The AP:
Most '08 candidates lack military record
'Second-tier' candidates more likely to have spent time in uniform
April 9, 2007
WASHINGTON - The 2008 presidential campaign is long on war rhetoric and short on warriors.
Despite the high-profile roles of the battle against terrorism and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the presidential campaign, few of the candidates can claim military experience on their resumes.
It's pretty obvious that unlike several past elections, the specter of Vietnam doesn't drape itself over this one. This April article by the AP is really all I've seen written about it. And the reasons are pretty obvious: on the Dems side, the two front-runners were ineligible for the draft. On the Repubs side, McCain's now oft-repeated Vietnam experience isn't doing a heck of a lot for him. And candidates on both sides have warts on them when it comes to the D-word (Deferments)
But there's more to it than that. I think there is a realization, more than ever, that we've got be more forward thinking than "Who Served?:" "Who Dodged?" It's cumalative life experiences that matter more than just any one aspect of a candidate's life.
Also, as to the question of military service in general, that will remain a hot button for years to come undoubtedly, but again, it's hardly a signature of how well a candidate's going to do when in office. Ronald Reagan and Clinton were never in the military. (Well Reagan might have thought he was in the military, but...) And they both coasted to second terms.
On the other hand, Carter and G.H.W Bush had extensive WWII service under their belts, and...well, you know. It can't just be about "What did you do in the war, daddy?"
Don't get me wrong, It's good to have veterans in public office. And there's nothing wrong with running a la Tammy Duckworth as an Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran. Just make sure that that's not the sole reason you're voting for someone. Obviously, Iraq is the main focus of 2008, but you don't need to have been in the Army to have common sense on the subject.
What follows now is a bipartisan list of everybody who's running (and thinking of running) right now and their military background or lack thereof. (And some of the teases as well). Keep it handy! Who knows when you might need to refer to for some future argument with some wingnut who wants to bring up the issue. A few things though to keep in mind:
- If there's any information here that you believe to be inaccurate in any way, let me know! (Yeah, like Kossacks are shy, retiring types who don't like to correct others...) I don't claim to be any sort of Washington insider, although I am pretty good at history.
- As I said, one's military service is not a barometer of how they would do as a president, but information like this is useful in pointing out Republican hypocrisy. In this campaign, each side has some black marks during the 60s. It is insightful to match a candidates' views on Iraq and Afghanistan compared to how they conducted themselves during the draft days. And since it's the Repubs who are always using "the troops" as a crutch, they get to be held to a higher standard.
- Don't think for a minute that I favor military conscription of any kind because I don't. Clinton bailed out of Vietnam and good for him. Good for anyone who rightfully avoided that hellhole. It doesn't make you a coward, it makes you smart. But again, we look at actions then and words now. Would Candidate X keep troops in a meaningless war/occupation with no end in sight? What did he do when it was his turn to fight for his country?
- The date you see after the candidates' name is the date they turned 18, and would have been eligible for military service.
OK here goes.
DEMOCRATS:
Joe Biden (1960) - No service. Deferements. Was in college and law school through most of Vietnam. U of Delaware and Syracuse Law School.
Opposes Iraq war, favors breaking the country up.
John Edwards (1971) - Draft number was never called. Callups were beginning to wind down at this point.
Christopher Dodd (1962) - Dodd attended Providence College, graduating in 1966, then served in the Peace Corps until 1968. After that he got into the US Army Reserve where he served the standard six years until 1975.
Hmmm...got into the Reserves in ’68?? And Daddy was a Senator too. Doesn’t look good on the record, but he can’t be hammered for it by Repubs: at least he served his entire obligation
Barack Obama (1979)- Way too young for the 'Nam. No military service
Bill Richardson (1965)-- Ouch. Three deferments. One for high school, one for college (Tufts University), and a medical (a deviated septum). Almost got one for grad school but when he was at Tufts’ Law School, they cancelled that exemption. Doesn’t look good, but he still doesn’t have as many D's as Dick "Other Priorities" Cheney. (You can read more on Bill Richardson in this illuminating story here)
Dennis Kucinich (1964)- Medical Deferment. But love him or Ugh him, Kucinich has been vociferously anti-war and probably would have burned his draft card regardless.
