Quick Quiz : Identify the pattern (part 1)

[Cyrus]

Look carefully at the data and see if you can identify a pattern there. Make no mistake, this is not an easy quiz! And, yes, there is a pattern!

But few people in America seem to have caught it.

Notable Republicans

Dennis Hastert: did not serve.

Tom Delay: did not serve.

Roy Blunt: did not serve.

Bill Frist: did not serve.

Mitch McConnell: did not serve.

Rick Santorum: did not serve.

Trent Lott: did not serve.

Dick Cheney: did not serve.

John Ashcroft: did not serve.

Jeb Bush: did not serve.

Karl Rove: did not serve.

Saxby Chambliss: did not serve.

Vin Weber: did not serve.

Richard Perle: did not serve.

Douglas Feith: did not serve.

Eliot Abrams: did not serve.

Richard Shelby: did not serve.

Jon Kyl: did not serve.

Tim Hutchison: did not serve.

Christopher Cox: did not serve.

Newt Gingrich: did not serve.

Phil Gramm: did not serve.

Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.

John M. McHugh: did not serve.

J C Watts: did not serve.

Jack Kemp: did not serve.

Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.

George Pataki: did not serve.

Spencer Abraham: did not serve.

John Engler: did not serve.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.

Antonin Scalia: did not serve.

Clarence Thomas: did not serve.


Respectable Pundits & Preachers

Sean Hannity: did not serve.

Rush Limbaugh: did not serve

Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.

Michael Savage: did not serve.

George Will: did not serve.
.
Paul Gigot: did not serve.

Bill Bennett: did not serve.

Pat Buchanan: did not serve.

John Wayne: did not serve.

Bill Kristol: did not serve.

Kenneth Starr: did not serve.

Ralph Reed: did not serve.

Michael Medved: did not serve.

Charlie Daniels: did not serve.

Ted Nugent: did not serve.

[The once and future king]

Can you give me a clue?

[Cyrus]

If you identified the pattern in QUIZ #1, congratulations! You are obviously capable of taking on QUIZ #2.

This one is a doozey, so try your best.

Good luck, punters!

Notable Democrats:

Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.

David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.

Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.

Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.

Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.

Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, WWII.

Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.

Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.

Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-1953.

Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.

Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.

Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.

Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal.

Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.

Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.

Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.

Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.

Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57

Chuck Robb: Vietnam

Howell Heflin: Silver Star

George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.

Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.

Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953

John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.

[elwoodblues]

[ QUOTE ]
Respectable Pundits & Preachers ...
Ted Nugent

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that's good humor.

[Cyrus]

"Can you give me a clue?"

Yellow submarine would've fit right in.

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[IrishHand]

Other than showing that some Republicans didn't serve in the military and some Democrats did, does this thread serve any purpose or is it simply an exercise in pointing out the obvious?

Also, on a related note - one of my best friends (no military experience) asked me recently whether I thought it made a difference whether a candidate had served in the military in terms of his appeal as a politician. I was curious what others thought about this topic.

Irish

[Clarkmeister]

"I thought it made a difference whether a candidate had served in the military in terms of his appeal as a politician. I was curious what others thought about this topic."

I think it only matters so much right now because the specific reason this generation of candidates would have been in the armed services is Vietnam, and the reasons that some did or did not get into the military becomes more relevant.

[GWB]

The pattern is:

Someone sat down and searched through thousands of Republicans to find the few who did not serve.

People who served their country, like me /images/graemlins/grin.gif, were not included in the list.

I'm sure an even longer list of non-serving Democrats could be made, and what about a list of Democrats who actively protested against, attacked and slandered our troops? Another long list.

[nicky g]

I'm curious = were Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld in the military?

[Zeno]

Stick to Chess Cyrus.

-Zeno

[adios]

My understanding:

Wolfowitz = no

Rumsfeld = yes but many criticize him for not being in the military during the Korean war. He joined the Navy btw.

[sameoldsht]

Which of the radical linguini spined, liberal hatchet men web sites did you get this from?

