Margot Roosevelt speaks with veterans, who, in Master Sergeant Mark McDowell's words, have been "watching the primaries very closely to see who will be the least careless with soldiers and their families":
Disaffection with the politics of shock and awe runs deep among men and women who have served in the military during the past decade of conflict. Only 32 percent think the war in Iraq ended successfully, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. And far more of them would pull out of Afghanistan than continue military operations there. While the 2012 campaign today is dominated by economic and domestic issues, military concerns could easily jump to the fore.
Nearly 90,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Israeli politicians and their U.S. supporters debate over whether to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities as partisans bicker over proposed Pentagon budget cuts. … If the election were held today, Obama would win the veteran vote by as much as seven points over Romney, higher than his margin in the general population.
Philip Ewing recently noted that "[p]olitical donations from servicemembers and others connected with the military are shifting from presidential candidate Ron Paul to President Obama."
The Dish 