Mike Gravel (1948)(!!)-- Forget Vietnam; being born a few years earlier would have gotten him into The Big One. Obviously, he was too old by the time Vietnam came around, but that doesn’t mean he had no involvement in it. Far from it:
In 1971 Gravel played a key role in the release of the Pentagon Papers — a large collection of secret government documents pertaining to the Vietnam War — which were made public by former Defense Department analyst Daniel Ellsberg.
Also in 1971, Gravel embarked on a one-man filibuster against legislation renewing the military draft. Using various parliamentary maneuvers, Gravel was able to block the bill for five months before President Richard Nixon and Senate Republicans agreed to allow the draft to expire in 1973
.
Clinton(1965) - Not eligible for draft. But don't let anybody tell you she hasn't been in some wars.
(UPDATE): Per comments, I guess I should have included Al Gore and Wesley Clark, although the prospects for entry by either (to me anyway) seem
colder each day.
Al Gore - served in Vietnam as a journalist for five months.
Gen. Wes Clark - Well, duh.
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.
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REPBUBBAKINS:
Sam Brownback (1974) - Too Young. No Military Service.
Mike Huckabee (1973) - Too Young. No Military Service.
So. The two so-called only "real conservatives" never did time in the military? Not even in peacetime, huh?
Jim Gilmore – Army; served in CounterIntelligence in West Germany from (1971-1974)
Duncan Hunter – Army; served in Vietnam in Airborne and as a Ranger! I gotta give props where they're due. Hunter's a total badass.
Note: his son is in the Marines and served in the initial Iraq deployment in 2003. So he's one of the few congressman (along with Biden) to have "skin in the game" as they say, when it comes to Iraq.
John McCain – Navy. If you don’t know the details by now...
Ron Paul – Air Force. Served as a surgeon in active duty from 1963-1965, went to Air National Guard from 1965-1968 (This was news to me)
Rudy Giuliani (1962)-- No Military Service.
Student deferments (Manhattan College 1965; NYU Law School 1968).
More from Firedoglake.com:
Upon graduation from the latter in 1968, he was classified as "1-A", available for military service. He applied for a deferment but was rejected. In 1969, the judge who he was clerking for wrote a letter to Giuliani's draft board, asking that he be reclassified as 2-A, civilian occupation deferment, because Giuliani, who was a law clerk for MacMahon, was an essential employee. The deferment was granted. In 1970, Giuliani received a high draft lottery number; he was not called up for service although by then he had been reclassified 1-A.
Law clerks are essential employees?? Must be...where else would Rudy have have been forged in fire and blood? Where else would he have gained the leadership skills to lead the nation during 9/11??
Mitt Romney (1965)-- No military service. Shitload of deferments. Went to Stanford just long enough to grab a cuppa coffee, then served as a missionary in France for 2 ½ years. (note: this is a typical duty for young Mormon men regardless of the era.) Then he went to Brigham Young University, and then got his Law and MBA degrees from Harvard. Also worth mentioning: he’s the son of George Romney, who was Governor of Michigan during those frantic mass-callups of Vietnam (1963-1969) and was HUD secretary in the Nixon White House from 1969-1973. Not saying he pulled any strings, but you have to imagine it wouldn’t have been that hard for him to do so.
Tom Tancredo (1963)-- School and Medical Deferments. But let's dig a little deeper here on that...
Historians should note that when his student deferments ran out at Northern Colorado University during the Vietnam War, Tancredo informed his Selective Service Board (the Draft) that he was mentally ill and suffered anxiety attacks. Either that was a lie or he is a dangerous mentally ill congressman. Take your pick.
If you clicked on the link, your eyes did not deceive you. That comes from
Townhall.com. Yes, that Townhall.com
Tommy Thompson (1959) – No military service. Was in college and then law school until ’66. Ran for, and a won a seat in the Wisconsin State Assembly that same year. The end.
And let’s not leave our three Repub undecideds out of the fun:
Chuck Hagel – Decorated Vietnam Vet. Story becoming as well known as McCain's.
Newt Gingrich (1961) – No military service. Received a BA from Emory and an MA and a PhD from Tulane, all of which – darn the luck! – kept him trapped in school throughout the entire decade.
Fred Thompson (1960) – No military service. Like the other Thompson, spent much of the sixties in college and law school. Went to work as a US attorney straight afterwards in ’67.
So there you have it: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Once again, Repubs get held to a higher standard since they're the side that "supports the troops" and the rest of us are Al-Keidis sympathizers.