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"This is kind of silly."

I agree, it comes off as a cheap political stunt. There's no law that prevents veterans from applying for jobs in the federal government. I've never attended a job fair on a military installation where the feds weren't represented.

blaquebyrd: I agree, it comes off as a cheap political stunt. There's no law that prevents veterans from applying for jobs in the federal government. I've never attended a job fair on a military installation where the feds weren't represented.

AFAIK, vets are still given some preference in hiring. It's been that way for a long long time.

To take this seriously, you'd have to contemplate turning away a military veteran who was willing to serve and who spoke Arabic and held an advanced degree in the history of the Middle East from a prestigious university and instead hire a soldier with no qualifications except his wounds. And many of our wounded vets have both subtle and gross brain injuries as well as needs for specialized medical care here in the States.

This is the sort of thing that sounds good until you really start to think about it.

null and void: But not every vet is any vet.

True enough. We do have a Vatican-sized embassy to fill. There may be many who could qualify for those positions. But replacing the diplomatic corps with wounded combat soldiers who have no other qualifications for the job? No, ain't gonna happen.

If BushCo fires any current diplomats, they'll hire young college graduates to replace them, particularly those who have studied Arabic and the Middle East. Arab Christians who have been in this country more than a generation would make an excellent choice, BTW.