Last week presidential candidate John McCain said that for the United States to pull out of Iraq in defeat would be to waste American lives.

The day after he said that, people jumped his case for using the word "wasted" when speaking of the Americans who have been killed in the war.

Obviously, those people entirely missed McCain's point. As a result of those people jumping on his case without understanding his point, I have become even more aware of why politicians use double-speak.

I have been prone to blame politicians for speaking out of both sides of their mouths. To tell you the truth, we may have only ourselves to blame.

McCain was saying that for us to lose the war in Iraq against terrorism would result in American lives being wasted. In other words, they would have died for nothing, for no good reason, WASTED.

He quickly apologized, although he did not need to and should not have. He said he should have used the word "sacrificed."

Fact is, those lives can be viewed as sacrificed only if we win the war against terrorism. Otherwise, he was correct to say they will have been wasted. To make the lives of those men and women who have been killed count, we must win the war against terrorism wherever it raises its ugly head.

McCain should have stuck by what he said. He should have explained it further and stuck by it.

Have Americans made it so difficult for politicians to speak the plain truth that they resort to double-speak and backtracking with almost every breath? How far would Harry Truman have made it in today's political climate?

We have made it almost impossible, if not completely impossible, for our leaders to speak plainly and bluntly. We have done this because we have become too sensitive and afraid of hurting a person's feelings.

Consequently, if you are not a member of a particular subculture, e.g., African American, Indian, female, homosexual, etc., you cannot speak truthfully about any subject pertaining to that group.

Of course, if you are a white male, anyone can say anything about you and you just have to suck it up and take it.

During the course of this next presidential election, I will be looking for a person who is brave enough to speak the truth. Where have I read "Speak the truth in love"? The Bible is where I have read it.

McCain has already disappointed me by not sticking to his guns - sort of like Bush did when he said, "Read my lips, no new taxes."

Will there be a candidate brave enough to speak the truth to us? Will we be able to handle the truth if he/she does?

Jack Rollins is managing editor of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.