Sunday, August 24, 2008
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OBAMA-BIDEN: FIRST TIME IN 68 YEARS A TICKET WITH NO MILITARY EXPERIENCE
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Posted by:
Michael Medved at
2:18 AM
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THE OBAMA-BIDEN TICKET IS THE FIRST TICKET OF EITHER MAJOR PARTY IN SIXTY-EIGHT YEARS IN WHICH NEITHER THE CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT EVER SERVED IN THE MILITARY!
At a time of war, the Democrats give us something the nation hasn't seen in more than two generations: a ticket where neither of the the running mates ever wore a uniform of any kind.
Shouldn't Republicans make a big deal of this?
Consider the history--
2004 -- GOP -- Bush served in National Guard/ DEMS- Kerry served in the Navy
2000---GOP -- Bush served in National Guard/ Al Gore served in the Army
1996 ---GOP -- Dole served in the Army/ Gore (Clinton's running mate) served in the Army
1992--- GOP -- Bush Sr. served in the Navy/ Gore served in the Army
1988 -- GOP-- Bush Sr. served in Navy, Quayle served in National Guard/DEMS --Dukakis served in the Army and Bentsen served in the Army Air Corps
1984-- GOP -- Reagan, Army Reserves and active duty (Capt. Rank), Bush Sr. served in Navy/Mondale served in Army
1980--GOP -- Reagan, Army, Bush Sr. served in Navy/Carter served as Naval Officer, Mondale in Army
1976--GOP --Ford servd in Navy, Dole in Army/ Carter, Navy, Mondale Army
1972--GOP -- Nixon served in Navy, and Spiro Agnew in Army/ McGovern, Army Air Corps
1968-- GOP-- Nixon, Navy, Agnew Army/DEMS-- Ed Muskie, Navy (Humphrey twied twice to enlist, turned down because of Hernia)
1964 -- GOP -- Goldwater, Major General in Air Force/ LBJ -- Navy
1960 -- GOP -- Nixon, Navy, H.C. Lodge - Lt. Col in Army/ JFK and LBJ both Naval officers
1956-- GOP--- Eisenhower (are you kidding?), and Nixon, Navy/DEMS --Stevesnon, Navy
1952-- GOP -- Eisenhower (five star general) and Nixon, NAvy/ Dems, Stevenson, Navy
1948-- GOP -- Earl Warren (Dewey's running mate). Army/ DEMS, Harry Truman, Army
1944--GOP -- John Bricker (Dewey's Running mate), Army Lt./ Harry Truman (FDR's running mate), Army artillery officer
finally, you have to go all the way back to 1940 to find a ticket with no military experience: FDR and the pro-Stalin Henry Wallace (though FDR had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy during WW I). His opponent, Wendell Wilkie, by the way, served in the army in WWI.
In other words, in the last 68 years of American history we've had 32 tickets representing the two major parties. Every single one of those tickets featured at least one candidate -- often both of them -- with military experience. Obviously, the GOP ticket for 2008 will again feature a heroic veteran in one of its slots.
But the Democrats, at a time of war, offer us a modern first: a national ticket with two candidates who never served a day in uniform in any capacity.
And why didn't Joe Biden serve? He's a year younger than Dick Cheney, so even more subject to the Vietnam draft. Remember how Democrats reamed Cheney for his "five deferments" during the height of the war as he pursued his education.
So what about Biden? He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, just as the war began to escalate intensively and he would have been exposed to the draft. Instead, he attended law school (at Syracuse University) graduating in 1968-- the very height of the war and the Vietnam draft.
And why didn't Biden go to war -- instead beginning the practice of law and his political career?
If he were a Republican, the press would be all over this one... remember what they did to Dan Quayle because he served "only" in the National Guard.
Meanwhile, whatever Biden's story of draft avoidance (I've told my own tale in that regard, very candidly, in RIGHT TURNS), you know that if he were running on a GOP ticket the press would be grilling him already on his lack of service.
The sad fact remains that for the first time in 68 years we see a national ticket for a major party where neither the Presidential nominee nor the Vice Presidential nominee spent time in military service of any kind.
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