[sfer]

Hey Cyrus, I'm a registered Dem but your comparison is a little unfair. It looks like the average Dem age is like half a generation older, so more of them would have served just from having lived through a mandatory draft period during the cold war.

Also, Mr. Nugent must be a milita member somewhere.

[nicky g]

Thanks.

[adios]

Pat Buchanan: did not serve.

Uh he was totally opposed to the war in Iraq and as far as I can tell, opposed to almost any war.

and you left out Ollie North.

Cyrus you may have a very good point but your style doesn't get it for making the point I think you're trying to make. Go back and do this right /images/graemlins/smile.gif. Also I'd point out that if all these guys had a military background you'd be screaming that the U.S. is run as a military dictatorship. For example what would you be saying if Ollie North was president? There's plenty of ex-military folks who support the Iraq war strongly.

[nothumb]

Actually, last I heard, the Nuge is an elected sheriff somewhere in Michigan. Yes, Ted Nugent is in law enforcement. I suppose his first act will be to investigate himself for adopting a 17-year-old Hawaiian girl so he could snog her... /images/graemlins/blush.gif

I agree this list is kind of dumb, because Democrats never made a big deal out of their war records until they ran up against a war-mongering Republican with a questionable military record. Sort of stole a standard Republican strategy, actually, and while it is hard not to hit them full-force for their ludicrous hypocrisy on war and military service, it's sort of like Urkel picking a fight with Mr T because Mr. T sprained his ankle. He's still got the A-Team, and they're used to this isht.

That said, I think Kerry could snuff Bush in a second, and I think that would be the best way to hold the debates. In loincloths, with a bottle of Jack Daniels and some big rocks.

NT

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
...... and I think that would be the best way to hold the debates. In loincloths, with a bottle of Jack Daniels and some big rocks.


[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif


Glad you are back Nothumb!

-Zeno

[andyfox]

"what about a list of Democrats who actively protested against, attacked and slandered our troops?"

I'd be curious to see a list of Democrats who protested against our troops; who attacked our troops; or who slandered our troops.

It's interesting that in the endless discussions and analysis of Kerry's statements and anti-war activities, nobody is concerned about the actual policies of our government in Vietnam, only about the criticism of them. The fact that millions died because our government lied to us isn't of as much concern as parsing Kerry's statements.

[astroglide]

My daddy was a prominent frogman
My mamma's in the Naval reserve
When I was young I carried a gun
But I never got the chance to serve
I did not serve.

[elwoodblues]

Like Norm Coleman...oh wait, he's a Republican.

[Utah]

[ QUOTE ]

But few people in America seem to have caught it.

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Its simply that people dont give a flying @#$! Most people are smart enough to realize that "serving" has no bearing on ones ability to wage war or to support a war. Hell. even the wackjobs on the left realized this when they supported Clinton.

[MMMMMM]

Premises:

1) The Republicans listed did not serve

2) The Democrats listed did serve

Based on the the above, which of the two groups is likely to be smarter (on average), the listed Republicans or the listed Democrats?


Extra Credit Question: Which is better, to have smarter people or slightly less smart people leading us in wartime and/or in strategic matters?

[andyfox]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You know I love you, Cyrus.

[Easy E]

[ QUOTE ]
Premises:

1) The Republicans listed did not serve

2) The Democrats listed did serve

Based on the the above, which of the two groups is likely to be smarter (on average), the listed Republicans or the listed Democrats?


Extra Credit Question: Which is better, to have smarter people or slightly less smart people leading us in wartime and/or in strategic matters?

[/ QUOTE ]


A) If you served, you're a moron

B) Being a good politician isn't related to serving others, it's.... to serve yourself

C) It's better to... vote for selfish people


Do I win a prize?

[MMMMMM]

I'm saying that ON AVERAGE (and especially during the Vietnam era) a lot of brighter people managed to avoid serving, in one way or another.

I do have respect for those who served, and for those who currently serve. And I think that service-minded people would be great to have in many elected capacities.

However for Commander-In-Chief, or in positions of great strategic importance, I want someone who is a cunning strategic competitor, most especially during wartime.

