Sunday, June 22, 2008

Not So Young Frankenstein

Easily the hottest discussions going on now among political junkies are handicapping the VP selection process for the two candidates. Who’s it gonna be?

Well, this one had me flashing back on Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder in white tie:

Puttin' On the Ritz

No, I’ll admit that it isn’t the text of the story. It is the pictures that are included. If that isn’t the puny brain demonstrating the gentle giant of his choosing in an attempt to glean public support I can’t guess what might be better. The Lex Luther pose and the flaunting of the boots is almost too over-the-top even for today’s audience.

What really astonishes me is the regularity with which the anti-war, anti-military party of the American left regularly pulls out a flag to wrap themselves in and a saber to rattle. Whether it was Mike Dukakis peeking like a whack-a-mole target out the hatch of an M-1 Abrams or the pathetic attempt to re-brand John Kerry from pacifist self-confessed war criminal and traitor to combat hero, the Democrats seem more eager to appeal to our patriotism than arguably more qualified veterans.

It isn’t difficult to find warriors from both principal parties in our past. Washington, Lincoln, Jackson, Grant, T. Roosevelt, Kennedy, Bush 41 and many others qualify. The drums called and they answered without question. It also isn’t a pre-requisite for public office to have served. Make no mistake about it. Minimal service or no service at all doesn’t keep someone from being a transcendent national leader. Wilson, FDR, Jefferson, Madison, Reagan, even Clinton, could be cited.

The issue is the grasp for military credibility when that clearly is not your ideological bent. When Hillary Clinton campaigned aggressively on her qualification on “Day One” to be Commander-in-Chief, was it possible to take it seriously? If your every action, your every policy pronouncement, your total background offers evidence of loathing of both the military and war as a last resort of foreign policy then it is hypocritical to try to “balance” the ticket by a grasp at war-fighting credibility.

That’s this warrior’s opinion.

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