I find it appalling that the Bush Administration, most of whose members have never served in the military, have questioned the patriotism of Democrats that oppose the President’s handling of the war in Iraq. Many of these Democratic leaders have clearly shown their bravery and loyalty in combat through their own military service. The architects of the Iraq war and the Republicans who stand by the Bush administration with unwavering support for its policies of pre-emptive war have painstakingly tried to deflect attention away from their own lack of military service. The policy of pre-emptive war first became part of the debate in a report called The Project for a New American Century, published in 2000 (written in 1999) and supported by many currently serving in the Bush Administration. The document promotes the ideology of total U.S. World domination through force. The Defense Policy Board, composed of an influential group of advisors to the Pentagon, review and assess the country’s strategic defense policies. Under the leadership of Richard Perle, who never served in the military, the Defense Policy Board has been transformed from a nonpartisan advisory body into a megaphone for the rigid policy preferences of the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld. The people that are making decisions to go to war, have never been there themselves! I’ll let you decide, based on the litany of hard facts below, who you feel is more experienced and credible to make decisions on what circumstances warrant putting our young men and women into battleathose who have experienced war firsthand or those who just have seen it on TV.

Principal Architects of
War on Iraq in the Bush Administration:

• Dick Cheney: did not
  serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
  
• Richard Perle: did not
  serve.
  
• Paul Wolfowitz: did not
  serve.
  
• Don Rumsfeld: served in
  Navy (1954-57) as aviator and flight
  instructor.
  
• Douglas Feith: did not
  serve.
  
• John Ashcroft: did not
  serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
  
• Karl Rove: did not
  serve.

Other Important
Republicans:

• Dennis Hastert: did not
  serve.
  
• Tom Delay: did not
  serve.
  
• House Whip Roy Blunt: did
  not serve.
  
• Bill Frist: did not
  serve.
  
• Rudy Giuliani: did not
  serve.
  
• George Pataki: did not
  serve.
  
• Mitch McConnell: did not
  serve.
  
• Rick Santorum: did not
  serve.
  
• Trent Lott: did not
  serve.
  
• Jeb Bush: did not
  serve.
  
• Saxby Chambliss: did not
  serve. “Bad knee.” The man who attacked Max Cleland’s patriotism.
  
• Vin Weber: did not
  serve.
  
• Eliot Abrams: did not
  serve.
  
• Richard Shelby: did not
  serve.
  
• Jon Kyl: did not
  serve.
  
• Tim Hutchison: did not
  serve.
  
• Christopher Cox: did not
  serve.
  
• Newt Gingrich: did not
  serve.
  
• Antonin Scalia: did not
  serve.
  
• Clarence Thomas: did not
  serve
  
• Ronald Reagan: due to
  poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making
  movies.
  
• Gerald Ford: Navy,
  WWII
  
• Phil Gramm: did not
  serve
  
• John McCain: Silver Star,
  Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart
  and Distinguished Flying
  Cross.
  
• Bob Dole: an honorable
  veteran.
  
• Chuck Hagel: two Purple
  Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam.
  
• Duke Cunningham:
  nominated for Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Silver
  Stars, Air Medals,
  Purple Hearts.
  
• Jeff Sessions: Army
  Reserves, 1973-1986
  
• JC Watts: did not
  serve.
  
• Lindsey Graham: National
  Guard lawyer.
  
• G.H.W. Bush: Pilot in
  WWII. Shot down by the Japanese.
  
• Tom Ridge: Bronze Star
  for Valor in Vietnam.

The Democratic Record:

• Richard Gephardt: Air
  National Guard, 1965-71.
  
• David Bonior: Staff Sgt.,
  Air Force 1968-72.
  
• Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air
  Force SAC 1969-72.
  
• Al Gore: enlisted Aug.
  1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army
  journalist in 20th Engineer
  Brigade.
  
• Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy
  1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
  
• Daniel Inouye: Army
  1943-’47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
  
• John Kerry: Lt., Navy
  1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V
  Purple Hearts.
  
• John Edwards: did not
  serve.
  
• Charles Rangel: Staff
  Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
  
• Max Cleland: Captain,
  Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
  
• Ted Kennedy: Army,
  1951-1953.
  
• Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy,
  1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
  
• Jack Reed: Army Ranger,
  1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
  
• Fritz Hollings: Army
  officer in WWII, receiving the Bronze Star and
  seven campaign
  ribbons.
  
• Leonard Boswell: Lt.
  Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and
  Soldier’s
  Medal.
  
• Pete Peterson: Air Force
  Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and
  Legion of
  Merit.
  
• Mike Thompson: Staff
  sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
  
• Bill McBride: Candidate
  for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star
  with Combat
  V.
  
• Gray Davis: Army Captain
  in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
  
• Pete Stark: Air Force
  1955-57
  
• Chuck Robb:
  Vietnam
  
• Howell Heflin: Silver
  Star
  
• George McGovern: Silver
  Star & DFC during WWII.
  
• Bill Clinton: Did not
  serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but
  received 311.
  
• Jimmy Carter: Seven years
  in the Navy.
  
• Walter Mondale: Army
  1951-1953
  
• John Glenn: WWII and
  Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
  
• Tom Lantos: Served in
  Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul
  Wallenberg.
  
• Wesley Clark: U.S. Army,
  1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart,
  Silver Star. Retired 4-star
  general.
  
• John Dingell: WWII
  vet
  
• John Conyers: Army
  1950-57, Korea