Quite frankly, I don't care whether the next president or VP is "qualified" or has experience ordering troops, or even if they were in the military. Because I don't expect the president to be an expert in that field. What I DO want is a president who appoints an expert in the field to be his Secretary of Defense and has other people at his disposal to give him adivce. Then I want the president to actually listen to his advisors and make decisions based on their expertise. I DON'T want a president to surround him/herself with yes men who will tell him/her what (s)he wants to hear.

If that means they have to "flip-flop" on things they said at one time or another based on the advice of the advisors, good for them. If it means Obama has to keep troops there longer than he wants, he needs to do it. If it means McCain has to withdraw troops earlier than he wants, he need to do it. An effective leader listens to his advisors and makes his decisions based on the information he has and make the best decision possible. As the old adage in business goes, surround yourself with people smarter than you and LISTEN to them.

The worst managers are the ones who surround themselves with "yes-men" and believe they know best about everything. IMO, we've had 8 years of somebody like this leading the country. Whether McCain or Obama wins, I just want them to listen to their advisors (cabinet members), the ones who should be experts in their fields, and make decisions based on what they believe is in the best interests of the country.