Obama “Disses Boomers”?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, History, WarObama said this today in West Virginia…
One of the saddest episodes in our history was the degree to which returning vets from Vietnam were shunned, demonized and neglected by some because they served in an unpopular war. Too many of those who opposed the war in Vietnam chose to blame not only the leaders who ordered the mission, but the young men who simply answered their country’s call. Four decades later, the sting of that injustice is a wound that has never fully healed, and one that should never be repeated.
Jeralyn of TalkLeft claims Obama is dissing boomers who opposed the Vietnam war and says the following:
In other words, Obama intends to battle the war-hero McCain by throwing us under the bus. [...]The saddest part of the history of the Vietnam war is that our young men died in it. Another war that never should have been fought. Like Iraq. And what does Obama do? Rather than drawing that connection, he calls out the poor actions of a minority of war protesters 40 years ago in his effort to score political points as a patriot with W. Va. voters, much like John McCain.
Obama was simply pointing out that some anti-war sentiment was targeted at soldiers when they returned home for Vietnam and that it should never happen again. And given that he has said Iraq was never a just war, I don’t see how somebody like Jeralyn can credibly say he’s dissing anybody. He’s putting a cautionary tale out there, and that’s it.
Moving on…
This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, History, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Considering that America has an estimated 400,000 homeless veterans mostly from the Viet Nam era Obama may have a really good point.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Furthermore, the people who might feel like they’re “getting thrown under the bus,” by such comments, tend to be some of his most ardent supporters (liberal activists) so its not like they’re going to leave him over those comments. Its a nice play by Obama politically. He can appeal to voters who need a reason to like him, while only losing some stock from people who wont leave him anyways.
A good way to pick up some votes and shore up some support in the general election without losing a different swing block.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:36 am
There is a difference between opposing a war and opposing the troops who are doing their job.
In vietnam that distinction wasn’t properly made
May 13th, 2008 at 6:05 am
…and that is the state of politics today.
Everything and anything a candidate says is twisted by someone into ugly. People look for reasons to be offended and work pretty hard at it.
It couldn’t have always been like this, could it?
May 13th, 2008 at 6:35 am
I wonder which side William Ayers falls on. Obama should be careful, he’s dropping friends like crazy.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Its worse now. In the Iraq war, soldiers actually sign up to kill innocents and collaborate with a war crime.
I was against the Nazi invasion of Poland, but I supported the Nazi troops who were just doing their job.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Jimmy, do you have ANY evidence of people signing up in order to kill innocents? If so, why not offer it? Because otherwise this is total dreck.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I thought the Bush administration has killed over 600,000 innocent people in Iraq? Some have even said its over 1 million by now. Someone is pulling the triggers and dropping the bombs, and it ain’t the “commander guy.”
There is no draft, so everyone fighting in Iraq today – obeying orders from their superiors to commit war crimes – have volunteered.
Remember, the occupation itself is a war-crime. Bush should be brought up on charges for invading Iraq. Every civilian death is a murder by the Bushitler regime. Therefore, every soldier who has participated in the invasion, occupation, or killing of civilians in Iraq is an active, willful participant in the perpetration of a war crime. At least, according to the Nuremberg precedent and the Geneva conventions.
Don’t even mention the hundreds-of-thousands of Iraqis who signed up to fight along side Americans, even taking orders from them. They are all collaborators to a genocide of their own people. Right?