[mtntop3]

Admiral Stockdale personified, in deed, the noblest traditions of the U.S. military and this nation.

He is just not to be "lauded," but forever remembered for his courage and unwavering devotion to this nation, the military, and his fellow comrades-in-arms despite barbaric tortures inflicted on him and his fellow prisoners by the North Vietnamese to have him renounce his nation and his comrades-in-arms, which he never did despite what ever came.

As for being "pro-life" he certainly was in the sense that he was willing to sacrifice his life so that others might live - and live with dignity. None of us know his views on abortion, but he was enough of a realist - suffering unspeakable torture is realism of realism - to know that if someone is intent on aborting a child, there are limits on what can be done to prevent it; and it will occur, sad to say.

[Theodore R.]

None of us know his views on abortion

False, he said in the 1992 debates that "a woman owns her body, and she can do as she pleases with it." In a later interview with Jim Lehrer, Stockdale reaffirmed his support for abortion, saying that he agreed with his four "pro-choice" daughters-in-law. No, he like Mr. and Mrs. Perot were strongly in support of abortion.