Biden received 5 deferments before being declared medically ineligible for Vietnam

Hartford Courant via AP ^ | August 31, 2008 | Randall Chase

[oldbill]

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War, the same number of deferments received by Vice President Dick Cheney, and later was disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager.

Additional deferments were granted in roughly 12-month intervals, the last coming in January 1968, shortly before he graduated from law school at Syracuse University

[oldbill]

Biden and the Democrats have been hiding this well. It looks like Biden had a cozy relationship with the local draft board. In that era, deferments stopped when you graduated from college, and were not issued for graduate studies or law school. Biden got them for law school.

Also, if you got deferments, you were moved to the top of the A-1 priority list for induction afterwards.

Childhood asthma that was no longer symptomatic was not a disqualifying physical condition. Lots of kids have asthma that goes away with adulthood.

There is another story here - who was on the local draft board?

[PLMerite]

You’d think with that much schooling he’d be smarter.

[Rome2000]

Cowards suck

[quesney]

Compared to Palin who:

1) Has been to Iraq to visit the troops (and looked like she was enjoying it)
2) Sent her son off to war...with pride (and not for some jive JAG duty like Biden’s, but to front-line infantry).

Nice.

[Artemis Webb]

Unfortunately I don't think this will hurt him. It certainly won't with the liberal core. Draft dodging the Vietnam was common and many don't fault the people who did.

[ConorMacNessa]

Just what we need to face the Islamist threat and Putin - another chickens@#T!

[AmericaUnited]

Before being declared mentally ineligible??!!!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Flat feet ?

[JDoutrider]

"Draft dodging the Vietnam was common and many don't fault the people who did."

I'm sure I don't have to remind you that there are many of us that do!

[Question Liberal Authority]

Experience and Change. Those two words will forever be linked with Joe Biden.

[Buzz Crutcher]

I agree with you that Biden is a dirtball, but Gov. Palin didn’t “send” her son to the army. He’s a grown man who made up his own mind. (though I’m sure the upbringing he had helped).

I’m not trying to pick a fight, but the left is constantly playing up the idea that 18 year olds are duped children who thought they joined the Military to play video games. we shouldn’t buy into that same mindset just because it makes one of our own look better.

[deport]

Did his marriage change his draft status?...... I can’t remember all the variarances from back then. He wasn’t total exempt from service according to one article I saw but rather subject to call in a state of emergency [whatever that was]. Cheney got a different draft status at some point after getting married. I don’t remember the details of that either.

I got a physical call about 13 months after graduating from college and an induction notice some 2 months later. I guess each draft board was a little different depending upon their assigned call numbers each month.

[Impy]

Sent her son off to war...with pride (and not for some jive JAG duty like Biden’s, but to front-line infantry).

Parents don't "send" "kids" off to war. They turn 18 and join themselves.

[ari-freedom]

Biden went through asthma
McCain went through this

[BGHater]

Interesting.

Biden was a Freshman Running Back for Delaware Univ.

[org.whodat]

The same number of deferments received by Vice President Dick Cheney. While I think biden is a first class A hole. I think cheney falls in the same catagory of cowardice. Let sleeping dogs lie. Oh, and before you get your undies all up tight, I had been in service six months when I was drafted and that was in 1968.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

That certainly explains most of the plugs problem.

[RichInOC]

Okay, how did he not get rejected at the physical? I always thought brain death would get you washed out. No?

[svcw]

Many people got deferments for various reasons, that does not equal cowardliness.
My husband got a medical deferment because he had a cyst on his spine.

[rocksblues]

This will never see the light of day in the MSM. And if it does the Democrats won't care because he is one of them. It only counts if it's a Republican.

To me anybody who avoided the draft in the 60's and 70's ain't worth talking about!