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

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"He was on Oprah just today, promoting a book."

LOL!

[Eric Esot]

Did Cheney serve?

Yea - As Secretary of Defense from March 1989 to January 1993, he directed two of the largest military campaigns in recent history and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

[AmishDude]

The definitive "chickenhawk" chart.

Military status	Pro-war	Anti-war
Undrafted, not of age during Vietnam era	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Undrafted during Vietnam era	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Drafted, fled to Canada	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Drafted, college deferment	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Drafted, medical deferment	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Drafted, served stateside	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Drafted, served in 'Nam	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Volunteered for National Guard, served stateside	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Volunteered for service, served stateside	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Volunteered for service, served in non-combat in 'Nam	Opinion invalid	Opinion valid
Volunteered for service, served in combat	Opinion valid invalid (in the pocket of military contractors)	Opinion valid

For those of you scoring at home.

[ofMagog]

Here's the bio.

[MineralMan]

Sec. of Def. is a civilian position. I personally do not believe that any non-veteran should ever hold that position.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Cheney, if qualified for the draft would have been drafted prior to the Berlin Call up. Before that there weren't many people being drafted. The former POTUS however was an outright "Draft Dodger" 1st Class. I also have my doubts about Sp5 Gore too. (Volunteered? for 16-18months duty?) Made E-5 within that period for writing for a Bn or Bde newspaper? Something really stinks there and it isn't the rice paddies.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

yes, it takes great courage to send someone else's kids to war.

TY for your service for our country. I have to ask, though, what does it take to allow a monster like that to grow stronger? Brains?

[geaux]

Actually, it's not an "opinion." Draft dodging is not, as a simple matter of fact, the same as not volunteering.

[cyncooper]

That is your opinion.

And you are entitled to your opinion of those who didn't serve though they did NOT illegally avoid doing so.

However, you are using the term "draft dodger" and that term does NOT apply. I consider that term reserved for those who fled the country or undertook other means outside the law to avoid service.

[Republic of Texas]

So, you can't be President (in your eyes) unless you send your kids into the military? What if a guy is a GREAT president, but has no kids? Or only daughters? OOPS, sorry dude, you don't qualify?

Abe Lincoln didn't send his kids into battle. Of course they were too young, so maybe he should've been disqualified from running for office? I don't see the logic.

[WhatNot]

Oprah! too funny, any guesses on who wrote the forward? Maybe that guy ross perot had as his vice pres canidate, what was his name? General something...

[Republic of Texas]

Please don't waste anyone's time comparing Cheney to Clinton. That will only prove your ignorance.

[ColdSteelTalon]

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

[expatpat]

That's nonsense. I didn't serve:

When I was A-1, the Vietnam war hadn't heated up yet, and by the time it did, I ws too old to be called on. Cheney's probably about my age.

[Thud]

I believe Cheney really did say that.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Not only does he look like the evil twin of Marshall Applewhite, but he's now as loony as Applewhite was.

[Eric Esot]

Cheney had better things to do, I suppose, than I did.

Cheney did not dodge the draft - To be draft eligible, one had to be within certain age parameters, not be married, and not be a full time student.

And I'm sure you knew that.

[Republic of Texas]

Given that he's been a Congressman, Sec. of Defense, CEO of Haliburton and Vice President, I'd say he DID have better things to do. Frankly, whatever he was doing, I'm glad he was doing it.

[SJackson]

This seems to be a daily topic, might be interesting to figure out what a draft dodger is.

My understanding is that Cheney benefited from a grad school deferment, then a marriage deferment. He was born in 41, I thought those were gone by the mid 60’s, but I’m probably wrong.

It may have been a lousy system, but assuming he didn’t manipulate it (fake medical condition, etc), I don’t see him as a draft dodger. He did make a rather stupid statement at one time, something along the lines of “I had better things to do”.

More important, I think this “chickenhawk” concept that only those with military experience can make the decision to go to war is ludicrous. It’s an essentially political decision, as the founders recognized in giving the power to make war to Congress. I do think military service is desirable (like to say mandatory, but that narrows the field) for a Commander in Chief.