Country First. That was John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign slogan, embodied by his many acts of political and battlefield courage. In 2007, when voicing support for the Surge in Iraq – now seen as one of the most successful strategic operations in American military history, but then a controversial proposal with many detractors– he bluntly stated, “I’d rather lose a political campaign than lose a war.” Largely inspired by John McCain, for whose campaign I worked tirelessly, I joined the Army in 2009 to serve as an Army doctor.
Sadly, Donald Trump would rather incite political violence than admit he lost a political campaign. We should not pretend that he is less dangerous than he is. Trump may be weird, but he is also pathological narcissist, a pathological liar, and a pathological pathogen. Nearly every feature of his candidacy is disqualifying and dangerous, and millions of Republicans know it (as do even more Democrats and Independents). When Trump said of John McCain “I like people who weren’t captured,” he revealed the phoniness of his patriotism. Everybody knows it, and only those blinded by resentment refuse to admit it.
Unlike Trump, who only ever puts himself first, Harris-Walz are putting Country First. They want to protect the independence of the Federal Reserve, they support Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine which is critical to American interests and values, and they don’t support massive unfunded tax cuts for the super-rich that helped drive inflation.
Perhaps most importantly, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz base their positions on truth and not lies. They may not be perfect, but nobody is, and their opponent is perfection’s antithesis. In order to confront the great challenges of our time, we must live in truth and not delusion or resentment. That’s why I’m enthusiastically and without reservation supporting Harris-Walz, and encourage all patriots to do so too.
Rob Cohen, now a physician and Army veteran, was an Advance Staffer for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization he has worked with. He lives in Virginia.