Oliver writes:
One of the questions I hear from the other side (here, here, and here) is “how do Democrats equate their support for Kerry’s military service with Clinton’s protesting against the war”?
One of the heres in the above quote was this site, and I would like to just note that I have never asked such a question. I may have been curious how Oliver and others attack President Bush’s completed service in the National Guard while never batting an eye at Clinton’s avoidance of service, but I already know the answer to that-
You are partisan hypocrites.
Other than that, the rest of Oliver’s answer demonstrates some of the damage done when faulty references to Vietnam are made regarding every foreign conflict in which the United States is involved. Oliver writes:
President Bush and Vice President Cheney, on the other hand, both got out of serving (in Bush’s case, without honors or distinction or even a complete record). Yet, they still embrace the right-wing philosophy that Vietnam was the right thing to do (at least publicly, I bet the sentiment is different behind closed doors). As such, their philosophy of war contains none of the lessons learned from Vietnam and other conflicts, their ivory tower perspective is that the soldiers are grunts to be used at their whim. They don’t have a problem with throwing our troops into the fire because they never served (unlike Kerry) and refuse to point out the obvious futility of the Vietnam era (unlike Clinton and Kerry).
Besides his utter inability to stop lying about Bush’s miitary service and the projection about what they really think behind closed doors, this is amusing for several reasons. I guess that all I have to say right now, so that I don’t get too nasty and start questioning Oliver’s credentials on military history, military deployment, and military strategy and tactics, as well as his personal service in the military, is to point out that Dick Cheney has been serving the country honorably on and off since 1974, served as Defense Secretary, and might just have a little more in his pockets than a ‘right wing philosophy’ with which to make his decisions.
I would say he is at least as qualified and knowledgeable as a 20-something behind a computer in Boston, and it probably isn’t based on rigid ideology. The same can not be said about Oliver.
PTBarnumWasRight
“may have been curious how Oliver and others attack President Bush’s completed service in the National Guard while never batting an eye at Clinton’s avoidance of service, but I already know the answer to that-
You are partisan hypocrites.”
Wrong answer.
1. Clinton didn’t want to go, avoided, going, and never claimed he did want to go.
2. GWB got the congressman’s kid dodge, managed to screw even that up, and struts his package around, pretending he was once a real soldier.
So which one is hypocritical?
and how are Oliver and I hypocritical for noticing which one is the hypocrite?
(I also seem to recall the right making a lot of hay about a letter Clinton wrote at the time–one I believe would show he wasn’t hypocritical)
(thanks for your detailed point-by-point rebuttal when I shredded one of your previous points…oh wait, you couldn’t, could you?)
John Cole
IS there a reason you post everything 6 times?
John Cole
And, btw, Clinton, to this day, denies that he avoided service. Try again.
Terry
As noted here in the past, why pay any attention to what Oliver writes/thinks/bloviates? His thoughts typically have all the gravitas of the hole in a donut.
Oliver
I don’t know what my military service has to do with it, but I never have claimed to have such service or experience. I do know that there’s been a concerted effort by the right to skew history into believing that Vietnam was winnable were we to just “stay longer”. As far as Cheney’s “service” as defense secretary — its obvious from his usage of fradulent intel that he learned nothing. Perhaps if he had served he would think twice about sending our soldiers into harms way based on fantasy.
John Cole
Wow, another breathlessly arrogant response.
Why am I not surprised?
I question your military service, because it appears to me that the deployment of military soldiers in combat and removing soldiers frm cobat are merely different sides of the same coing. With the new kerry/Chickenhawk standard espoused by the leaders of your party, you are qualified to speak on neither issue.
You do understand that as a veteran, my opnions are far more important and accurate than yours, regardless of how much you adhere to the DNC party line on issues?
Ricky
As another one of the “here’s” in the post, I immediately asked OW where he’d seen such a self-serving question.
I’m still waiting.
That sort of “gee, let me make up something so that it takes on a different connotation & that way I can argue against it, instead of the truth” is the sort of strawman that led him to tell me that Clinton’s major flaw was his darn sex drive, while Juanita Broadderick was a liar because she wanted to cover up her marital infidelities.
My only explanation is that sometime’s there’s too much sugar in the kool-aid.
.
ape
jesus –
clinton didnt say anything whatsoever to bring about a war and then have an aircraft carrier turn around so he could pose in an army man costume.
nor did he go AWOL.
ape
jesus –
clinton didnt say anything whatsoever to bring about a war and then have an aircraft carrier turn around so he could pose in an army man costume.
nor did he go AWOL.
Slartibartfast
That contained so many dimensions of incorrectness that I can’t begin to visualize it.
Ricky
Slart,
I’ve learned that there are a lot of people who are jealous of Monica.
That’s the only way to explain some of it.
Ricky
BTW, I hope no one reminds Oliver that ’08 nominee Hillary “pro Iraq war” Clinton said that she wanted to sign up for Vietnam.
That could be a dangerous situation that could cause many more selected archives to “disappear”.
Slartibartfast
I just now noticed the horrible spelling error in the post title. Should be “Resurrecting”. Just FYI, John.