Mitt Romney Lies About Vietnam

"I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam."

- Mitt Romney, Boston Globe, 6/24/07

"I was not planning on signing up for the military. It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam."

- Mitt Romney, Boston Herald, 5/2/94

Okay, when I saw these two quotes, on Townhall.com this morning, I thought: This looks kind of bad. John McCain has a pretty clear record on Vietnam -- he bombed it -- whereas Mitt Romney spent the turbulent '60s proselytizing to the French. Now we find out that Mitt Romney both passionately wanted to serve his country under arms and had no interest in doing anything of the sort. At the very least, it doesn't seem terribly consistent. To a biased reader, it might even seem like he's full of shit.

But I knew that couldn't be right. So I read it again.

Here's where I'd gotten confused. Mitt Romney "longed" to be in Vietnam, but his "desire" was to be not in Vietnam.

Is this really a contradiction? Only if you don't appreciate that longing and desire are two totally different things.

Socrates knew they were as different as different could be. That's why he called one thumos and the other epithumetikon, the dark and light horses that pull the chariot of the lover's soul.

Mitt Romney famously snapped at Mike Huckabee: "Governor, don't try to characterize my position." (You might as well try to calculate Pi, Gomer.) In this case, though, to understand what Mitt Romney is getting at, you just have to go back and reread Pheadrus.

"Now, when the charioteer (Mitt Romney) beholds the vision of love (Vietnam), and has his whole soul warmed through sense, and is full of the prickings and ticklings of desire, the obedient steed (thumos, the desire to go somewhere other than Vietnam) then as always under the government of shame, refrains from leaping on the beloved; but the other (epithumetikon, the longing to be "in the shit"), heedless of the pricks and of the blows of the whip, plunges and runs away, giving all manner of trouble to his companion and the charioteer, whom he forces to approach the beloved and remember the joys of love."

(Only by taming both horses, by synthesizing longing and desire, can the soul of the lover follow the beloved in modesty and fear. Not unlike how Tony Blair used to look at George Bush.)

So you see? It all makes perfect sense, when you understand that Mitt Romney was talking about two entirely different parts of his soul.

Like the half that doesn't hunt, and the half that hunts.

It's all about the id and the superego. Of course Mitt wanted to get shot down over Hanoi and locked in a box for five years -- who wouldn't? -- but his better angels told him to go to Cannes and spread the Word of the Lord, except to black people.

--

The Fighting Romneys Extra

It's been six months since Mitt Romney was asked why none of his sons were in Iraq, and answered:

"One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president."

And he's still a candidate for the nomination. (Okay, barely.) Let's pretend a Democratic politician had said the same thing. How long would it have been -- in hours -- before he was forced out of public life forever?

Comments

[ibsteve2u]

Not exactly unexpected, coming from a Republican. To the vast majority of Republicans, wars are easy things to start and support - but from the sidelines.

As long as there is no draft, they won't go and their friends and families won't go - they have neither the patriotism to serve nor are they driven by economic desperation.

To most Republicans - at least those who seek or obtain office - wars are simply a matter of talking the correct talk in public, and occasionally being bored by a speech about some hero or other. And wars are a truly golden opportunity to ensure your longevity in office by giving those who support you their shot at the profiteering.

To the rest of us, wars are terrible things to be fought only to preserve America, our friends, and our families. The survival of parasites such as Romney and the other Republicans of his ilk is both incidental and their good fortune.

[Kungfublood]

I just want to say thanks for breaking the stupid taboo and using the "L" word in your lead off. If more people would be more upfront and truthful instead of groveling sniveling cowards more people would know why they are about to starve in the street and freeze to death in America, while our fat legislators stuff themselves on pay raises and take those payola trips to Israel.

[rmreddicks]

Aren't all these Mutt's sons out together on a ship that will be sunk? Somewhere still on a sea of corn in Iowa? Like father like sons.

One thing you can say about w; his daddy, h.w., knew how to parachute, wait a while, and get picked up . Somehow or another his buddies were a little less lucky.

