Prominent Right Wing Coward Smears Obama for Not Considering Military Service

Super-star NYT Op-Ed columnist Billy Kristol shot one off today that outslimed even his own epic levels of sliminess.

The doughty Vietnam non-vet took Senator Obama to task for giving a commencement address at Wesleyan this weekend in which he didn't remind his "elite" audience that military service was one kind of public service they might consider.

Just as back in 1970 young Billy, then a draftable little chickadee of 18 summers, fresh from elite Collegiate School in Manhattan, considered military service in the only war he could have qualified for. And said to his heroic inner man...hellllll nooooo. I'm serving my country at...Harvard.

Just like er, well, er, Obama.

Except there wasn't a war on when Obama was 18.

But pointing out a trivial omission in a list of public service choices wasn't Billy's true intent. He was actually parroting in that inimitably intellectual and slimy way, the current troglo-right theme that Obama can't be trusted with the world's largest military. Why? Because Obama didn't fight in one of the wars he could have qualified for. Like say, our glorious 3-day victory over Grenada in 1983, when he was 22. Code-named as you may proudly recall Operation Urgent Fury.

Of course Billy phrased his smear, with his trademark brilliance, so that it could refer either to Obama's omission in his commencement address or to his omitting to put himself in harms way:

"It can't be that the possibility of military service as an admirable form of public service didn't occur to Obama."

But...nor did military service occur apparently to any of the other late lamented candidates for the Presidency to whit: John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich or even our brave Iranocidal Boadicea, Hillary Clinton; nor, more to the point to: Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback or Tom Tancredo (who received his get-out-of- Vietnam-free card for "stress-related anxiety")

So why did one of the nation's pre-eminent draft-dodgers pick Obama as the one candidate to slime? Could it be the reflexive racism that drives all neo-conservatives; it's because Obama is, you know, African-American? And 'military service as an admirable form of public service' ought to occur to all African-Americans, male or female, before any other career choice?

Dammit, why the hell didn't Michelle volunteer for Operation Urgent Fury? She was 19 -- the perfect age to earn her spurs blowing away a shovel-wielding Cuban construction worker. Why didn't she volunteer for our glorious victory over Panama in 1989 when she was a mere 25? Firebomb a few pesky Canal-thieves? Why didn't Obama? He was only 28. What's wrong with these people? How could any patriotic African-American not be stirred to his or her very core by a war codenamed Operation Just Cause?

Billy was. To his very core. His fat little yellow belly used to go all fluttery with butterflies at the thought of hunky Marines locking and loading. And not just black Marines -- any Marines. And the wonderful thing is, that lovely vision of vicarious violence never stales. Not for Billy nor for any his fellow cowards too craven to have ever put themselves in harms way.

Which is why we're in Iraq.

Comments

[collprof]

All Republicans can do is talk about war and then have an orgasm as they plan it while sending others to fight it.

Then when their plans go whacky they find others to blame for all the damage they caused. Or they say 'I don't care how many enemies I made" as a result of the war.

Mr. Kristol never served a day in his life. His idol is Dick Cheney for the 5 deferments Cheney mustered up.

[ericmiami]

Vietnam non-vet. Ha ha ha ha ha.

[lisakaz2]

Of course he did. A Dem is suspect for serving, a Dem is supect for not serving. A Dem is always suspct and there is no other principle involved except being hypocritical. To be "patriotic" equals "Republican." Intro to the obvious here.

[Doofus]

1970 would have been a pretty good year to join up,
as there was 'light at the end of the tunnel' in Vietnam
back in those days. Vietnamization was in it's glory.
Peace with Honor was almost just around the corner.
(I was serving, a REMF if ever there was one, but I had
the oy of 'going green' back before it was environmental.)

The Kent State Massacre & its aftermath were about to happen.

Obviously, young Billy had 'other priorities'.

[onceler]

no doubt Kristol got the idea from a post right here at HuffPost which was on the recommended list for quite a while last week, concern-trolling the same stupid concept. its about time the word 'service' was reclaimed for a much, much broader societal meaning than just joining the military. there are many ways to serve, and Kristol knows nothing of any of them. he's never done anything for anyone else his whole pathetic life.

[Thorn]

How odd that, in your last paragraph, you feel the need to imply that Kristol is homosexual to make your point.

[Desiderata]

What is more repulsive? Kristol's hypocracy or the newspaper in decay that printed his crap?

[gladys46]

Some more subterfuge ... or shit!

[BethStuart]

It seems clear the right-wing attack machine will smear the Democratic candidate no matter what. In 2004, John Kerry's military service in combat wasn't enough to keep him from being smeared. I assume everyone remembers the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."

[Obama08Supporter]

Hopefully everyone does remember so when they see this petty attacks they will remember what we got in return for them allowing themselves to fall for these swiftboat ads.

I think we are in for a rude awakening once Obama can channel his attention to McCain.

[Liberoservative]

Brilliant!

[RealityBaseCamp]

Well, as you no doubt know from watching the last few campaigns, military service only matters when the Republican served and the Democrat didn't.

[anon004]

If you're a Republican,even going AWOL from the National Guard is considered "service," while, if you're a Democrat, it's shameful to have not only served but to have actually earned multiple medals.

[thisoldbroad]

ZING!