THIS is not a good trend....WE NEED people who have dedicated themselves to our Country for more than a paycheck to be the President. Military service is a good prerequisite for the position. Lack of it makes the learning curve much steeper.
MIA in 2012 field: Military service
By: Kasie Hunt - Politico.com
November 13, 2010 07:04 AM EST
The resumes of the Republicans most frequently mentioned as potential presidential candidates are studded with impressive accomplishments and experience at the highest levels of government.
Yet, nearly all of them are missing a tour of duty that for much of American history has been a prerequisite for the presidency: military service.
Of the 16 top GOP presidential prospects for 2012, only Rep. Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have ever served in the Armed Forces. Since President Barack Obama also never served in the military, the odds are that in two years, Americans are likely to cast their votes in the first presidential race in nearly 70 years where neither major party nominee has ever worn the nation's uniform.
The last time that happened was 1944, when New York Republican Gov. Thomas Dewey lost to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been crippled by polio.
The veteran-free presidential contest would take place as the nation debates the future of its military presence in Afghanistan — now the nation's longest war — and attempts to figure out how to limit the American presence in Iraq.
Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), a Medal of Honor winner who lost part of his leg in Vietnam, points out that while the scenario once might have seemed highly unusual, such a small percentage of the population now serves in the military that few voters care whether a presidential candidate has served in the military.
"I don't see a lot of evidence that it matters to voters anymore," Kerrey said. "We have an all-volunteer force now. ... Once people didn't have real skin in the game, they began to lose interest."
What's developed, he said, is a political culture that's a lot more willing to send men and women to war — and one that's less likely to question leaders who do.
"I think you lose what you would call the political trip wire on expeditionary efforts. Anything that requires men and women to go into harm's way is an awful lot more difficult to do if it's broadly shared by all households," Kerrey said. "I promise you that it would come up at town hall meetings if every 18-year-old had to go sign up for the draft and possibly go to war."
"The bottom line is it's just a sign of the times. We moved several elections ago into the Vietnam and post-Vietnam generations," said John Ullyot, a Republican political consultant who spent years working for the Senate Armed Services Committee under then-Chairman John Warner (R-Va.).
The likely absence of a veteran at the top of the ticket coincides with a decline in the number of veterans serving in Congress. In 1971, there were 398 veterans serving in the House and Senate. By 1981, it had fallen by roughly a quarter to 298, according to the Congressional Research Service. There will be just 113 veterans in the 112th Congress when it convenes in January, down from 121 in the current Congress.
While there are signs that veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have started entering public life in greater numbers, it's unlikely to significantly move the dial because a hallmark of these wars are repeated tours from the same small group of people. Rep.-elect Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), for example, served a combined five tours with the Air Force, three in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
"You've asked a very small part of America to take most of the risks for America," said Anthony Cordesman, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies who has advised the Obama administration on its policy in Afghanistan. "I don't think the 2012 Republican slate is as much an issue as the level of sacrifice that's being asked a very small proportion of America to make."
But military service — or lack of it — has been a persistent issue in presidential politics for decades.
John F. Kennedy built his presidential campaign around his World War II heroism. A 1960 campaign brochure noted that he was "a much decorated war hero of World War II" and cited "his four years of service as an officer in the Armed Forces." The pamphlet, which mentioned his authorship of "Profiles in Courage," also told the story of his PT boat experience, referring to it as "one of World War II's most dramatic stories."
Later that decade, future President Bill Clinton acknowledged the importance of military credentials for aspiring politicians. In a now-famous letter written to the head of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Arkansas in December 1969, Clinton wrote, "I decided to accept the draft in spite of my beliefs for one reason: to maintain my political viability within the system. For years, I have worked to prepare myself for a political life."
In 2004, Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry crafted his persona around his Vietnam War service. Four years later, the years Republican Sen. John McCain spent as a prisoner of war provided the foundation for his powerful narrative as a war hero devoted to country.
"Part of what really launched the McCain campaign was his service and how unique it was," Ullyot said. "In 2000, it gave him instant credibility with voters in New Hampshire because it was out of the ordinary with the crowd at the time. And now you've moved into an era where most people haven't served."
While it hasn't surfaced yet as an issue among the 2012 crop of potential candidates — and the lack of service didn't stop Clinton or Obama from defeating decorated war heroes — the GOP hopefuls recognize that it's an issue that's worth addressing, in one way or another.
"His experiences as the son of a career soldier convinced him at an early age to dedicate his life to his country and to the protection of freedom," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich writes on his website.
He's currently promoting his latest book, "Valley Forge," a tribute to George Washington's famous Revolutionary War camp there. Gingrich, like Clinton, received student deferments during Vietnam.
Other prospective candidates go to lengths to show their support for the troops or to note family members who have served.
"Tim and his wife, Mary, also led efforts to support Minnesotans serving in the military," Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's website says. "In addition to traveling several times to the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq to visit with commanders and troops, he led efforts to create one of the nation's most comprehensive programs to support veterans, military members and their families."
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose son Track served in Iraq, often references his service in the Army.
"As a military mom, I know how much sacrifice is involved when our loved ones choose to serve ... I also know though about the pride that comes with that loved one choosing to defend this country," Palin told a crowd at a June 2010 speech in Norfolk, Va.
The issue proved a thorny one for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during his 2008 run after he provided an awkward answer in response to a question from a voter about whether any of his five sons has served in the military.
In his new book, "No Apology," Romney cites the visits he made to the military hospital Walter Reed and a boyhood hero who served in the military.
"As a boy, Bill McCaffrey was my hero," Romney writes. "Rather than join his dad's highly successful business, he served for twenty years in the army, often away from his wife and four children on long tours of duty."
