just a reminder of who in politics actually served in the military.
-moby
subject: our leaders’ military service
democrats:
* richard gephardt: air national guard, 1965-71.
* david bonior: staff sgt., air force 1968-72.
* tom daschle: 1st lt., air force sac 1969-72.
* al gore: enlisted aug. 1969; sent to vietnam jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th engineer brigade.
* bob kerrey: lt. j.g. navy 1966-69; medal â of honor, vietnam.
* daniel inouye: army 1943-47; medal of honor, wwii.
* john kerry: lt., navy 1966-70; silver star, bronze star with combat v, purple hearts.
* charles rangel: staff sgt., army 1948-52; bronze star, korea.
* max cleland: captain, army 1965-68; silver star & bronze star, vietnam.
paraplegic from war injuries. served in congress.
* ted kennedy: army, 1951-53.* tom harkin: lt., navy, 1962-67; naval reserve, 1968-74.
* jack reed: army ranger, 1971-1979; captain, army reserve 1979-91.
* fritz hollings: army officer in wwii; bronze star and seven campaign ribbons.
* leonard boswell: lt. col., army 1956-76; vietnam, dfcs, bronze stars, and soldier’s medal.
* pete peterson: air force captain, pow. purple heart, silver star and legion of merit.
* mike thompson: staff sergeant, 173rd airborne, purple heart.
* bill mcbride: candidate for fla. governor. marine in vietnam; bronze star with combat v.
* gray davis: army captain in vietnam, bronze star.
* pete stark: air force 1955-57
* chuck robb: vietnam
* howell heflin: silver star
* george mcgovern: silver star & dfc during wwii.
* bill clinton: did not serve. student deferments. entered draft but received #311
.* jimmy carter: seven years in the navy.
* walter mondale: army 1951-1953
* john glenn: wwii and korea; six dfcs and air medal with 18 clusters.
* tom lantos: served in hungarian underground in wwii. saved by raoul wallenberg.
republicans — and these are the guys sending people to war:
* dick cheney: did not serve. several deferments, the last by marriage.
* dennis hastert: did not serve.
* tom delay: did not serve.
* roy blunt: did not serve.
* bill frist: did not serve.
* mitch mcconnell: did not serve.
* rick santorum: did not serve.
* trent lott: did not serve.
* john ashcroft: did not serve. seven deferments to teach business.
* jeb bush: did not serve.
* karl rove: did not serve.
* saxby chambliss: did not serve. “bad knee.” the man who attacked max cleland’s patriotism.
* paul wolfowitz: did not serve.
* vin weber: did not serve.
* richard perle: did not serve.
* douglas feith: did not serve.
* eliot abrams: did not serve.
* richard shelby: did not serve.
* jon kyl: did not serve.
* tim hutchison: did not serve.
* christopher cox: did not serve.
* newt gingrich: did not serve.
* don rumsfeld: served in navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
* george w. bush: failed to complete his six-year national guard; got assigned to alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for u.s. senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
* ronald reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non- combat role making movies.
* b-1 bob dornan: consciously enlisted after fighting was over in korea.
* phil gramm: did not serve.
* john mccain: vietnam pow, silver star, bronze star, legion of merit,purple heart and distinguished flying cross.
* dana rohrabacher: did not serve.
* john m. mchugh: did not serve.
* jc watts: did not serve.
* jack kemp: did not serve. “knee problem, ” although continued in nfl for 8 years as quarterback.
* dan quayle: journalism unit of the indiana national guard.
* rudy giuliani: did not serve.
* george pataki: did not serve.
* spencer abraham: did not serve.
* john engler: did not serve.
* lindsey graham: national guard lawyer.
* arnold schwarzenegger: awol from austrian army base.
right-wing pundits & preachers
* sean hannity: did not serve.
* rush limbaugh: did not serve (4-f with a ‘pilonidal cyst.’)
* bill o’reilly: did not serve.
* michael savage: did not serve.
* george will: did not serve.
* chris matthews: did not serve.
* paul gigot: did not serve.
* bill bennett: did not serve.
* pat buchanan: did not serve.
* john wayne: did not serve.
* bill kristol: did not serve.
* kenneth starr: did not serve.
* antonin scalia: did not serve.
* clarence thomas: did not serve.
* ralph reed: did not serve.
* michael medved: did not serve.
* charlie daniels: did not serve.
* ted nugent: did not serve. (he only shoots at things that don’t shoot back.)