I want to make it abundantly clear: if there’s anyone who believes that these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.
United States Congressman Charlie Rangel spoke those words. I called him a jackass. I suppose I could have been a little more civilized, name calling rarely advances one's objective. But I just could not think of a better word at the time and was too impatient to think about it for a while before posting. But I stand by it, as I must.
John Kerry got in on the act as well:
"You know, education -- if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well.
"If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
He claimed it was a botched joke. He said he was talking about President Bush, which makes no sense whatsoever considering President Bush has a history degree from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. That's, you know, education.
LGF directs us to James Taranto, who has been posting responses to Rangel and Kerry. From members of the United States Military. And their responses are much better than mine. It's "abundantly clear" the men and women serving in our military are "having a (much more) decent career" than Rangel or Kerry ever dreamed about.
***Update***
Kerry's trip to Iraq, a political ploy. Kerry will steer clear of "Halp Us Jon Carry - We R Stuck Hear N Irak," National Guardsmen.
Kerry, who will travel to Baghdad and also hopes to venture outside the fortified Green Zone, won't go anywhere near Talil - or the Guardsmen who dropped a smart bomb on his condescending comment that students would get "stuck in Iraq" if they don't study hard.
Comments