European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 13, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday april132007 stars and stripes Page 15 opinion cant cite inevitability to raise funds for 08 by Jules Witcover Tribune Media services Washington n the Early phase of any presidential Campaign an ambitious objective of the front runners in the polls is to sell voters on the inevitability of their nominations the reasons Are simple first Many contributors like to be with a Winner but also if rival candidates can be convinced that trying to compete is futile or that doing so will be too costly or demanding of their time ener Gies and political stature they May just drop out convincing donors that one candidates nomination is inevitable can severely stifle the fund raising efforts of the others de Nying them the essential Finan Cial wherewithal to mount and sustain their campaigns the creation of an Aura of inevitability was conspicuous in the Success of Texas gov George w Bush Campaign for the re publican presidential Nomina Tion in 2000 his strategists combined a string of endorsements from fellow gop governors and a Mammoth Money raising operation that drove some White House hopefuls to the sidelines Early inevitability does not always mean certainty As Bush found out in that year when challenger sen John Mccain upset him in the new Hampshire primary he needed a shift to hardball Nega Tive politicking to Cut Mccain Down to size in the subsequent South Carolina primary and thereafter but establishing an Early pub Lic impression that a front run Ner has the nomination of his party in the bag is an obvious Campaign goal it certainly marked the efforts of the poll leaders after the 2006 congressional elections democratic sen Hillary Clinton and Mccain a critical Means of reinforcing the appearance of inevitability is the acquisition of huge amounts of Early Campaign Money the Clinton Campaign particularly set out to blow away the prospective Field of demo cratic challengers with her sheer fundraising capability Mccain also sought to build an impressive Campaign trea sury but also spent the previous year in a diligent Effort to Shore up the softness of his party sup port among conservatives be cause no prominent righting Darling had yet emerged Mccain nomination started out looking inevitable in Many eyes inevitability however can be easily toppled As both Clinton and Mccain have just experienced with last weeks disclosure of fundraising totals after the first Quarter of this year while Clinton led the demo cratic pack with an impressive million the raising of million by sen Barack Obama from a relatively standing Start and from a larger base of Small contributors than Clinton fat cat givers suddenly made the former first Ladys Nomina Tion seem less inevitable As for Mccain his Aura of inevitability had already been shaken by former new York mayor Rudy Giuliani passing him in most Public opinion polls it was dealt a further blow by first Quarter Money raising Fig ures placing him a dismal third behind former Massachusetts gov Mitt Romney and Giuliani Romney posting Only 3 percent support in the most recent Gal Lup poll surprised observers by raising million to Mil lion for Giuliani and Mil lion for Mccain suddenly what had seemed earlier to Many to be a Glide path to the nominations for Clinton and Mccain now shapes up As far from it and that Outlook should encourage others in both parties to pull up their socks and compete not Only for Money but also for More Public attention in a news Media broadened by new opportunities on the fas devel Oping world of the internet raising dough is not the Only significant measurement of a candidates viability though the unprecedentedly Early Start in All aspects of campaigning has been costly in terms of heavy candidate travel building and staffing structures in the first caucus and primary states next year there will be four of them Iowa new Hampshire Nevada and South Carolina before the new Meg state Pri Maries on feb 5 so the eyes of the political Community will be focused next on the candidates reporting to the Federal elections commission on How much they have spent through the first Quarter due officially this sunday How much the candidates have on hand May present a More realistic Pic Ture of the Early pecking order As the Aura of inevitability in each party has already been diminished Why a Marine and his comrades return to Iraq Jill or Labbe Robert c Wood or looks like a candidate for a us Marine corps recruiting poster the set jaw the no nonsense dont even think about it look in the eyes Wood 26 is 12 hours shy of a finance degree at the University of Texas at Arling ton but instead of studying for his Spring finals Hes Back in Iraq for his second Mission a Mission he volunteered for the letter printed below was emailed on March 28 to friends and family across the states As Wood pre pared to ship out on april 21 got it in one of those surreptitious ways a Friend who has a work colleague who is a Good Friend of Woods father i secured permission from Woods family to share it with the rest of the world it was sparingly edited today we finished packing out storing our gear and readying our packs for our flight out of country next monday it feels incredibly Odd to be Here to know that in a Well be Back in the thick of it the heat the War the intense boredom interrupted by Short flumes of rocket and mor tar fire i remember the first time i left Camp Pendleton at that time having no clue and no idea what to expect i remember the bus ride to March air Reserve base the hot Tarmac underfoot As we waited for what seemed like lifetimes for the plane that would take us to the other Side of the world i remember the Han drawn cards from the Middle and lower schools from across California that were taped to the Walls of the hangars we waited in the feeling i had in my gut while Reading the words of All these innocent boys and girls is a feeling til never forget in returning everything feels much Dif Ferent instead of ignorance i remember exactly what its like to take a ch46 held Over enemy terrain at Nightfall i can still Tell the Caliper of everything from a 9 my pistol to a 155 my howitzer by sound i know what passing bullets sound like the Way they snap when they miss i can visual ize what everything looks like the cities the Chow Halls the pcs Etc gone is the fear of the unknown present is the insuperable feeling Odeja Vul partly because we Are reduced to the Pri Mal desires of life quest for safely food shelter and partly because we Are no longer in control to any degree whatsoever of our own Fate i honestly believe that each of us in the quiet hours we have and keep to ourselves consider who we Are and what we Are about this self reflection is not limited to penitence per be but rather the knowledge of going into personal Dan Ger makes one come to terms wit himself As a Man those that dont know combat those that dont understand this War think that we Are fighting for the iraqi people for Oil or for Freedom in the Middle East personally Ive lost most of my conviction for this War i think Many of us have Why is it then that we have american men and women returning for multiple Tours of duty simply put we fight for the Man to the left and to the right of us sure Freedom from tyranny and peace in the Middle East Are Noble reasons to pick up arms but not Why we come Back for More i would venture that although patriotism jingoism can persuade a Man or a woman to sign up for the military maybe even enough to get them to Volunteer for Iraq its always for his fellow marines that he chooses to return in my quiet hours i try to picture my life 10 or 20 years from now i try to envision what it would be like to have a family of my own to have a Nice quiet House to drive to work knowing that i have a coffeemaker in my office or maybe i can Send my Smolc ingot Secre tary in the miniskirt and stilettos to get a Latte for me More than anything i look Forward to the Day i can mount my ribbons and medals in a shadowbox Case my sword and never speak too loud of the places Ive been and the things Ive seen Many of my family and friends know that one of the things in most proud of is my combat action ribbon for those who dont know it is colloquially known As the been there done that ribbon it is Only awarded to those that have been in direct combat what nearly everyone fails to under stand is that in not proud of it because i earned it nor am i proud because it Quali fies me As a Man or for any other personal reason in proud to Wear it because it Means that my son or daughter will never have to Semper Fidelis take a moment to think about the men and women who guarantee our rights to say what we please worship As we please and live As free people say hallelujah for Robert c Wood or and then say a prayer for him Jill or Labbe is Deputy editorial Page editor of the fort Worth Texas Star Telegram prickly City by Scott Stantis