Is Cheney the Next Target? The Vietnam War war could turn to the vice president.

National Review Online ^ | February 24, 2004 | Byron York

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

In effect Kerry uses his medals to smear Republicans.

In the 1970s he smeared everyone who believed in the defense of liberty but who didn't fight in Vietnam, for whatever reason--up to and including WWII Navy veterans like Richard Nixon. And he is smearing George Bush now.

Essentially his position has been that he rejected any inference that America and its Constituiton were morally superior to tyrannical Communist regimes--and that because of his medals no one had a right to question his position with the theoretical exception of people who had been killed in Vietnam.

Mr. Bush should simply tell Senator Kerry that as commander-in-chief he had on many occasions conducted awards ceremonies to congratulate and thank servicemen for gallantry in action--but he never once supposed that in doing so he had given that man a lifetime immunity from disagreement if he should at any subsequent occasion run for political office.

[onyx]

Kerry's elections and re-elections to public office in Massachusetts impresses me about as much as Ted Kennedy's and Barney Frank's re-elections in same democrat infested state.

Those persons elected in Massachusettes will be rejected in several of the other 49 states.

[mass55th]

Dick Cheney was born in 1941. My brother was born in 1944. When my brother was in 'Nam '66-67, he was the oldest (23) guy in his platoon. If he was the oldest during that time period, Dick Cheney would have been considered a senior citizen. And more than likely, even if he had attempted to enlist, it's more than likely he would have been rejected for medical reasons. The Dems have nothing here.

[Atlantic Friend]

Dirty campaign, as it seems, even I must confess that "I had other priorities than military service" is not the brightest thing to say. Dems will have no problems in turning it into "I had better things to do than to serve my country".

I really love your tagline, by the way. Funniest I ever read.

[JohnBovenmyer]

This campaign is going through its "Battle of the Bilge" phase. The Rats are surging forward, firing all the dirt they've stored up. Like the better known BotB this is a sign of desparation. Their improving polling numbers are tempoary, until Bush goes back on the offensive. The only problem is Bush's tendency to let the 'Montgomery" tactical wing of the party (the don't offend anyone RINOs) lead the counterattacks rather than the "Patton" (conservative) wing.

[labowski]

"He also hates dogs" : ) -Roy "Tin Cup" MacAvoy

[jwalsh07]

You really should be a little less reserved. Holding it all in is bad for you BP. LOL

[Reagan Man]

This endless rhetoric splashing SenKerry's Vietnam record around at every opportunity, has moved from the status of positive attribute and is beginning to wear very thin with most veterans I talk to. It's entering a phase of political propaganda and that won't help Kerry's campaign in the long run. It's quite obvious Kerry is attempting to innoculate himself from any criticism the Bush campaign may decide to use against him. Without the issue of Kerry's Vietnam war record, the Senator has little left of a positive nature that appeals to mainstream America. What's he gonna do for the next 8 months? LOL

[cyncooper]

In a letter sent to the White House late Saturday, Kerry wrote,

As Bill Krystol pointed out on Sunday, the day President Bush's dog dies Kerry sends this letter.

It seems to sum up Kerry nicely, that he would do such a thing timed in such a way.

[templar]

More like a Darwin Award nominee if you ask me.

Another soldier had a rigged grenade that he dropped next to Cleland and Cleland picked it up thinking he had somehow dropped it; being rigged to go off easily, with the safety measure of the pin defeated, it went off. This Qualifies him as a Darwin Award nominee how? Since you're criticizing his service in the Nam, I assume you were there also. Exactly what would you have done under these circumstances? Would the same apply to every GI who lost limbs of life to VietCong rigged grenades ans such (booby traps)?

[cyncooper]

Oh, and as the Cheney gambit, that will backfire on the dims, too.

But maybe this indicates Kerry will pick Clark for VP (could he possibly be that stupid?) if there is going to be military record comparison ongoing from that side. How else would they employ such a plan to downgrade Cheney unless the dem equivalent had some kind of military record to compare it to?

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"Uh, Harry Truman didn't seek reelection because he couldn't end (the Korean War"

I seem to recall that Ike said "I will go to Korea", and that was pretty much rhe end of Truman's hopes for re-election. , my point was that the Korean War was, like practically all Democrat-started wars, completely avoidable. Roosevelt, then Truman, flatly refused to include the Korean Peninsula in our zone of protection in the Pacific, which emboldened the Russians to support the NK Communists in their attempt to sieze the South. It would have taken so little to prevent this war- but the Democrats, as usual, were too cowardly to even try.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Why should the nation have to be dragged through Kerry's psychosis over his Vietnam experience?

Its not just Kerry's psychosis. Most of DU doesn't seem to have comprehended that VIETNAM IS OVER. YOU MADE US LOSE YOU COMMIE PANSIES!

[leadpenny]

If Cheney comes under attack because of his lack of service during Vietnam, it won't be coming from the left, at least not initially. If he stays on the ticket he will be attacked by the dems during the campaign. Quite frankly, I think they would like him to stay. Any attack over the next couple of months would most likely be coming from within the GOP. imo.

[deport]

If I remember correctly you were elgible for the draft up through age 26.....

Cneney got student deferments, got married in 1964 which placed him in another draft category at the time, they had a child in july 66 which place him in still another draft category...

[leadpenny]

Mass55th is right.

There was a draft prior, during and just after Vietnam, however there were only four so-called Vietnam Lotteries. Cheney would not have even come close to the first one, let alone the next three, of being considered.

http://www.sss.gov/lotter1.htm

[deport]

True, but he was still elgible for the draft prior to when the lotteries became the method of selecting for the draft.... He received student deferments up throug 65 I believe. He would have been 26 in 1967.... Vietnam was building up during the mid 60s so there's no reason to believe he would have served in Nam even had he been drafted....

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

There was a draft prior, during and just after Vietnam

Perhaps under some definition of "after Vietnam", but I'm confident that when Nixon discontinued the draft our troops were still engaged.

[leadpenny]

Good point. The lotteries were a change in the ages of those called. They were taking older men up til then. But, if I may present a snapshot of what I experienced in 61. I enlisted in the Army that year just out of High School. The draftees I served with in Basic Training and through 64 (all before Vietnam got cranking) were, on average two to three years older than I was. So, those drafted in 61 were around Cheney's age, but by 65 to 67 (before the lotteries) his draft board probably had already passed him by. The only question I might have is for 61. If you look at the numbers, there was a spike in that year, probably because of the build-up in response to the Berlin Crisis.

http://www.sss.gov/induct.htm

[leadpenny]

Your right, if you look at the explanation for the fourth lottery, they didn't even call anyone. So, in effect, there were three lotteries for the Vietnam period.

However, I was a BCT Company Commander in 73 and my first cycle of troops had some of the last draftees. After that it was all VOLAR.