Presidential candidate Mitt (FlipFlopFlipFlop) Romney, former one term governor of Massachusetts, was asked today in Iowa why none of his five sons has enlisted in the military to help fight in Iraq. Romney’s response was that his boys were showing support for the country by “helping me get elected.” Lovely. Romney’s sons range in age from 37 to 26 so all are eligible to serve yet not one of them are.
The woman that asked the question, a 41 year old resident of Milan Ill and a sister of a soldier that has served in Iraq was not happy with Romney’s response. “Of course not,” the woman said, “he told me the way his son shows support for our military and our nation is to buy a Winnebago and ride across Iowa and help him get elected.” Well put. Romney himself avoided service in Vietnam because he was doing Mormon missionary work. How very convenient.
It is interesting to me that these GOP candidates like Romney and Giuliani and our current president are so gung ho to go to war in Iraq and other places yet none of them put on the uniform and none of their children have put on a uniform. I’m not suggesting that serving in the military is a necessity to becoming president, but you certainly should not be so eager to send others to war. Our last great president, Bill Clinton, did not serve, but he also was not gung ho to send our forces into harms way. When Clinton did send forces there were well laid out plans and objectives and none of our soldiers died in combat. So, maybe candidates like Romney should shut the fuck up about going to war unless they are willing to sacrifice their own flesh and blood.