President Biden: The NEW one and only politics thread

Wow. Thank you, Mayor Giles. It's so good to hear an unapologetic Republican speak truth to recent events and issues with regard to his party.

 

“Willie is the short Black guy living in San Francisco,” Holden said. “I’m a tall Black guy living in Los Angeles.

“I guess we all look alike,” Holden told POLITICO, letting out a loud laugh.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/09/trump-plane-crash-california-00173487

 

I’m unclear why a vague notice, or even a more concrete notice, would matter if someone wanted to retire after 24 years of service. He certainly went above and beyond his duty. And wanted to continue to serve in Congress. At 42 he was going for a new job that was more age appropriate.

I’m certainly not agitated with you BTE. This type of stuff particularly irks me. I don’t like Vance but would never disrespect his service. I haven’t with any republican. The stuff trump said about McCain still makes me angry. And I certainly didn’t agree with McCain politically.

Lots of military in my close family. This stuff has always bugged me.

The party that claims to be the most pro-military disrespects it in a foul manner frequently if a candidate happens to be a democrat.

 

They played the Judy Collins version of “Send in the Clowns” earlier. No joke.

 

That timeline got me to wondering whether he had intended to retire at the 20-year mark but stuck around longer after 9-11. Looks like that’s just what happened.

(Apparently NPR links are hosed again on this board, because it would not let me post the source article.)

 

Kerry received two Silver Stars. Walz served 24 years. Fuck those guys attacking them.

 

He has/had every right to retire when he wanted to and to start his next career at a time he saw fit. BUT . . .

he was asked point blank at that time what the possible deployment meant for his campaign, and he said he had a responsibility to lead his unit and serve if the unit was called up. Made absolutely no mention that he was intending to retire soon (he was signed up until 2007). And yet, two months later, he did retire.

It just . . . stinks. Like he was playing the good soldier to boost his credentials as a patriotic, gung-ho candidate.

If, as MC posted earlier, military retirement is somewhat complicated and takes months, he had to have put the wheels in motion right after that notice arrived. And I don't blame him for possibly thinking, "there goes another 6-18 months" and being indefinitely on hold until the call-up came and deciding to bail. But it is red meat for the other side.

 

Playing the good soldier for 24 years?

 

Playing the good soldier to the press while (seemingly) knowing privately that he was done.

 

I’ve seen grasping at straws, but defending calls of Walz being a coward because maybe at some point at an undefined later date there might be a possible call up is really grasping. The vague notice isn’t the reason Walz retired. Not a chance he hurries through that in two months. He knew well before then. And be still served 24 years longer than bone spurs. And Vance is younger than me and I turned 18 a week before 9/11. Why didn’t he go to Iraq or Afghanistan? Did he choose an easy career path to avoid deployment? That question is just as dumb as suggesting Walz peaced out two months after a nonspecific notice.

 

Fine. He knew "well before then" he was going to retire.

Then why not say so when people are asking how the deployment notice will affect his candidacy?

"It won't affect my candidacy, because I'm in the process of retiring."

Is it that hard?

 

Everything after your “BUT”in the first graph just becomes speculation and garbage. Politics, of course. I get it. But should he serve until 50? 60? How about 70?

One of my closest friends felt the call to enlist in the Army right after 9/11. He was 29 and absolutely ancient to enlist at that age. He served honorably for four years. Then returned to civilian life. I don’t think anyone is mad he left at 34. I guess because he became a mortgage broker instead of a Congressman.

Nothing more from me. Just a particular issue that I find disgusting.