These questions square with the results of a nationwide poll of veterans we conducted in July to find out what veterans and military members think is the greatest threat to our nation's security. That survey revealed that fully 72 percent of veterans cited "the economy" and "debt" as top threats to our nation's power and well being.
The responses we got last week fill out that picture, illustrating that voters crave straight talk about what the candidates will do to turn this nation around. (The questions submitted on national security and military strength were equally pointed.)
[See a collection of political cartoons on the economy.]
By now, it seems like the political press corps has grown bored with discussing the key policy challenges our nation faces; they prefer covering the excitement of the horse race. That's a shame, because the American people deserve a deeper, substantive look at what this election means for the future.
Maybe the media would be more entertained by the debate approach suggested by one of our correspondents: "Winner in a cage fight gets my vote." We got a chuckle out of that one, but there's nothing funny about the failure of the media to contend with the real questions voters want to see addressed in this year's debates.
- Read Peter Fenn: Will the Debates Matter?
- Read Brad Bannon: Will the Real Mitt Romney Stand Up in the Debates?
- Check out U.S. News Weekly: an insider's guide to politics and policy.
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