From: jcburt@cs.wm.edu (John Burton)
Subject: Re: Commander in Chief Clinton ?
Organization: The College of William and Mary
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 12:47:00 GMT

In article <3833@eastman.UUCP> pawlicki@kodak.com writes:
>
>
>	One thing is nearly certain. During the next four years the
>president of the United States will have to call on young men and
>women in the military to fight and die. We all hope and pray that this
>does not happen, but only a reckless fool would refuse to consider it
>as a real possibility. It is entirely likely that the cause they are
>asked defend will be a questionable one. After all, Presidents and
>Congresses have been known to make mistakes.
>	So, who do you want to be asking your children to march off to
>war and not return? Do you want the man who, when it was his turn to
>go, weaseled out by running off to England?  Or do you want the man
>who flew off the aircraft carrier wondering if he would ever return? Do
>you want the man who meditated on his future political viability while
>in a comfy dorm room at Oxford?  Or do you want the man who was
>wondering about the value of war while floating in the Pacific Ocean
>after being shot down?  
>	The President of the United States has to have the moral
>authority to lead the military. He is, first and foremost, the
>Commander in Chief of the most powerful army the world has ever know.
>If Gov. Clinton is elected, every soldier who is asked to fight and
>die will have the right to say : "HE DIDN'T GO WHEN HE WAS CALLED, WHY
>SHOULD I?" Any notion of self-sacrifice in the name of duty will have
>to be compleatly abandoned. While Gov. Clinton may be a fine
>administrator, a great speaker, and a good politician, he lacks the
>moral authority to be Commander in Chief. He can still be patriotic,
>he can still love his country, he can still serve in politics; but the
>moral authority to ask someone to die is purchased with actions, not
>with talk.

I guess that F.D.R. and Herbert Hoover did not have the moral
authority to ask American troops to go to war (if you recall your
history lessons, neither of these great leaders were ever in the
military service). I guess this means that all the women in the
U.S. are not fit to be President because *they* never were allowed
in combat.

>	Before you fire up your flame throwers, take some time and ask
>yourself how you would really feel if Gov. Clinton told you that your
>child (or you) had to go and die for this county? 
>

Okay, I've thought about it...I'd prefer to have someone who has the
courage to stand up for what is right, and someone who would think
long and hard about what the options are BEFORE committing our troops
to war. It took *real* moral courage on the part of Bush to circumvent
international laws and invade Panama (a soverign country) for the
sole purpose of kidnapping its leader? GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Perhaps
we should do the same to say Iraq, or perhaps China, or...
get the picture? If some country came in and kidnapped OUR president
there would be such an outcry, and probably a declaration of war.
But since it was us that did the invading and Panama was basically
powerless to object, that makes it alright????? This sounds a lot
like "might makes right".

To get back to the point, I would prefer a President that DID NOT
use the military EXCEPT under the most extreme circumstances. Instead
what we have now is a president who is more than willing to use the 
military to force HIS ideas of world order down the throats of the
rest of the world. yeah, Panama was *really* a threat to the
security of the US...they were poised and ready to invade and
take over our country...

BTW: I thought the concept in the military was to "die for your
     COUNTRY", not "die for your president". I'll gladly die defending
     my home and my country. I WILL NOT gladly die for a president
     who uses the military to cover up HIS mistakes. (sending money
     to Iraq despite warnings from all sides about what the money
     was being used for, and once Kuwait gets invaded saying "Oops,
     guess buying Sadam didn't work, now I'll have to use the
     military....")

Yeah, I'm patriotic, to my country, NOT the president...