Opaque Lucidity

I never myself served in the military, officially. I was however until the age of 6 (when he retired from active duty) an Army Brat. My dad served in WW2 (Normandy invasion, Rhineland, Ardennes Forest,) He recieved the Bronze Star with Oak Leave Clusters and a Purple Heart. In the Korean war he was nearly captured at Inchon, along with an entire division, by the Chinese, who had just then surprised everbody by showing up in the war. He served in both wars and the remaining years in the Army in a tank. He never told about his war experiances in detail, and at a young age my siblings and I all learned that it did no good to ask. The reasons I learned, not long before he died, had nothing to do with some Post Traumatic Stress whooee or physco babble, but that he considered those experiances to be very personal and something not to be advertised like badges or used as barter. He refused to join the VFW because he said that all they did was set around and drink beer and besides in the mid-seventies, he had heard that the VFW gave young Vietnam vets a hard time about joining them. During all the publicity about the 50th aniversary over D-day I asked him once why he never got himself one of those Purple Heart license plates. He looked at me like a cow watching a passing train and said "Why". He would have, by todays standards, made a poor politician.
There was a code I think that existed amongst that generation of men like my dad, that divided what they called draft dodgers into two camps. The Cassius Clay and George Hamilton varity, those who with great fan fair and idealism refuse to go on the premise that war is all bad, or that this particular war is unjust and unfair and that they are too young and their lives too valuable risk. The other camp were those who played the numbers so to speak. They saw that they had a lottery number that pretty much assured them that they were going, so they volunteered for the National Guard. If you were middle class like we were this was a tough thing to do, as suddenly, the national Guard during those years became a very popular institution. If you had connections though, you were from a rich family and or one that had some pull, the National Guard was a very viable option.
Nothing in modern politics amazes me more than the habit, that Repulicans have picked in last 15 years or so, to come out in favor of the war in vietnam 30 years after we lost it. How bout' you guys try and muddle our way out of this war you've gotten us into before preaching to us about how great your performance in Vietnam was.
You speak of Hypocrisy? Which is more hypocritical, a kid who opposes the war and refuses to go (high tail it to Canada or whatever) or a kid who supports the war and refuses to go (by usin' Dad's pull to give a nice state side appointment in the Guard?)
If the Bushy's don't put this issue to bed somehow, Kerry's gonna clobber Bush with it! Kerry so totally has the high road on this one, and for once it's the Repubs who are runnin' for cover. Enjoy yourselves...

First, please read my latest post. Second, I have yet to see hard evidence that Bush's father did anything for him. This is an assumption, presumably from people like Ted Kennedy, whose father really DID pull strings for his sons (do some research some time about why JFK ended up on a PT boat in the Pacific; he didn't start out there.)

Jerry, I honestly expect better from the Dems. It seems as if they have sunken to the level of baseless accusation; that is, if you throw enough mud, some of it will stick.

Well, your innuendo about ole Joe helping out JFK would carry much more weight if said PT boat had'nt been shot out from under alleged privilaged son, and nearly killin' him "gee,thanks Dad." If that's the best example of the Democratic machine pulling strings to help out one of its chosen few that you could come up with, I'll take my side on this argument any time.
Matt, ("may I call you Matt," he asked, with a smart ass smirk on his all knowing face) of this I'm sure, you never expect anything but the worst from the Dems. Because, your mind is made up, that whatever the Dems are going to do or say is wrong or dumb or whatever, before its actually said. And my GOD, talk about hypocracy!!! The Dems "throw enough mud, some of it will stick!" What about Whitewater, and travelgate and the rumors that First Lady Clinton was a closet lesbian and on and on? I tell you what, lets spend the same amount of money on a special, PARTISON, prosecutor for this administration that we spent on the last one. Are you really sure something would'nt be found? Politics are at a "level of baseless accusations," because your guys made it so.
The funny think about this whole flap, I think is, that since 9/11 Bushy has been passing himself off as the avenging angel of Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet and all other manner of American Iconaclast. It was Bushy who climbed into that flight suit and tom turkied around on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Now if your idea of a great president, or a great man for that matter, is a guy reaching to present himself as something his past won't let him be, you go right ahead (like that line in your favorite movie "Maverick, your mouth is writin' checks that your body can't cash". Damn I can't believe Karl Rove did'nt see that movie!) The truth is you guys were so sure that nothing like this could happen to you. Oh no, not us you thought, no one will ever think for one second that we're not the real deal.