JohnRich 4 #1 May 11, 2010 President Obama. In fact, only 12 percent of the President's team were ever in the armed forces. Only one member of Obama's Cabinet was in the military: Army Gen. Eric Shinseki, the VA secretary. Thank you for your service to our country. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captain1976 0 #2 May 11, 2010 QuotePresident Obama. In fact, only 12 percent of the President's team were ever in the armed forces. Only one member of Obama's Cabinet was in the military: Army Gen. Eric Shinseki, the VA secretary. Thank you for your service to our country. Yes, but only one comes to mind that took steps to stay out "Clinton"You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,635 #3 May 11, 2010 Dick "I had better things to do" Cheney John Ashcroft Glenn Beck Bill O'Reilly Rush Limbaugh Sarah Palin... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 May 11, 2010 Jesus. I win.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #5 May 11, 2010 QuotePresident Obama. In fact, only 12 percent of the President's team were ever in the armed forces. Only one member of Obama's Cabinet was in the military: Army Gen. Eric Shinseki, the VA secretary. Thank you for your service to our country. Given their ages - tending to be between Vietnam and the very short first Gulf War, how many of them would you have expected to serve? And let's not forget the huge elephant in the room - aside from McCain, how many GOP in the current generations of legislators served? When you had draft dodgers Bush and Chaney on the ticket against actual veterans Gore and (decorated) Kerry, suddenly the argument had to be that their service wasn't good enough! And yet somehow that was still no better that going AWOL from the State Guard. In another 15 years, there will be a new crop of experienced politicians with Gulf II/Afghanistan experience on their record. However, there won't be a lot of them, primarily because the armed forces now is a far tinier body than it was when the draft was in effect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyguy78 0 #6 May 11, 2010 One thing i think politicians on all sides forget is that when they are in a public office, they are serving in that regard. And that means you put the good over the people and whats best for the whole above ones self any and all times. I think this has been forgotten by a lot of people.There is a fine line between being a hopeless romantic and a stalker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #7 May 11, 2010 One of THE most scary thing that has come from this series of Threads .. is that people consider Politicians to be Celebrities [Shudder]. And actually even worse than that is the a lot of them consider themselves to be Celebs too. No wonder that our countries are in the sorry state that they are in, when the folks that we elect to run them for us are (more often than not) self serving, attention seeking media whores .. If this trend does not stop soon - we're well and truly Royal Fucked (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #8 May 11, 2010 Quote Dick "I had better things to do" Cheney Yeah, like perfecting heart-attacks...So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #9 May 11, 2010 Quote Quote Dick "I had better things to do" Cheney Yeah, like perfecting heart-attacks... Cheney received a whopping FIVE deferments, all of which were because he was in college and/or married. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/01/politics/campaign/01CHEN.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,132 #10 May 11, 2010 QuoteYeah, like perfecting heart-attacks...He was 37 at the time of his first heart attack. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #11 May 11, 2010 Quote Quote Quote Dick "I had better things to do" Cheney Yeah, like perfecting heart-attacks... Cheney received a whopping FIVE deferments, all of which were because he was in college and/or married. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/01/politics/campaign/01CHEN.html Yep...read the second page of the article and it gives a rather conclusive time-line. Convenient for sure.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #12 May 11, 2010 QuoteQuoteYeah, like perfecting heart-attacks...He was 37 at the time of his first heart attack. Wendy P. jeez...I know that...it was tongue-in-cheek....So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #13 May 11, 2010 Representative Patrick McHenry, R-NC - did not serve. Saw fit to endanger American troops' lives after a visit to Iraq by violating operational security and helping militias target their mortar attacks on the Green Zone. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not serve (1) Senate Assistant Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-MI - avoided the draft, did not serve. Senate Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl, R-AZ - did not serve. Senate Republican Conference Vice Chair John Cornyn, R-TX - did not serve. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair John Ensign, R-NV - did not serve. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-OH - did not serve. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-MO - did not serve. House Republican Conerence Chair Adam Putnam, R-FL - did not serve. House Republican Policy Committee Thaddeus McCotter, R-MI - did not serve. National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-OK - did not serve. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani - did not serve. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney - did not serve in the military but did serve the Mormon Church on a 30-month mission to France. Former Senator Fred Thompson - did not serve. Senator John McCain - McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. Why did the Bush campaign smear him so in 2000? At least Senators Cleland (D-GA), Kerry (D-MA), Kerrey (D-NE), Robb (D-VA) and Hagel (R-NE) defended him. Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - avoided the draft, did not serve. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - avoided the draft, did not serve. Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - avoided the draft, did not serve (1). "So many minority youths had volunteered ... that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself." Former House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve. (An impressive medical resume, but not such a friend to cats in Boston.) Rick Santorum, R-PA, formerly third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve. (1) George Felix Allen, former Republican Senator from Virginia - a supporter of Nixon and the Vietnam war, did not serve. (1) GW Bush - decided that a six-year Nat'l Guard commitment really means four years. Still says that he's "been to war." Huh? VP Cheney - several deferments (1, 2), the last by marriage (in his own words, "had other priorities than military service") (1) Former Att'y Gen. John Ashcroft - did not serve (1, 2); received seven deferment to teach business ed at SW Missouri State Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve. (1) Karl Rove - avoided the draft, did not serve (1), too busy being a Republican. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich - avoided the draft, did not serve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,635 #14 May 11, 2010 QuoteQuoteQuoteYeah, like perfecting heart-attacks...He was 37 at the time of his first heart attack. Wendy P. jeez...I know that...it was tongue-in-cheek.... Given his tendency to shoot his friends, probably best that he did get those deferments.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #15 May 11, 2010 Quote Quote Quote Quote Yeah, like perfecting heart-attacks... He was 37 at the time of his first heart attack. Wendy P. jeez...I know that...it was tongue-in-cheek.... Given his tendency to shoot his friends, probably best that he did get those deferments. Here's a piece of trivia, the lawyer that was shot, was Karl Rove's attorney at the time...So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #16 May 11, 2010 QuoteJesus. I win. DO NOT - John does cuz Obama is the new Massiah!I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #17 May 11, 2010 QuoteOne of THE most scary thing that has come from this series of Threads .. is that people consider Politicians to be Celebrities [Shudder]. ? "Celebrity" = A famous (well or widely known) person. It would be rather difficult for some politicians (like the U.S. President) to not fall under this definition. And I don't think that necessarily makes them "media whores" (though perhaps some are). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mad_Jasper 1 #18 May 13, 2010 Politicians aren't serving the public, the public is serving them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
