Obama will have some work to do to earn the trust of our military. That comes as no surprise, but a recent poll by the Military Times has made it crystal clear. Read about it below and here is a video of Obama talking about how he will earn their trust.

Obama Discusses Earning Military Trust - Video

Six out of 10 members of our military say they are ‘uncertain’ or ‘pessimistic’ about having Barack Obama as Commander in Chief. I’m betting more are pessimistic than uncertain - but that could just be me. Being in the military they would not be quick to criticize their Commander in Chief. So one only knows what the real numbers would be if they could be assured absolute anonymity.

These numbers come from a poll conducted by the Military Times. The general concerns had to do with Obama’s lack of military experience and of leading men and women in uniform. I would add a lack of experience in leading men and women period.

I would venture to say that it is hard, if not impossible, for us civilians to imagine the maturity, learning and heavy weight that comes from leading men and women in battle. I have been told there is nothing that compares to it. Its not a question of whether or not you will get a contract you are craving. Its a matter of life and death. Even though much of the outcomes of who survives and who doesn’t survive is nothing more than sheer luck or lack of luck, your decisions determine who lives and who dies to some extent. Its a level of responsibility that stays with you the rest of your life.

Obama would be unusual indeed, if he was able to comprehend that on any level. Considering his apparent lack of interest in the military, my strong suspicion is that he doesn’t have a clue about just what it means to command men and women in uniform.

Some of the statements made by respondents to the poll are as follows:

“Being that the Marine Corps can be sent anywhere in the world with the snap of his fingers, nobody has confidence in this guy as commander in chief,” said one lance corporal who asked not to be identified.

What they say in private would be quite different than what they say to a pollster.

Obama’s campaign promise for a time table for withdrawal from Iraq and his promise to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy were top concerns expressed by the Troops.

All the progress made in Iraq could be gone in a flash with the precipitous retreat of American Troops. Will that leave this war to our children and grandchildren to fight once again? Will it leave ethnic cleansing, death and chaos in our wake, a lesson we should have learned from our withdrawal from Vietnam.

“How are you going to safely pull combat troops out of Iraq?” said Air Force 1st Lt. Rachel Kleinpeter, an intelligence officer with the 100th Operations Support Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England. “And if you’re pulling out combat troops, who are you leaving to help support what’s left? What happens if Iraq falls back into chaos? Are we going to be there in five years doing the same thing over again?”

Most of the Troops questioned felt that George W. Bush had their best interest at heart rather than Barack Obama.

But then, none of this could possibly come as a surprise.