Does It Really Matter?

Articles

Craig Chamberlain

Does It Really Matter?
Feb 9, 2004

I don't think democrats have been this excited about military service sine they ran Andrew Jackson. But do presidents need to be war heroes to lead the nation in war? John Adams led the nation in an undeclared naval war with France, and he never served in the military. Thomas Jefferson wasn't a military man and sent the navy and the marines to fight the barbary pirates. James K. Polk wasn't a military man but that didn't stop him from sending an army to fight in Mexico. Abraham Lincoln(in my opinion the greatest President this country ever had) was only in the Illinois militia, and never saw action. Yet, he was commander in chief during the most bloodt war in American history. This man was only a guardsmen, like our current president, and was a brilliant commander in chief. Woodrow Wilson sent an army to Europe to fight in world war one, and never fought in the military. FDR was never in the service and sent americans to fight all over the world for world war two.

The only presidents to lead our nation into war and were in the military themselves, were McKinley (civil war), Truman(world war one), Kennedy,LBJ, Nixon(ww2). The constitution never said the commander in chief needed to be a military man.

So, if Clintons draft dodging wasn't an issue, why is Kerrys service an automatic qualifier? Then there is the recycled issue of President Bush's supposed being AWOL. This has been thrown in his face for the last ten years. It has never been proven, and the voters have never bought it.

Now it is true Kerry is a genuine war hero. He served honorably and was wounded three times. Yet simply because he served with honor doesn't mean that he would make a good commander in chief. His record as a senator should show that. His votes on national security are abysmal. This man doesn't need to be leading our nation in a time of war.

Let's hope he doesn't get the chance.

Now onto a completely different topic. Yeah, I can hear you now. "why are you switching tracks now?" Well, simply put, I am tired of talking about military service and this wouldn't make a whole column.

We have an uproar about Janet Jackson. I didn't see it myself. I switched channels at halftime. All I have been hearing was the uproar. All I can say is: what do you expect? Our culture has been on a downward spiral for a long time now. This should be no suprise to anyone. We would do well to turn off the idiot box most of the time. I am in the coveted 18-34 male demographic and I rarely watch the stupid thing. If you can't go without TV then be more discriminating in what you watch or what the kids watch. If the ratings are bad and the sponsors aren't making money they won't put that crap on the air.

Well that's all for now.

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Email Craig Chamberlain: craig_chamberlain@hotmail.com

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