chickenhawks

UPDATE: As I guessed, Prince Harry is being withdrawn now that the press has let the cat out of the bag that he is over there.

Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, wanted to go Iraq when the unit he was serving in was deployed. He wanted to do his duty. They didn't let him because of the danger.

But it turns out, he has actually been serving in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban.

I am no big fan of Royalty, and Brit Royalty in particular seem a bit silly. But right now, America, with a VP and most of the Republican Party that are chickenhawks, and a President that is not only a chickenhawk but went AWOL from his cushy non-combat position daddy Bush landed him, I have to tip my hat to the British Royal Family. They put themselves on the line where their nation's aggression goes...and they always have.

From BBC news:

Prince Harry has been fighting the Taleban on the front line in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Harry, 23, who is third in line to the throne, has spent the last 10 weeks serving in Helmand Province.

Rush Limbaugh, the Republican Chickenhawk who ducked out of Vietnam duty because of boils on his ass, took on the organization VoteVets.org, calling them "fake soldiers."

Well, here are some responses from real soldiers.

Isn't it time Rush Limbaugh just shut up.

Well, we already know that Rudy Giuliani screwed New York's firefighters and bears some responsibility for the deaths of so many brave firefighters on 9/11 and the poisoning of many others in the weeks afterwards.

We already know that Mitt Romney is a flip flopping opportunist who openly supports torture.

But both Rudy and Mitt are also chickenhawks in the shameful tradition of Bush, Cheney and the vast majority of hawkish Republicans. McCain, though his record on Veterans issues sucks, is certainly exempt from the "chickenhawk" accusation. But Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are cowards who evaded service every way they could, but demand that others serve...and are willing to insult real Veterans in the process.

Chickenhawk: A politician whose hawkishness and willingness to put soldiers' lives on the line is matched only by their desperation to avoid military service themselves.

This was covered in Salon.com last week, but only now getting around to covering it.

(image and quote below from Salon.com)

Consider Giuliani...He never hesitates to suggest that politicians with differing opinions simply lack guts. When he spoke at the 2004 Republican convention, he gleefully insinuated that Democratic nominee John Kerry lacked the fortitude to combat terrorism. Now he denigrates the supposedly spineless Democrats running for president in 2008.

Prince Harry is going to Iraq.

I am no big fan of Royalty, and Brit Royalty in particular seem a bit silly. But right now, America, with a VP and most of the Republican Party that are chickenhawks, and a President that is not only a chickenhawk but went AWOL from his cushy non-combat position daddy Bush landed him, I have to tip my hat to the British Royal Family. They put themselves on the line where their nation's aggression goes...and they always have.

From BBC news:

Prince Harry will be deployed to Iraq with his regiment, the head of the British army has said...

Clarence House and the MoD confirmed the prince would be sent to Iraq with his regiment, the Blues and Royals, saying he would take on a "normal troop commander's role" rather than a desk job.

Wow...a nation whose leaders actually SERVED in war. Bush crawled away in a drunken stupor and pissed himself (or a police car) rather than serve. Wait...let's see how Bush really served his country:

Just about the entire Republican Party leadership are chickenhawks who never dreamed of serving their nation. At least Democrats elected a whole slew of combat veterans in 2006 to show that we respect and admire our troops.