Carter may well have been the brightest recent President but he appears to have been a poor and non-cunning strategic competitor, IMO. Nixon would have likely cleaned him out in a poker game. A tough game theorist (with similar strategic or military advisors) is what we need right now (due in large part to the challenges of global terrorism, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, etc.)

[Easy E]

You're not saying that BUSH is this TGT, are you?

Mind you, I'm not saying Kerry is either.

[IrishHand]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm saying that ON AVERAGE (and especially during the Vietnam era) a lot of brighter people managed to avoid serving, in one way or another.

[/ QUOTE ]
Your logic is about as logical as Cyrus' "some Dems served, some Repubs didn't" argument. Yes, lots of bright people managed to avoid the draft. Lots of dumb people did as well. Also, lots of bright people served in Vietnam. Lots of dumb people did as well. Is there a point to this? I trust you're not going to argue that the smarter people managed to get out of serving at a higher rate than dumber people unless you have some evidence to support that. More importantly, it's quite sad that it seems you'd view getting out of service as a possible virtue in a politician.

[Abednego]

This means that Michael Moore is a Republican?

[MMMMMM]

No, I'm not--though I do think he is a tougher strategist or competitor than most people give him credit for.

[MMMMMM]

I can hypothesize without offering evidence. Also, I did not say that I would view getting out of service as a virtue in a politician.

[Cyrus]

Sleep is for pussies.

(OK, I actually copied & pasted this from an e-mail. But I'll brag anyway.)

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[nothumb]

[ QUOTE ]
Carter may well have been the brightest recent President

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you have to give serious consideration to Clinton for this one, as much as a lot of you guys will hate to do it.

Aside from if 'bright' means not poking the chunky chick who brings in the mail and giving opportunist attack dogs an opportunity to draw the attention of the country away from anything important for a full year... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

The reason I say this, too, is that Clinton was a very strong strategist, especially politically, on top of being a really sharp guy. If he could just kick the cheeseburgers and the fat chicks he'd be a juggernaut.

BTW, the NY Times today had an article on fraudulent copies of Clinton's memoir on sale for like 5 bucks in China. One of the young men I work with pointed out that this was evidence that Clinton was indeed the first black president, because "They even bootleg that nigga's biography!" Who knew Clinton had so much in common with Tupac?

NT

[MMMMMM]

No doubt, Clinton is very bright.

[Cyrus]

and that the people should elect the *smart* candidate, i.e. a candidate who has the "ability" to weasel out of serving his country and, in general, to avoid anything personally onerous.

This is brilliant. You would actually sink to this, in order to defend your preferred candidate! I guess if George W Bush was to announce tomorrow the nationalisation of all banking institutions in America, you would manage to find an excuse for that too, something to do probably with "the President's long-term vision".

But why am I surprised? You are the guy that proclaims, with a straight face, that George W Bush is a "tough game theorist"!..

/images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[MMMMMM]

Please.

[Cyrus]

"Other than showing that some Republicans didn't serve in the military and some Democrats did, does this thread serve any purpose or is it simply an exercise in pointing out the obvious?"

A. Pointing out the obvious seems to be necessary in our day and age. This is the age of FoxNews, after all, where the obvious is distorted and the fantastic is mainstream.

B. This is not about "some" Democrats and "some" Republicans. This is about the gigantic hypocrisy of the Republican chickenhawks: They are hawks in the talk but chicken in the walk.

People like Republican John McCain (not included in my list so as not to break the harmony /images/graemlins/smirk.gif) are the exception to the rule.

"One of my best friends (no military experience) asked me recently whether I thought it made a difference whether a candidate had served in the military in terms of his appeal as a politician."

Yes and no, IMHO. America's post-World War II presidents had all served and some of them quite bravely, even after accounting for a politician's inflation of his record. It was helpful to have at the helm someone who has been close to combat (and death) at a time of the Cold War, when global death was threatened.

...Until Bill Clinton. But then Clinton turned out to be one smart cookie! His performance at the helm of economic policy, for instance, is being sorely missed nowdays by anyone not blinded and deafened by the FoxNews crap barrage.