Military Service as per the GOP
August 27th, 2008 |Democrat 2000: Al Gore didn’t do a damn thing while he was in the Army serving in Vietnam. It’s not even worth talking about.
Republican 2004: George W. Bush served his country with honor during the Vietnam War as a member of the Texas Air National Guard.
Democrat 2004: John Kerry’s Purple Heart wounds during the Vietnam War were self inflicted. His service to his country is a joke and Kerry is nothing short of a coward and a traitor.
Republican 2008: John McCain is a former POW and he can not be criticized in any way shape or form.
Any questions?
16 Responses to “Military Service as per the GOP”
nope that about sums it up…
Oh did the RNC go after McCain’s record in 2000? Might be a sub-point that if you’re not the RNC’s favored boy your military service is also worth squat.
Never mind that there is no legitimate correlation between engaging in military service and becoming a successful President…
You know, one could also point out that Democrats were very enthusiastic about the military service of Kerry and Gore, and pretty dismissive about that of both Bushes–I remember very pointed comments, for example, about how being shot down four times in a bomber proved that George Bush Sr. wasn’t worth beans as a pilot. Even Bob Dole was mocked by those such as Al Franken.
Maybe the right way of saying this is that these days, each political party mocks the military experience of the other’s candidates?
(my contribution; I personally love the picture of Al Gore pointing his M16 in a perfectly safe direction–right at his own head! Right up there with Dukakis in the tank…)
@rdanneker: how dare you!?!? oh my god, somebody ought to strip your citizenship for even mentioning military service… pfft, I mean… I am just SO outraged. John McCain is proud of his military service. It doesn’t matter that he’s a washed up shell of his former self. Nor does it matter that he is a far cry from the change we so badly need in this country. Nor does it matter that he has sold his soul to the RNC. Who do you liberals think you are?!?!
I’m totally not vouching for y’all come rapture time. Burn in hell, non-believers!
each political party mocks the military experience of the other’s candidates?
Which party official or office holder in the Democratic party is mocking the service of John McCain?
I’m not seeing anything on the convention floor this week that looks anything remotely like this:
I personally love the picture of Al Gore pointing his M16 in a perfectly safe direction–right at his own head! Right up there with Dukakis in the tank
I think this one is better:
http://bastardlogic.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/mi ssion-accomplished.jpg
or this one, as you mentioned Dukakis:
http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/L/1/bush_d ukakis.jpg
Nice try, Checkbook, but unlike Mr. Kerry, Bush did release his records, and there is no record of being AWOL. That would be called a “libel.”
And McCain? Well, remember Wesley Clark’s words about it? Or what about Kos making fun of his teeth, or others pointing out his rank in his Naval Academy class?
Sorry, fellas, it’s happening.
And Kerry and Gore? Well, fair game. Why was Kerry’s release dated in 1978, five years after he left the service? Plus, lying about going to Cambodia and such things kinda brought it back on the table when people figured out he couldn’t have been there.
And Gore? Evidently a decent military journalist who never saw combat. Which explains his clumsiness with the infantry rifle he wouldn’t have been trained on, to be fair.
(my stepdad related to me typical training for those not intended to be combatants–he was the first Navy dentist in Vietnam. More or less; hand them the 1911 pistol, show them how to load it, have then squeeze off seven shots, reload and keep it in the holster until you get back to Japan)
Sorry, fellas, it’s happening.
You and I see things differently.
All Clark said was that being a POW is not a qualification to be president. He’s not wrong.
KOS? “Others”? You are going to reach deeper than that. Show me something from the convention that matches the disgusting display by the GOP four years ago.
you’re right bubba… Bush Jr. was never AWOL. Just decided to never show up again after Fall of ‘72. (and there are big debates as to whether or not he really made up the time…)
Course not like there wasn’t an old boys network or anything in the National Guard at the time… nope. Nobody would have turned a blind eye to that sort of behavior.
Oh and the records, as such, pretty much support the fact that he just decided to stop showing up for duty.
Gotta love a leader that shows such commitment.
oh and the analysis of Bush Jr’s time is courtesy:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030411.html
And Gore?
Yea, and Gore. Enlisted in the Army knowing he would go to Vietnam. He did not pick journalism, that’s where he was put. He did not elect to serve in the Champaign unit of the Texas Air National Guard. He served his country.
Kerry? Injured while serving his country in war. End of story.
No one of any legitimacy is criticizing McCain’s service to his country. The same cannot be said of the GOP’s record.
It’s a cheap and disgusting tactic that is pretty typical of the Republican Party.
“Why was Kerry’s release dated in 1978, five years after he left the service?”
Curious on that one… was that his release or when he resigned his commission? The two are not the same.
If you don’t resign you commission you can be called up again. But not all officers go through the process.
Funny story…
My Dad actually got the call (he served as a Capt. in ‘65) a couple years ago. Had to say no, didn’t think the army really wanted a paraplegic oral surgeon in Iraq for some reason. Oh and they did offer to make him a major.
The picture of that fat cow says it all. Kerry had a privileged upbringing yet chose to go to Vietnam, was injured in combat, earned a purple heart, and also saved a man’s life. Republicans chose to rally around a president who used his privilege to join the national guard to avoid going to Viet Nam — and, after releasing his files, there’s is no evidence ever showed up for the last year. Republicans’ reaction — they mock Kerry’s accomplishments based on transparent, self-serving, and easily contradicted lies of the Swiftboaters.
Democrats have never done anything remotely similar. They’re not as base; they’re not as craven.
The pig in that picture should be an insult to vets everywhere. How could a vet vote for a party that so readily smears the legitimate honors of a true military hero? Republicans are disgusting.
Oh, by the way, any truth to the rumor I heard John Cain is a POW?
remember Wesley Clark’s words about it?
Smithers already pointed out that this is bogus but I’d like to highlight your lack of simple listening skills on your part regarding Clark’s words. This serves to show either your wilful ignorance of the facts (i.e., what was actually said and the context) or your naive willingness to swallow the pill fed to you by our “media” on tee-vee (which, ironically, you have labeled a sham in previous posts).
Is it both? Probably.
As long as the Repulican Party continues to support a Pro-Life iniative and hold their bible’s high Lemmings will support them, their negative message of Fear and Hate, and slander.