'Chickenhawk'

Boston Globe ^ | July 23, 2006 | Jeff Jacoby

[LjubivojeRadosavljevic]

["FDR and Lincoln never served in the military. I don't think James K. Polk had military credentials...."]

Hold on here. The job of a President of the United States is to MOTIVATE people - particularly those individuals in the US Congress. That is what's makes successful President.

[Marius3188]

Heh. Don't consider it a pet peeve of yours. I used the incorrect word and you are correct, thanks for the assistance.

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

Are you eligible for the National Guard or Reserves?

You do understand that a great power, in order to sustain itself, in addition to fielding a superior military, must also maintain a thriving economy. Yes?

Also, it might comfort you to check up on the latest recruiting and reenlistment numbers.

Or you can continue to sanctimoniously demand that everybody run on down to the recruiting office.

And while we're at it, why don't you tell us all about your service?

[EQAndyBuzz]

"And, on the other hand, Jimmy Carter served in the military and gave us the mullahs in Iran."

And we cannot forget the lovable Bill Clinton who dodged the draft and ran with his tail between his legs to study in Moscow.

[EQAndyBuzz]

If only those that serve deserve to be President, then only those who serve deserve to vote.

Maybe the RATS can argue that point.

[Irishguy]

exactly. here is a classic example of people who dont understand democracy. they are talking about only expressing your opinion in a military dictatorship...as i recall they dont tend to work very well...

[AdvisorB]

Yes, and maybe it could be incorporated into the "Barf Alert" somehow.

[AdvisorB]

My point was that these POTUS' served their country admirably as Commander-in-Chief, so maybe a "chickenhawk" that the left mindlessly chortle every chance they get, is not such a bad thing afterall.

BTW, Marius3188 reminded me that Lincoln did indeed serve in the Blackhawk War as a member of the militia. Polk was in the state militia. He was elected Captain (I guess the grunts had secret ballots back then) and then was promoted to colonel. So the leftist weasals couldn't slur them about being "chickenhawks."

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

IIRC, Lincoln was the captain of a local militia unit during the Blackhawk wars, circa 1845.

[Gone GF]

"I'd guess you never served."

Well, no, and neither have a whole lot of other people, including most of the civlian folks "running" this war. But that doesn't make a differnce, does it?

Are you saying that if you served you can magically divine the collective opinion of the servicemen and women over there and if you haven't served you can't?

I assume from your reply that you have nothing other than your "feelings" on this?

[MortMan]

Did I miss the part where Jeff Jacoby explains how with his nation at war he is too important or to valuable at home to serve?

One does not necessarily wear a uniform when serving one's country. Mr. Jacoby's where he needs to be.

[MortMan]

No one that never served deserves honor or respect for placing their personal safety at risk for their country.

If we are ALL soldiers, then who are we fighting for?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Did I miss the part where Jeff Jacoby explains how with his nation at war he is too important or to valuable at home to serve?

Give it a rest.

[rdb3]

IMO, the self-described "paleocons" are part of the pantywaist/traitor problem.

I agree with you.

[Our man in washington]

And do you think Jeff Jacoby would win a Medal of Honor?

The list of writers who have excelled at military service is pretty paltry. I'm not sure most writers are cut out for it. Kurt Vonnegut and James Michener both served honorably in World War II. If they received any special awards, however, none of their biographies mention it.

I do playwrighting as a hobby. I was talking with my playwrighting teacher. We both have some military experience. One thing we had in common was that neither of us could march. At all. In general, writers just aren't good at clearing their mind and focusing on the physical task at hand.

This skill of singular focus on a physical task is pretty important in many aspects of the military, and usually not an area where writers excel. Let me use myself as an example. While I'm not in the same league as Michener or Hemmingway, I do think I have the mind of a writer.

I was one of the two worst sailors in my unit at boot camp. I've had success in many areas of life, and I gave it my all at boot camp. And yet, marching and firefighting and perfect towel folding just never came easy to me. (On the other hand, when I came home and gave a presentation on boot camp to sailors who hadn't yet gone, a number of people told me it was the best presentation on the subject they had ever seen.)

While I have gotten a great deal from my military experience, I am not convinced that I would be a great sailor to have around in a combat situation.

I'm not saying writers are better than servicemen and women. Their skills are both needed, but tend to be very different.

Anyway, Jacoby is a very good writer. Why should he spend his time being a mediocre member of the military? Does society benefit by that trade?

[Rembrandt]

"I assume from your reply that you have nothing other than your "feelings" on this?"

Just don't understand, do you? Those who served, especially in a combat zone, give much more than their time, they give a portion of their soul and when people such as yourself begin casting pebbles, rocks, etc. toward their cohorts now serving, we all get sort of testy and begin to inquire about those who clearly didn't go thru the experience.

As to the people running the war, GWB served and volunteered to go to VN. Rumsfeld, like GWB, was a pilot, though earlier. When you say "those running the war," I presume you're attempting to castigate the two of them - it doesn't wash, you probably don't either.