Zachary Abrahamson contributed to this report.
© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC
MIA in 2012 field: Military service
By: Kasie Hunt - Politico.com
November 13, 2010 07:04 AM EST
The resumes of the Republicans most frequently mentioned as potential presidential candidates are studded with impressive accomplishments and experience at the highest levels of government.
Yet, nearly all of them are missing a tour of duty that for much of American history has been a prerequisite for the presidency: military service.
Of the 16 top GOP presidential prospects for 2012, only Rep. Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have ever served in the Armed Forces. Since President Barack Obama also never served in the military, the odds are that in two years, Americans are likely to cast their votes in the first presidential race in nearly 70 years where neither major party nominee has ever worn the nation's uniform.
The last time that happened was 1944, when New York Republican Gov. Thomas Dewey lost to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been crippled by polio.
The veteran-free presidential contest would take place as the nation debates the future of its military presence in Afghanistan — now the nation's longest war — and attempts to figure out how to limit the American presence in Iraq.
Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), a Medal of Honor winner who lost part of his leg in Vietnam, points out that while the scenario once might have seemed highly unusual, such a small percentage of the population now serves in the military that few voters care whether a presidential candidate has served in the military.
"I don't see a lot of evidence that it matters to voters anymore," Kerrey said. "We have an all-volunteer force now. ... Once people didn't have real skin in the game, they began to lose interest."
What's developed, he said, is a political culture that's a lot more willing to send men and women to war — and one that's less likely to question leaders who do.
"I think you lose what you would call the political trip wire on expeditionary efforts. Anything that requires men and women to go into harm's way is an awful lot more difficult to do if it's broadly shared by all households," Kerrey said. "I promise you that it would come up at town hall meetings if every 18-year-old had to go sign up for the draft and possibly go to war."
"The bottom line is it's just a sign of the times. We moved several elections ago into the Vietnam and post-Vietnam generations," said John Ullyot, a Republican political consultant who spent years working for the Senate Armed Services Committee under then-Chairman John Warner (R-Va.).
The likely absence of a veteran at the top of the ticket coincides with a decline in the number of veterans serving in Congress. In 1971, there were 398 veterans serving in the House and Senate. By 1981, it had fallen by roughly a quarter to 298, according to the Congressional Research Service. There will be just 113 veterans in the 112th Congress when it convenes in January, down from 121 in the current Congress.
While there are signs that veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have started entering public life in greater numbers, it's unlikely to significantly move the dial because a hallmark of these wars are repeated tours from the same small group of people. Rep.-elect Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), for example, served a combined five tours with the Air Force, three in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
"You've asked a very small part of America to take most of the risks for America," said Anthony Cordesman, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies who has advised the Obama administration on its policy in Afghanistan. "I don't think the 2012 Republican slate is as much an issue as the level of sacrifice that's being asked a very small proportion of America to make."
But military service — or lack of it — has been a persistent issue in presidential politics for decades.
John F. Kennedy built his presidential campaign around his World War II heroism. A 1960 campaign brochure noted that he was "a much decorated war hero of World War II" and cited "his four years of service as an officer in the Armed Forces." The pamphlet, which mentioned his authorship of "Profiles in Courage," also told the story of his PT boat experience, referring to it as "one of World War II's most dramatic stories."
Later that decade, future President Bill Clinton acknowledged the importance of military credentials for aspiring politicians. In a now-famous letter written to the head of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Arkansas in December 1969, Clinton wrote, "I decided to accept the draft in spite of my beliefs for one reason: to maintain my political viability within the system. For years, I have worked to prepare myself for a political life."
In 2004, Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry crafted his persona around his Vietnam War service. Four years later, the years Republican Sen. John McCain spent as a prisoner of war provided the foundation for his powerful narrative as a war hero devoted to country.
"Part of what really launched the McCain campaign was his service and how unique it was," Ullyot said. "In 2000, it gave him instant credibility with voters in New Hampshire because it was out of the ordinary with the crowd at the time. And now you've moved into an era where most people haven't served."
While it hasn't surfaced yet as an issue among the 2012 crop of potential candidates — and the lack of service didn't stop Clinton or Obama from defeating decorated war heroes — the GOP hopefuls recognize that it's an issue that's worth addressing, in one way or another.
"His experiences as the son of a career soldier convinced him at an early age to dedicate his life to his country and to the protection of freedom," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich writes on his website.
He's currently promoting his latest book, "Valley Forge," a tribute to George Washington's famous Revolutionary War camp there. Gingrich, like Clinton, received student deferments during Vietnam.
Other prospective candidates go to lengths to show their support for the troops or to note family members who have served.
"Tim and his wife, Mary, also led efforts to support Minnesotans serving in the military," Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's website says. "In addition to traveling several times to the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq to visit with commanders and troops, he led efforts to create one of the nation's most comprehensive programs to support veterans, military members and their families."
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose son Track served in Iraq, often references his service in the Army.
"As a military mom, I know how much sacrifice is involved when our loved ones choose to serve ... I also know though about the pride that comes with that loved one choosing to defend this country," Palin told a crowd at a June 2010 speech in Norfolk, Va.
The issue proved a thorny one for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during his 2008 run after he provided an awkward answer in response to a question from a voter about whether any of his five sons has served in the military.
In his new book, "No Apology," Romney cites the visits he made to the military hospital Walter Reed and a boyhood hero who served in the military.
"As a boy, Bill McCaffrey was my hero," Romney writes. "Rather than join his dad's highly successful business, he served for twenty years in the army, often away from his wife and four children on long tours of duty."
Zachary Abrahamson contributed to this report.
© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC
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