McCain and the OODA Loop

A-4's over North Vietnam

John McCain being taken prisoner October 26, 1967 North Vietnam

The OODA Loop in Practice

Forty one years ago next month will mark the anniversary of an unexpected consequence that has led John McCain to be where he is today. On October 26, 1967 John McCain was at the controls of an A-4 Skyhawk fighter bomber over North Vietnam. His mission was cut short by a SAM missile, and he spent the next five years as a POW.

A lot has been speculated about McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate. The articles below offer some reason behind how his mind works. Being a fighter pilot, McCain seemed to channel another lesser know pilot from the Vietnam War who has left an enduring legacy among those who follow military strategy.

Michael Barone of U.S. News and World Report writes.

John McCain was trained as a fighter pilot. In his selection of Sarah Palin, and in his convention and campaigning since, he has shown that he learned an important lesson from his fighter pilot days: He has gotten inside Barack Obama's OODA loop.

That term was the invention of the great fighter pilot and military strategist John Boyd. It's an acronym for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.

Read the whole story below:

McCain Flies His Campaign Past Obama

And as Barone noted:

I am not the only one to notice that John McCain and Sarah Palin have gotten inside the Obama campaign's (and mainstream media's) OODA loop. Blogger Charlie Martin sprang into pixels on www.americanthinker.com before I could spring into print with this column.

McCain and the OODA Loop

The line of the day, by Barone:

John Boyd would have been a terrific political consultant.

There will be more to come in the next two weeks about John Boyd, and how his strategy transcends all forms of combat, military, business and politics.