Tom Harkin DESTROYS Cheney

[tomfodw]

(Forgive me if this was already posted; I couldn't find it)


http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2004/08/14/news/breaking_news/0dff4c5470efba8a86256ef00074d537.txt

Harkin calls Cheney a 'coward' and criticizes 'backdoor draft'

By The Associated Press

DES MOINES -- Sen. Tom Harkin called Vice President Dick Cheney a "coward" for avoiding service in Vietnam and called on President Bush to end the "backdoor draft."

The Iowa Democrat was responding Friday to the call-up of a Des Moines police officer who has already completed his eight-year military commitment.

Harkin echoed comments earlier this week by Des Moines Police Chief William McCarthy, who said the military's treatment of Des Moines Police Officer Rodell Nydam was "evil."

Nydam, 26, is being called back to Iraq despite finishing his National Guard commitment in April. He's being called up under the military's "stop loss" exemption, which can extend duty in wartime.

...

"When I hear this coming from Dick Cheney, who was a coward, who would not serve during the Vietnam War, it makes my blood boil," Harkin said. "Those of us who served and those of us who went in the military don't like it when someone like a Dick Cheney comes out and he wants to be tough. Yeah, he'll be tough. He'll be tough with somebody else's blood, somebody else's kids. But not when it was his turn to go."

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

(Boldface mine)

[non sociopath skin]

1. Go, go Tom!!!...

.. and tell it like it is. The Chickenhawks are getting away with far too much.

Cowards who enjoy sending others to put their lives at risk in furtherance of their partisan power games are the lowest of the low, in my book.

The skin

[tomfodw]

2. That's the thing about the chickenhaws that pisses me off the most

Not that if you didn't serve you can't favor an aggressive foreign & military policy. I didn't serve (a bit too young, plus I was medically unfit), but I supported the liberation of Afghanistan, for example, even though I knew it would mean the deaths of some US soldiers.

What pisses me off the most about the chickenhawks is that they are just so damn macho about their hawkishness, as if they are going to lead the charge up San Juan Hill themselves and execute Saddam Hussein in single combat. It's the same distasteful phenomenon as that of drunken, woofing young men outside a prison the night someone is going to be executed, as if their posturing proves their manliness.

It's one thing to have dodged combat; Bill Clinton did it. But it's another thing to have no shame about having dodged combat, no humility when it comes to sending other people into combat, no self-awareness of how offensive it looks - and is - to be a loud, boastful, belligerent coward. For George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to snort and swagger like they know what it's like, man, is infuriating and nauseating. My father was a veteran - hell, Dubya's father is a veteran - how can George H. W. watch George W. strut like John Wayne in The Conqueror and not want to vomit?

[non sociopath skin]

4. Couldn't agree with you more, Tom.

My grandad fought, and was badly wounded, in the trenches in the First World War, my dad saw combat in North Africa in the second.

Neither were in any way shape or form gung-ho about it. It was just something that they felt they needed to do and they did it.

Both, while never pacifist, always subsequently saw war as a last resort and were bitter in their condemnation of "war-mongers."

Dad is still around and has nothing but contempt for Shrub and his buddies: no doubt in my mind that Grandad Joe would have felt the same way.

The Skin

[kaitykaity]

3. Looks like Harkin's spine transplant actually

took.

Good for him.

[rkc3]

5. I can only hope the Dems are testing the waters with this salvo.

We're all excited about his commentary and this should bring more rebuttals and counter-attacks.

It's like Clinton said last week on The Daily Show - They'll (republicans) continue to do this until it doesn't work any more.

The Dems sound like they're getting ready to play ball.

[barb162]

6. Clinton knew how to respond to the GOP

as soon as they started up with the lies. They would do press releases immeidately after Newt G. would start up on something and get the facts out. Kerry/Edwards are lagging on this. McCain shouldn't have to be responding to the Bush lies. Kerry should be asking why Bush wasn't ever seen by any other pilots in Alabama during his National Guard "Service" at every speech he gives (As long as GOP types are writing books about other swiftboat commanders). Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts.
,

[Name removed]

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[Moderator]

8. tomfodw

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