[chisel]

Wake up AMERICA!!! Follow the money, the Repbub's won't let Macain win, Mit,s their man all the way,you just wait and see. Mitt,s the one who will keep filling their pockets. So WAKE UP AMERICA, VOTE DEM, EITHER ONE WILL BE VASTLY BETTER THAN ANY REPUB.

[BobSF94117]

You're misreading the quotes. Mitt had the desire to BE in Vietnam but not to SERVE in Vietnam. Apparently, he was opposed to the war but likes Asian women...

[rmreddicks]

Pretty humorous! Would have been so even with a substitution of the reader's choice for the Mutt.

[WilliamGossett]

McCain had undergone a lot of personal suffering as a POW. He did what he was supposed to do - shut up and color and serve his military. Unfortunately, we were in Vietnam for the wrong reasons and stayed too long. His agony was in vain in that Vietnam is not hostile to us now and we are no worse off for having "lost" (or gave up, as McCain accurately states) the war. 55000 men (that's just the USA) lost for nothing.
I do not agree with the honorable Senator from Arizona. "Honor" alone is not enough reason to kill and be killed.
McCain did serve with honor, though. I wish it were for a more "righteous" war rather than hegemony. The same is true for Iraq. I wish this was not for hegemony.

[Larry Buchite]

If Mitt Romney truly wanted to serve in Viet Nam he could have all he would have to have done is enlist. That line of bull shit he put out is a insult to every one who served or is serving in the armed forces and mostly those that served in Viet Nam.

[aaronburr]

Outstanding post. You know, even at the high point of my two cruises in Vietnam I can't really say I ever "longed" to be there. It was duty. The squadron deployed there. You flew the missions, dodged the flack and hoped like hell to avoid the Hanoi Hilton. Personally, I'd have preferred to be in Cannes and the internal debate would not have been close.

[BeamMeUpScotty]

To me, Romney reeks of disingenuousness whenever he speaks.

Romney says he knows how to run the country because he has had experience running businesses. What he doesn't tell you is this "experience" is in fact gutting AmPad (American Pad and Paper), firing all workers then offering to rehire them at reduced wages, tripling their health insurance costs, and trashing all seniority. After gutting the company, Romney then sold AmPad and he and his investors pocketed $102 million. He walked away while AmPad fall into bankruptcy. 240 people were left without jobs. Romney claims he had nothing to do with what happened at AmPad. His Bain Capital managing director, Marc Wolpow, who sat on the Board of Directors of AmPad, said he reported to Romney on his every move every step of the way and was told by Romney to "maximize Bain Company's investment". "We had a scheme where the rich got richer," says Wolpow.

Cutting company costs isn't the issue. Pocketing $102 million through the very calculated fleecing of a company is.

Then there's the Iraq war. Romney defends this illegal war, yet during the Vietnam war, he did not serve. Apparently doing Mormon missionary work was more important. Romney has five sons all eligible to serve their country in the military. None do. Romney says they are helping him get elected. Lame excuse. I GUARANTEE you that if he does not get the Republican nomination, NONE of his sons will sign up for duty.

Romney comes off as an elitist. Elitists don't volunteer to defend their country. During a Draft, elitists find reasons (college, graduate school, post graduate school, medical deferments) to avoid service.

Do you really want this Ronald Reagan wanna-be scumbag running the U.S.?

[venicesurfer]

GOD I HOPE ROMNEY BECOMES THE NOMINEE. HE WOULD BE SO EASY TO BEAT.

[OhgReaTone]

Mitt Romney is the best comedian running for office today. All he needs is a laugh track to go with his commercials. Never mind, Saturday Night Live already took care of that.
Ohg
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/02/02/saturday-night-live-parodies-mitt-romney/

[Rog49Thomas]

Did it ever occur to you that Mitt may have an evil twin?

There is ample theological precedent for such an occurence.

Just be sure you vote for the right Mitt!

[Checquoline]

So when Mitt does not become president are his boys THEN going to enlist????

[Wulfstan]

"Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded" - since it invariably leads to higher taxes, public debt, propaganda, and expanded governmental control. Yet history shows that leaders tend to like a state of war, because it increases their own power, while its costs are borne by ordinary citizens.
James Madison.