-Caveat Lector- SEPTEMBER 20 - 26, 2002 http://www.laweekly.com/ink/printme.php?eid=38546 Personal Wars by Christine Pelisek
War, it seems, is one of those things that the more you know about it, the less you want any part of it. With Iraq in the crosshairs, the leading voices to go to war belong to those who have no military experience. More often than not, those against a war with Iraq have served in the military. Here's a list compiled by CHRISTINE PELISEK, with an assist from the New Hampshire Gazette's Chickenhawks database. BUSH ADMINISTRATION GEORGE W. BUSH Title: President Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Bush signed up for the Texas Air National Guard for six years in May 1969, which allowed him to avoid the Vietnam draft. He became an F-102 pilot in 1970, making his last flight in 1972 when he moved to Alabama to work on a GOP Senate campaign. After returning to Texas the following year, Bush says he performed nonflying duty for the Guard, but during his presidential campaign there were repeated charges that he skipped the last year and a half of his Guard obligation. DICK CHENEY Title: Vice President Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Once mumbled to a reporter that he "had other priorities in the '60s than military service." Cheney received a couple of deferments to avoid service, first because he was a student, then because he was married. DONALD RUMSFELD Title: Secretary of Defense Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Flew jets for the Navy between the Korean and Vietnam Wars but never saw combat. I. LEWIS "SCOOTER" LIBBY Title: Cheney's chief of staff and assistant for national security affairs Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Sat out the Vietnam War at Yale University and Columbia Law School. ANDREW CARD Title: White House Chief of Staff Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None PAUL WOLFOWITZ Title: Deputy Secretary of Defense Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None. Went to Cornell University and University of Chicago instead. RICHARD PERLE Title: Chairs Pentagon's Defense Policy Board; Assistant Secretary of Defense Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Sat out the Vietnam War at the University of Chicago. ARI FLEISCHER Title: White House Press Secretary Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None TOM RIDGE Title: Director of the Homeland Security Office Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: In his first year at the Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor. ELLIOTT ABRAMS Title: Senior Director, National Security Council Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None KARL ROVE Title: Senior White House Adviser Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None JOHN ASHCROFT Title: Attorney General Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: He received a deferment during the Vietnam War and taught business education at a Missouri college.â COLIN POWELL Title: Secretary of State Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Powell served two tours in Vietnam. During the second, he survived a helicopter crash landing, then went back into the smoking wreckage and saved his commanding general and two other soldiers. Powell received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, a Soldier's Medal and the Legion of Merit. In 1973, he took command of a battalion in South Korea. Later that year, he returned to Washington as a staff officer at the Pentagon. His career has encompassed the invasions of Grenada (1983) and Panama (1989), 1991 Gulf War, the 1992-93 engagement in Somalia and the crisis in Bosnia. RICHARD ARMITAGE Title: Deputy Secretary of State Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: U.S. Naval Academy grad and Vietnam veteran. ASA HUTCHINSON Title: Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None TOMMY THOMPSON Title: Secretary of Health and Human Services Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: National Guard. MILITARY BRENT SCOWCROFT Title: Retired General and Former National Security Adviser Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Commander in the Gulf War; 29-year military career. NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF Title: Retired General Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Schwarzkopf served two combat tours in Vietnam and later was designated the Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force in charge of U.S. Forces participating in the Grenada student rescue operation. He is most notable as Commander in Chief, United States Central Command, and Commander of Operations of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. ANTHONY ZINNI Title: Retired General Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Gulf War logistics chief; later Schwarzkopf's successor at Central Command. JAMES WEBB Title: Former Navy Secretary Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Vietnam vet. SCOTT RITTER Title: Retired U.S. Marines major; former chief of the weapons inspection teams in Iraq (until he resigned in 1998) Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: He saw combat in Iraq during the Gulf War. Former U.S. Marine. POLITICIANS JOHN McCAIN Title: Senator, R-Arizona Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: In 1967, he was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi for five and a half years. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981. McCain's naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. TOM DASCHLE Title: Senate Majority Leader, D-South Dakota Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Vietnam War vet. Served three years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command. JOHN KERRY Title: Senator, D-Massachusetts Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Highly decorated Vietnam War vet. CYNTHIA McKINNEY Title: Congresswoman, D-Georgia Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: None JIM JEFFORDS Title: Senator, I-Vermont Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Served active duty with the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1959, and retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve as a captain in 1990. PETE STARK Title: Congressman, D-California Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: Vietnam War vet. Stark served in the U.S. Air Force. HARRY REID Title: Assistant Senate Majority Leader; D-Nevada Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: None DENNIS KUCINICH Title: Congressman, D-Ohio Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: None BARBARA LEE Title: Congresswoman, D-California Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: None RUSS FEINGOLD Title: Senator, D-Wisconsin Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: None BOB BARR Title: Congressman, R-Georgia Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None PHIL GRAMM Title: Senator, R-Texas Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Received a marriage deferment and avoided Vietnam. TRENT LOTT Title: Senate Minority Leader, R-Mississippi Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None DENNIS HASTERT Title: House Majority Leader, R-Illinois Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None DICK ARMEY Title: House Majority Leader, R-Texas Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None TOM DeLAY Title: House Majority Whip, R-Texas Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: The most powerful hawk in the House of Representatives. A no-show in Vietnam. He is said to have once complained that he would have served but all the spots were taken up by ethnic minorities. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN Title: Senator, D-Connecticut Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None JEB BUSH Title: Florida Governor, Republican Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None OTHERS BILL CLINTON Title: Former President Stance on Iraq: Pro-war. The goal to remove Saddam was adopted during Clinton's reign on the eve of his impeachment vote, though recently he has raised doubts about going after him. Military history: None, with Vietnam deferment. DAN QUAYLE Title: Former Vice President Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None. Served in the National Guard. GEORGE H. W. BUSH Title: Former President Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: WWII fighter pilot. JAMES BAKER Title: Former Secretary of State Stance on Iraq: Anti-war. Warned last week that acting unilaterally against Iraq would be unwise. Military history: Spent two years of active duty as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in the 1950s. JACK KEMP Title: Former Congressman Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None. Played pro football instead. TOM HAYDEN Title: Former California state Senator Stance on Iraq: Anti-war Military history: None WAYNE LaPIERRE Title: Executive vice president of National Rifle Association Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None BILL O'REILLY Title: Fox News commentator, "The O'Reilly Factor" Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None FRANK GAFFNEY Title: Founder/director of the Center for Security Policy Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None WILLIAM KRISTOL Title: Editor of The Weekly Standard Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None ROBERT KAGAN Title: Member of Project for a New American Century Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER Title: Nationally syndicated columnist Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Missed out because he is Canadian. GARY BAUER Title: Christian Right leader Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None MARTIN PERETZ Title: The New Republic editor Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None WILLIAM BENNETT Title: Former drug czar; co-director of Empower America Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None GEORGE WILL Title: Essayist Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None NEWT GINGRICH Title: Former House Speaker Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None RUSH LIMBAUGH Title: Radio personality Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: Missed Vietnam because of anal cysts. BRITT HUME Title: FOX commentator Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None ALAN KEYES Title: MSNBC host Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None JERRY FALWELL Title: Religious personality Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None KENNETH STARR Title: Former independent counsel Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None ANTONIN SCALIA Title: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None CLARENCE THOMAS Title: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None RUDY GIULIANI Title: Former mayor of New York Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None SYLVESTER STALLONE Title: Actor Stance on Iraq: Pro-war Military history: None <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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