Posted on 06/25/2007 9:58:11 AM PDT by pissant
WASHINGTON Though the next U.S. president will probably command soldiers in two separate wars, few of those hoping to win the job can say they've ever seen combat or even taken abuse from a drill sergeant. Of the 18 announced Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, only Republicans John McCain and Duncan Hunter have served on the front lines. Three others served in noncombat roles and another two served in the reserves.
AdvertisementVoters aren't likely to care very much, experts say. I just don't think we expect that obligation, and that's because we don't expect it of ourselves either, said Bruce Altschuler, a Vietnam veteran and political science professor at the State University of New York at Oswego.
That might allow voters and candidates to focus on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Ohio Wesleyan University history professor Michael Flamm.
If no candidates in 2008 are running on or against their Vietnam records, perhaps we won't have to look at Iraq through the prism of Vietnam, he said. Perhaps we will be able to look at the Iraq war as a new situation.
Between 1944 and 1992, military experience was seen as a must for presidents.
That ended when Democrat Bill Clinton, who never served in the military, defeated Republican President George H.W. Bush, a decorated World War II veteran. Four years later, Clinton defeated Bob Dole, another World War II combat veteran.
Republican George W. Bush, who spent the Vietnam years on U.S. soil as a member of the Air National Guard, defeated two Democratic candidates who served in Vietnam, Al Gore and John Kerry.
Experts say Americans' conflicted attitude toward the Vietnam War makes a military background less of an advantage.
That won't be a concern for many running in the November 2008 election.
DEFERMENTS, FLUNKED PHYSICALS
Republicans Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama had not yet turned 18 by the time the draft was discontinued in 1973.
Democrat John Edwards, who became eligible in the waning years of the war, drew a high lottery number that was not called when the lottery determined who would be inducted into military service.
College and missionary service kept Mitt Romney out of the draft until 1970, when he drew a high lottery number.
Rudy Giuliani also drew a high lottery number in 1970 after receiving deferments as a student and law clerk.
Democrats Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich failed their physical examinations, as did Republican Tom Tancredo.
Republican Fred Thompson, who is expected to formally enter the race soon, received a deferment because he had children.
As a woman, Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton was not subject to the draft.
McCain's biography as a Navy airman who endured years of torture in a Hanoi prison is a central part of his appeal. Hunter, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, has made military issues central to his career in Congress.
Republican Jim Gilmore served in the Army in West Germany, while Ron Paul served as an Air Force surgeon. Democrat Mike Gravel served in the Army in the 1950s.
Democrat Chris Dodd joined the Army Reserve when he left the Peace Corps in 1968. Republican Tommy Thompson joined after law school in 1966.
The candidates' collective lack of military experience reflects the population as a whole.
Veterans accounted for 11 percent of the voting age population in 2000, according to the U.S. Census, down from 21 percent in 1970. By 2030, that figure will shrink to 6 percent, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Service in the military provides perspective on war, perspective on sacrifice, said University of Denver political -science professor Tom Knecht. To the extent that we're losing that, that might be kind of a problem.
I bet their is more military experience in the Congress, Senate and POTUS candidates than among the press.
Hunter ping.
Yeah but, so what?
No doubt about that.
Yup!
Well, it’s slightly better experience than going to parties with the hollywood libs.
Sorry pissant, but I’m just not buying the “military experience makes someone more virtuous than the rest” argument that you and other Duncanists have been peddling. That stock trades real low in my exchange.
Of course you don’t. I would expect nothing less.
And well you shouldn't. I don't worship the military. I not anti-military, but I'm not pro-military either. The military is there, a necessary evil perhaps that exists because we live in a fallen world, but neither it nor its personnel hold any sort of special place of honour in my book. Hence, a presidential candidate with military experience doesn't get an automatic, unthinking advantage over one who doesn't, AFAIAC.
LOL! It didn’t take the Fredheads long to find this thread, did it?
Never have we needed a man like Duncan Hunter in the White House more than we do now. His “been there, done that” experience is worth beyond buying.
Hey Quinct! You kind of got your tag line bassackwards there, fella.
He is a fisheman, a hunter, a bow -hunter, a hiker, and an avid shooter. Ted Nugent might have to support him.
This was not an anti-Fred thread, just pro Hunter. But they are like mosquitos on a bare butt.
>> The military is there, a necessary evil perhaps that exists because we live in a fallen world, but neither it nor its personnel hold any sort of special place of honour in my book.
Men and women that voluntarily sacrifice the comforts of American civilian life, sacrifice time with their loved ones, and put themselves in a dangerous position for the protection of those freedoms that made this country the “shining city on a hill” deserve a special place of honor in anyone’s book.
Self-sacrifice is an inherent good ... and your failure to recognize that is absolutely inexplicable. At least some appreciation MUST be shown to military personnel and civil servants who shoulder the burden of protecting the rest of us from those evil elements at home and abroad. Their Constitutionally mandated role as defenders of the Republic is certainly “necessary” ... though I am completely flabbergasted that someone could possibly consider the defense of a free people as an “evil”.
That being said, military service rarely makes any difference in my voting (all things being equal ... service is preferred to non-service ... but all things are almost never equal). Military personnel and veterans are just as often wrong about political policy as anyone else ... take Murtha for instance.
H
That ended when Democrat Bill Clinton, who never served in the military, defeated Republican President George H.W. Bush, a decorated World War II veteran. Four years later, Clinton defeated Bob Dole, another World War II combat veteran.
Some on this thread say whether or not a candidate is a veteran means nothing. I strongly disagree. It is certainly a prime indicator of their patriotism and courage. Anomalies like John Kerry aside.
In WW2, El Alamein was the ETO turning point, Midway the turning point in the PTO. Taking the long view of American history, Clinton marks the turning point. And it has been downhill ever since.
One of the reasons I am for Duncan Hunter. As a former Army Ranger, a genuine American hero with courage. We need him to reverse the non-veteran trend that has developed since Clinton.
“Of course you dont. I would expect nothing less.
And well you shouldn’t. I don’t worship the military. I not anti-military, but I’m not pro-military either. The military is there, a necessary evil perhaps that exists because we live in a fallen world, but neither it nor its personnel hold any sort of special place of honour in my book. Hence, a presidential candidate with military experience doesn’t get an automatic, unthinking advantage over one who doesn’t, AFAIAC.”
PS Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus is dumb.
Yeah, he's "been there, done that" in the House for 21 years. How come Duncan's never had the nerve to put himself up for a statewide before? Would he rather bring home bacon to his home district to ensure an easy re-election, all the while voting for massive spending boondoggles like the prescription drug benefit plan?
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