Why Are The Warmongers Ignoring the Vets?

Hat Tip to The Daily Bellweather

VetVoice is a new blog from VoteVets.org, an organization aimed at getting the voices of the men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan heard in this next election cycle. It kicked off today, and one of the things the site hopes to have is participation from all of the presidential candidates, as they post regular messages to the community the site is intended to serve. You can see the schedule here.

So, which candidates have responded to the request? 6 Democrats, and Ron Paul.

Tell me… Does anyone find it odd that the most rabid pro-war candidates – Mitt, Rudy, Thompson, Huckabee, and company – are basically ignoring the chance to speak to former soldiers and their families on the issues that matter to them? After all, aren’t these the people who always want to “support our troops”?

Frankly, I’m not surprised at all. War is just a game to these people. They like to thump their chest and act all manly, while accusing their opponents of being soft or cowardly. It’s all show business to them. They care not one wit for the people who do the actual bleeding.

In some ways, it’s smart politics though. If there is one group of people who could potentially bust a giant hole in their plans for relentless, world-wide war, it would be excessive criticism from people who have been on the front lines of the Empire’s latest conflicts. Most veterans know that all this warmongering is just pure bullshit. Romney and Giuliani are draft-dodging chickenhawks. What they possibly say to a would-be critic who has actually picked up a gun and put himself in harm’s way?

War making is a losing issue for Republicans. And one of the lessons you learn in Politics 101 is to avoid unnecessary conflict or criticism. (Anyone who takes issue with the recent charges against the Clinton campaign for putting "plants" in the audience, is plainly naive about how politics works. The whole M.O of the current system is to have a tightly controlled, perfectly scripted process designed to enthrall the masses...but I digress.) Needless to say, a pro-life candidate would not waste his time giving a speech at a NARAL convention. An anti-gun rights candidate will not be spending too much time at NRA meetings. So it makes sense that war-loving Republicans are going to avoid veterans groups, unless absolutely forced, and only if its been thoroughly vetted (no pun intended.) It’s best not to expose oneself unnecessarily to attack.

In any event, take a read. See what the candidates are saying. The opening page has the first contributions from all the candidates who responded.

Oh…I would be remiss if I didn’t plug Ron Paul’s contribution.