Dean's Draft Record

Well considering that the current President joined the National Guard to get out of Vietnam it should not be a problem. Bush Jr is surrounded by people who worked for his Dad so actually I feel he is just a puppet.

Welcome the asylum carlvjack.

carlvjack- Welcome to A2K!

Whether it is Howard Dean or anybody else, I think that people need to understand what was going on during the Vietnam War. In the first place, the armed forces were not volunteer at that time. The war was immensely unpopular, and young people had taken to the streets in droves to protest it. Many young people went as far as moving to Canada to avoid the draft.

Amongst college students, just about every possible ploy was used to avoid joining the armed forces. Younger people on this site, not having gone through these times, probably have only an inkling of the enormity of ill feelings that people had about this war.

I think that since Dean appears to be the strong Democratic front runner, people who oppose him, in both parties, will do anything to make him appear in a bad light.



Personally, I don't think that a stint in the service should be a prerequisite for the Presidency, but I think that the experience would give a president some valuable insight if he is preparing to go to war.


It would be very interesting to find out which of the presidents served in the armed forces. Anybody have a link to that information?

P.S. Curiosity got the best of me. I found this:

Washington- General
Madison- Colonel
Monroe- Lt Colonel
Jackson- Major General
W.H. Harrison- Major General
Tyler- Captain
Polk- Colonel
Taylor- Major General
Fillimore- Major
Pierce- Brigadier General
Buchanan- No Official Rank
Lincoln- Captain
A. Johnson- Brigadier General
Grant- Full General
Hayes- Major General
Garfield- Major General
Arthur- Quartermaster General
B. Harrison- Brigadier General
McKinley- Brevet Major
T. Roosevelt- Colonel
Truman- Colonel
Eisenhower- 5 Star General
Kennedy - Lieutenant
LB Johnson-Lt. Commander
Nixon- Lt. Commander
Ford- Lt. Commander
Carter- Lieutenant
Reagan- Captain
G. Bush- Junior Lieutenant
G.W. Bush Lieutenant

http://www.americanpresidents.org/

Re: Dean's Draft Record


Nope



Depending on the job they actually have in the military it COULD teach them a lot. For most people though a single tour gives them just a touch of insight on how things work on the political end of the spectrum.

But for most of them, it is one of the few occassions where they'd be at the bottom end of the policy/power game. No one appreciates the problems inherent in government more than the people at the lowest end of the stick and for all the complaints about the military one thing it still does very well is act as the great equealizer. Whether you come from the harshest inner-city ghetto or some posh villa you still get treated just like the guy(gal) standing next to ya (like crap! ).

I doubt Dean's draft record will be really played out by the opposition.

However, it seems that Dean has captured 'something.' It's almost as if he's become a Rorschach test: ie, people see in him what they wish actually existed. Originally, I thought he was a fad and would have surely gone away by now. More's the pity. He reminds me of Clinton in his seeming lack of any 'there' there...like Clinton, he can put on a good show of having beliefs, but, then he turns around and provides the same show for a group with completely different beliefs from the first. However, Clinton was a master at this. Dean could be as well, but, I do believe that Bush will be re-elected.

Please don't mistake that last sentence for my wish...simply with reference to our judiciary, I do not want Bush to be re-elected!

I have lived in both worlds - Sailor in US Navy/antiwar protestor. I don't believe it is the military experience/lack of military experience, but the man that makes the difference. Had I been in Clinton's shoes back then I would have done nothing different as regards Vietnam service.

edgarblythe, nor would I; sorry I dragged Clinton in, but it wasn't for the purpose of criticizing his lack of military service!

I understand. I also did not vote for Clinton when he ran against Dole, but instead voted Nader.

me, too!

Edgar
Edgar, me also, but not until late in the evening in California when I was sure The Dems had enough votes to beat the Repugs. I think most Greens voted later in the day after the trends were clear.

BBB: :wink:

BBB
Here in Texas it is a given that the Republicans will almost always win these days. That frees me to vote my conscience.

Phoenix -- Interesting list. But does this mean that all of them actually went to war, in a combat situation?

Medical exemption is medical exemption. So long as no special influence were used to get it, it is a nonissue.

shoesharper- Don't know. You might want to go to the link, and check out the individual presidents.

see this is why we need wesley clark or at the very least, kerry.
clinton was the only president without military experience to be elected since FDR. the odds are against dean.

Yes, I did. Don't have the time now to check each individually, maybe later when I have more time. I do notice, however, that until you get to Lincoln the names are not among our greatest presidents. So I have to wonder again if military service makes a man (or woman) more qualified to be president.

Just generally speaking without evidence, I offer the opine that military experience is neither postive not negative as a political asset. There might very well be some military assignments that could imrove ones political/leadership skills but I would verture to say that, on the whole, it's not an advantage. The disadvantage I would likely expect is that a military career does not indicate "group" thinking/compromise necessary in the give and take of socio/political dialogue. Absolute authority to "win the war" is not a democratic process.