Monday, August 29, 2005

So Many Chickenhawks, So Little Time...

Turns out Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R., Mormon Hypocrite), a hu-u-u-ge supporter of the war and crocodile-tears-weeper over the sacrifices that the National Guard from his home state have made in the Quagmire-in-the-Sandtm, gets just a little bit testy when someone from the media dares to question him about his own sons serving.

From the Boston Herald:

The Herald posed the question as Romney - a potential 2008 White House contender and backer of President Bush's Iraq policy -was honored by the Massachusetts National Guard after he signed a bill extending pay for state workers on active duty.

"No, I have not urged my own children to enlist.I don't know the status of my childrens' potentially enlisting in the Guard and Reserve," Romney said, his voice tinged with anger.

Massachusetts residents can enlist in the National Guard up to age 39.Romney's five sons range in age from 24 to 35. Neither the Romney children nor the governor have served in the military, Romney spokeswoman Julie Teer said.

More than 1,100 guardsmen and women from Massachusetts are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, a guard spokeswoman said.According to federal statistics, 28 Massachusetts soldiers have been killed so far.

"I don't think you should be so 'rah-rah' for a war that you aren't willing to send your own family members to," said Rose Gonzalez, 30, of Somerville, whose mother, a state employee, was deployed to Iraq in January. "If he thinks the war is so just and so important and we shouldn't pull out, then he should encourage his own sons to go."
So what's up with this? I thought that any Republican lucky enough to get elected to the executive mansion of "the most liberal state in the country" (remember that phrase from the late presidential campaign, when the right-wing noise machine tarred mercilessly Kerry with the "L-Word" brush?) would want to be a guiding light, a beacon in the night, a shining example for the benighted citizens of the state. He ought to be more than willing to sacrifice his sons for the Noble Cause that he so fervently believes in.

But probably not. After all, if the Great God Bush feels no compunction to sacrifice any other rich-kid-pukes (his daughters, for instance) to the Noble Cause, why should Romney?

But he really shouldn't be so thin-skinned about it, should he?

Don't you think that's kind of...tacky...?

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Note: See also what The Yellow Elephant has to say about Romney, and scroll down to check out that famous list of Republican Chickenhawks in parallel comparison to the list of prominent Democrats who served in the military. This comparison is mind-boggling, and I find myself becoming shocked and appalled and angered all over again every time I read it.

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