The next soldier President?
President Barack Obama is the latest in a line 0f Commanders-in-Chief stretching back to 1993 who never served in the U.S. military during an armed conflict.
That means a new crop of Americans are about to reach voting age without ever seeing a service-member in the White House.
(George W. Bush was a reservist in the Texas Air National Guard; but he avoided fighting in Vietnam.)
But on this Memorial Day, I wonder if Obama may also be the last non-vet President for a while.
Assuming he serves two terms, Obama will leave office in 2016. By that time, a generation of Iraq-and-Afghanistan-era service-members will have come of age politically.
Service has always been a big plus for American presidential candidates. It's not difficult to imagine both parties searching their ranks for Vet standard-bearers.
Already, a first generation of soldiers from our latest wars have been elected to the House of Representatives -- Patrick Murphy, Joe Sestak, Tim Walz, and Chris Carney won office in the Democratic landslide of 2006.
And last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that no fewer than seventeen Iraq vets were running for Congress as Republicans.
If this trend continues -- if these wars continue -- we could reverse or at least moderate a shift toward leadership by non-service members that dates back to the end of the Vietnam War.
(It's worth noting that no Vietnam vet ever managed to reach the White House. John Kerry and John McCain came closest...)
What would that mean for American politics? For our foreign policy?
How would George Bush, Dick Cheney, Barack Obama and Joe Biden view our current entanglements had they faced hostile fire?
posted by Brian Mann @ 5/25/2009 09:21:00 AM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Technically, Brian, George Bush is a "Vietnam vet," defined as someone who served during the Vietnam conflict (in country from Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975; or in any duty location between Aug. 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975).
Also, whaty's with the "assuming he serves two terms" reference to President Obama. I, for one, make no such assumption.
My assumption about Obama's two terms was for sake of argument.
Obviously, it's possible that he'll be a one-term president.
Regarding Mr. Bush's service, I find it impossible to regard someone who worked so diligently to avoid serving our country in Vietnam as a Vietnam vet, for technical reasons or otherwise.
Mr. Bush may have many virtues. The facts of the matter make it plain that his military record isn't one of them.
-Brian
I believe that it may take more than two terms for President Obama to right this ship.
I believe that it may take more than two terms for President Obama to right this ship.
You say, "I find it impossible to regard someone who worked so diligently to avoid serving our country in Vietnam as a Vietnam vet, for technical reasons or otherwise."
Someone, say, like Darrel Aubertine, who found a draft-avoiding loophole unavaialbel to most of us, e.g., becoming a "farmer" at age 17?
At least, W put on a uniform and stood, if not in harm's way, in the potential line of fire.
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