Quick Heads Up: Did I Hear Right? Hackworth Called Cheney a Draft Dodger?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Hack is an idiot and is out of the loop and has no access to the information the military does to determine the status of the weapons Iraq has. Only a leftist would agree with him.

[MineralMan]

"A parental deferment, for example, would sound very reasonable to a lot of people. "

It might. OTOH, I was born when my father was flying B-17s over Germany. On my birthday, he was on a raid of Linz, one of the nastiest bombing runs there was at that time. I guess he didn't get that parental deferment.

In reality, deferments had more to do with other things than education and marriage. Those who felt the need to give something to their country...to preserve what is so precious...joined up and went, despite the interruption to their education or their families.

No doubt Cheney is a good administrator. He chose whether he would serve in the military or not. He could have, at any time, done what so many young men his age did. He chose to have "other priorities."

[Nam68]

Of course a person can be a great President without having served in the military. OTH beating the war drums isn't proof of courage. I have no idea whether VP Cheney has courage or not, but big talk and tough stands are not proof of anything.

[woofie]

The greatest threat to our nation comes from the illegal aliens invading our land. If there is an attack on the US, it will not come from Saddam's missles but from Jihad terrorists sneaking across our borders.

Come on down to New Mexico I have some cactus covered land I want you to guard

[Tennessee_Bob]

My opinion is that those who were patriots did serve.

You need to clarify your definition of "did serve."

[Willie Green]

A lot of republicans were Draft Dodgers during the Vietnam war, Buchanan was one, and the list goes on and on.

Mr. Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 30, 1941 and would have turned 18 in 1959.
Patrick J. Buchanan, born on Nov. 2, 1938, would've turned 18 in 1956.
Both were slightly too old to be considered prime draft material for Vietnam.

Go slither back to your liberal scumpond.
Your ignorance is showing.

[wardaddy]

Cheney would have been too old to be drafted for Nam in 1965. The fact that as a 25 year old he did not run down and enlist does not make him a draft dodger.

If you volunteered in 1965 at his age or any age then I salute you.

I would not however myself consider Cheney anything short of one tuff hombre. He has weathered 3 or 4 heart attacks since his late 30s and gone on to serve in incredibly high stress occupations from POTUS's COS to SOD to now VP along with running a very major and versatile oil services/construction firm thrown in for good measure.

He's the frigging Duracell bunny in my view and apparently has reconciled himself with walking tall in a constant valley of the shadow of death....mainly his poor diseased heart for many years now. That takes major cajones....and character in my view. Many would just curl up in a blanket on the sofa and read and worry about their ultimate demise.

What is your true axe to grind here...with all due respect?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

but I really think this comment was a mistake regardless of it's accuracy

So....it's okay to lie if it fits the agenda? Sweet.

Hack is a liar, fraud and an idiot. For instance, if he is as good as he claims, why is he not continuing to serve in some capacity?

[Republic of Texas]

I care more about his judgement right now. His whole career has been an exercise in good judgement. That is the role of our civilian authority. The military ranks are full of guys with courage, or they wouldn't be there in the first place.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Could it be, that being in the government position he was in, made him draft defered?

[laconic]

There were many young men of Mr. Cheney's age who had "other priorities" as well but who ended up in Vietnam because they didn't want someone else taking their place. Now they've ended up on the Vietnam Wall instead of those who had "other priorities". I have never said Cheney was a draft dodger; unlike clinton, he apparently pursued the system legally so he could chase his "other priorities". I do believe, however, that Cheney might be a bit less hawkish on invading Iraq (and apparently having the US run the place afterward which will probably be the hardest and most dangerous part) if he had seen combat.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Some of the finest men I've ever known didn't serve during wartime. Some of the finest men I've known did.

And then there are those who accuse, name-call, insinuate, and assassinate by innuendo.

Guess we know which category you fall into. (Hint: it ain't the former.)

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

If he was a draft dodger, why wasn't he arrested? One of his deferments was parental, but then that wasn't a valid post, I suppose. If the government tells you that you can get a deferment because you are a parent, I think it takes a pretty tough code of honor to tell the government that you can't accept that. Heck, I imagine it might have been a financial consideration. If a parent dies, does the military budget help support the child? And if a sergeant on the battlefield puts a childless man up ahead of the daddy on the field, is that immoral? Maybe the sergeant doesn't want to see a mourning child when he gets home.

I'm not saying the government was right to make the rules the way they are. I'm just pointing out the arguments that can be made to justify what Cheney was thinking.

A parent doesn't always put country above family. I know they should. But I, myself, won't judge him.

As for Hackworth, he's been out there for a while. He once suggested nuking sites that weren't open to inspection. He steps into things because he doesn't think them through. Where did his keen tactical mind go?

[MineralMan]

"What is your true axe to grind here...with all due respect? "

No axe at all. I am of the opinion that all Presidents should be veterans of military service, not to mention Secretaries of Defense. That has always been my opinion. I believe that those who seek a political life, as did Cheney, should belly up and join the military at some point in their youth, in order to understand that very important aspect of government.

That's my opinion. Yours may vary.

[Recovering_Democrat]

You're right on target, I think, Bed...joined 9/26/2002...wow, a whole two months old and he's already showing what a clown s/he is.

[Ben Ficklin]

Cheney went from student deferments to a pregnant wife. He did nothing illegal or irregular.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I think he is beginning to realize, as have many other patriotic Americans, that all may not be above board with attack on Iraq. Before we even consider it, we have to protect our borders.

I see it very differently:

All may not be above board with the Mexico Border. I think most patriotic Americans see then need to deal with the Saddam Regime. Iraqnophobia confuses us.

[BaghdadBarney]

"I have my opinion of those who do not, yet who claim the right to send young men to battle."

Cut the crap. The Founders of this country explicitly laid out a framework in the Constitution which gave civilians the final authority as to the date and time to send our soldiers, sailors and flyers. Last time I checked it doesn't qualify whether the civilian had to have served his country to make such decisions. We don't live in Sparta...