent thus far.
Contacted for their reactions, other Filam leaders were hopeful that their candidates will win in the November elections. Vellie Dietrich Hall said: I believe that McCain will fare well against Obama or Hillary because of his in-depth experience in the government both in military and as an elected official. McCain is favored well among conservative Democrats because of his liberal stand on some national issues. He is the right person to make hard and necessary decisions to lead our country in solving our greatest challenges and protecting our nation from terrorists.
Ed Navarra: Well, I am happy that John McCain is now the standard bearer of the Republican Party. To me he is the quintessential Republican, He is decent and will push for the partys ideals of hard work and perseverance, a gentleman whose time has come.
Dr. Rene Alvir: I would have wanted Romney but since McCain won it, I will support him instead of Obama who is going to increase taxes, vote for National Health Insurance and pull our troops out of Iraq.
Tagubas endorsement was made even before the crucial Ohio and Texas primaries, Taguba said Senator Clintons unequivocal opposition to the use of torture under any circumstances, and her willingness to take a stand for what she believes in is exactly the sort of courage and moral strength that we need in our leaders. I know that, as President, Senator Clinton will hold America to the high moral standards that have made us a leader among nations.
This is a sweet, sweet victory, exclaimed Melegrito who is a laborleader and Manila Mail columnist. The American people are beginning to see the real Hillary.
Azarcon, in a statement, hailed the selection of McCain saying he is the right man for our times.
The threat to our national security posed by a loose group of people determined to inflict serious harm to our citizens and the nation as a whole requires a leader who has demonstrated perseverance, patience and will to win against the enemy. There is no prosperity without security,” he said.
He continued: If the US involvement in Iraq is to be scaled down, I will trust McCain more than Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama to do it in a way that will not squander the human sacrifice and material investment already spent, not leaving Iraq in chaos for the benefit of those who want an unfettered base from which to launch their evil designs against American interests.
No president has been able to rein in congressional earmarks which has led to runaway government spending. McCains obsession with fighting earmarks could instill fiscal discipline in Congress and drastically change the budget process.
This has been an election year full of surprises. After his candidacy was practically written off by political pundits in the summer, McCain has demonstrated that dogged determination and moral clarity in ones mission can overcome adversity. His life story tells it all.
While he was not the favorite of certain conservative groups during the primary, they understand that they have more in common with McCain than with either of the Democratic contenders still slugging it out.
In effect, he was rallying the troops, some of whom had been reluctant to support McCain during the primaries, to unite behind the official candidate of the Republican party.
Nony Abrajano, NaFFAA Chair for the Capital Region based in Virginia Beach, likens McCain to President Abraham Lincolm who once stood on the same shoes like McCain. Lincoln never gave up until he won the Presidency of the United States.
He added: McCain was once an almost forgotten candidate but he persisted and now the nominated candidate of the Republican party for the November election. He will be a great president if he wins the White House weighing in the best options for any issue that he will confront as president. He will command respect from both sides of the aisle in Congress. He is another Franklin Delano Roosevelt coming to the surface.
Melegrito said: As she said, she may have stumbled but she is still standing tall. Her fighting spirit only confirms the kind of person she is: she will be a leader who will fight, even when the odds are down, and fight even harder still to make sure that every child,man, woman in this country get the break they need to live a decent life. Add a womans touch to that fighting spirit and you have the embodiment of a leader who will roll up her sleeves on day one and get this country moving forward again. She has proven it tonight with persistence, perseverance and grace under pressure. I can personally identify with what Hillary is going through, that when youre down youre not necessarily out.”
Melegrito said: Throughout this grueling campaign, she has been indefatigable in fighting for the causes she believes in. Despite the things thrown at her, she continues to persevere, unfazed by personal attacks and media bias. Only a person who passionately believes that she has what it takes to lead this country will go through what she has gone through - bashed, battered, beaten up - and still rise up the next morning with ever greater resolve. A lesser person would have given up a long time ago, but shes tough and tender at the same time, tough in confronting challenges, tender in relating to the struggles of ordinary people. The more I see her on the campaign trail fighting and soldiering on, the more I am impressed with this womans tenacity and temperament. She is the reason I lift myself up each day to campaign for her because I know that she is really fighting for our children and grandchildren and their future. Simply put, she works hard and shes still standing. That makes me very proud to have been in the trenches for all this time. I want my president to fight like hell for what she believes in and cares for and not surrender until the cause is won.
Youngberg said Just like Senator Clinton is in the fight of her political life, average working people are fighting to keep their jobs, afford basic necessities despite inflation and keep their homes in the midst of a mortgage crunch. As the economy spirals downward and Americans see their standard of living eroded, more and more will trade lofty ideals like hope and change for boring but detailed plans on achieving universal healthcare, stemming mortgage foreclosures, and spurring job creation. Ohio and Texas voters did. Now we shall see if Pennsylvania voters will too on April 22.
Melegrito continued: As she said, she may have stumbled but she is still standing tall. Her fighting spirit only confirms the kind of person she is: she will be a leader who will fight, even when the odds are down, and fight even harder still to make sure that every child,man, woman in this country get the break they need to live a decent life. Add a womans touch to that fighting spirit and you have the embodiment of a leader who will roll up her sleeves on day one and get this country moving forward again. She has proven it tonight with persistence, perseverance and grace under pressure. I can personally identify with what Hillary is going through, that when youre down youre not necessarily out.”
Yesterday was March 4, a date that is also a command. I take that as an omen. Senator Hillary Clinton will march forth to the White House. The March 4 results were neither a landslide nor a delegate needle mover but enough to stop the Obama juggernaut-for the moment. Senator Clinton defied the media, the pundits and her detractors. She proved to be an inconvenient woman by rising phoenix-like from the ashes of 12 straight loses to fight another day.
Im a fan of action films and boxing. Like Rocky Balboa, Senator Clinton took punches, body blows and hits below the belt. Every time she was knocked down and the referee started counting, she got up bloodied but unbowed. Senator Obama has shown that he can win in the early rounds but can he stay off the ropes late in the boxing match? Does he have a glass jaw as some have suggested? He now has to fight on multiple fronts as he fends off attacks from the GOP rallying behind a presumptive nominee and from Senator Clintons inconvenient campaign to snatch away the nomination. Oh…and the third and most dangerous front-the end of the media honeymoon. Senator Obama was the dominant person in 69 percent of presidential campaign stories the week before, according to a study by Project for Excellence in Journalism. Thats the biggest percentage one candidate had received in any week this year. Many of the stories took a hard look at his career. Welcome to Senator Clintons world. The Clinton rules where she can do no right and he can do no wrong is starting to rub off.

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