8/17/2004 04:49:00 PM|||Joe|||I have to admit, I grudgingly support Kerry. I wanted Dean to get the nomination. Still, I think Kerry is a better choice than Bush.
I am getting annoyed by the focus on military service. I know how Bush got a pass in the Guard because of his dad. I know Kerry got all sorts of medals.
First — my father served both in the National Guard and in the Marine Corps. To be honest, I don't know much about the National Guard, but I know a bit about the history of the Marine Corps, and I'm proud that my father played a part. I'm also thankful for the experiences I had growing up which otherwise would have not been possible. In other words — the military has been a major influence on my life.
Now. Republicans are always eager to extol their candidates' military service (when they did serve, of course). Reagan, Bush (the first), etc. Clinton, of course, was a draft dodger. Right? But Gore … um … Oh! He was just a reporter. Yeah. And Kerry … heh heh.
If you don't know about the Swift Boat garbage, you haven't been paying attention. Conservatives are behaving in an exceedingly shameful manner. They should stick to relevant issues and stop tossing around lies (yes, Kerry has made his military and tax records public, assholes. No, I'm not going to tell you how to find it … use your detective skills … hint: google. second hint: where do you think the obvious place to find information about JOHN KERRY would be?).
Nevertheless, I'm going to leave that all behind here. I think Kerry was asking for it by politicizing his military service. I don't think military service is relevant to one's capacity to be the president. Think I'm nuts? Ok. I'm gonna pull out my copy of "The Oxford Essential Guide to the U.S. Government" and list the presidents who did not serve in the military:- John Adams
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
- John Quincy Adams
- Martin Van Buren
- James Polk
- Millard Fillmore
- Grover Cleveland
- William Taft
- Woodrow Wilson
- Warren Harding
- Calvin Coolidge
- Herbert Hoover
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Bill Clinton
Keep in mind I left out presidents who served in "Dragoons" and "Ohio Volunteers", any militia, etc. Also keep in mind that all presidents after Eisenhower served four years or less, except for Jimmy Carter, who served from 1947-53.
Granted, that's just 15 presidents. That leaves 28 who did serve. Most of those who did serve, though, served in various state militias. I'd list those out, but I don't want to go back through that book again. Maybe a later post.
That point is, military service has apparently not been that big of a factor in the past. Granted, Filmore and Coolidge became president because the sitting prez died. What's more interesting is that military service has apparently only really been a factor in the last half of the 20th century.
The bigger point is I don't see why military service should be a factor. Kerry should stop talking about his service and pay more attention to how he's gonna put our country back on the right track. Swift Boat should go to hell. And Bush should disavow Swift Boat and tell us how he's gonna put the country back on track.
Dammit, I wish Dean got the nomination.|||109279154432229912|||Presidents and the Military