1. Bush would have been proud to serve

2. On Meet the Press in 2004 Bush Junior told Tim Russert that while serving in the National Guard, if called up for combat duty he would have been proud to serve.

3. Apparently if his country needed him to fight in Vietnam he would have been proud to do so.

4. In the National Guard his chances of being called up for active battle duty were slim to none. Only 8500 National Guard were used in that entire conflict.

5. This is not to denigrate those brave National Guardsmen who fought and died in Vietnam. My prayers are with them.

6. The question is why did he take such a passive role in serving his country when he had the UNIQUE position of having a father who was a Congressman of the State he which he lived.

7. Why didn’t he use his UNIQUE position as the son of someone influential to actively pursue a COMBAT position in one of the other branches of the military?

8. His Father in speeches lashed out at those who were protesters and shirkers.

9. I don’t really care about Bush’s records that indicate he may have been A.W.O.L. or Kerry’s record about whether he deserved his Medals; I hope we can leave that for another thread.

10. I know Bush Junior flew Jets in the Guard and I believe that’s an accomplishment.

11. And on Meet the Press he appeared proud of his Guard Duty.

But to say that you are a proud patriot and would have been proud to serve in the war, when you’re young able and capable, and when you’re country needs you makes me wonder. His country needed him, and because of his father’s connections he had the unique clout to serve his country in a forward combat position, even if it meant joining or re-joining another branch of the military. Where was the courage to make that happen? Why didn’t his sense of duty make that happen

Yes it is.

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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

Let's not fool ourselves in thinking that our country needed Bush Jr during the Vietnam conflict. His country didn't need him. What America needed was to either win that war in a couple years or get out.

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lambaste me not

From Bush's perspective back then, all he saw was that the USA was fighting commies in Nam. He said "he would have been proud to serve" on meet the press in 2004, so apparently he wasn't thinking about the larger perspective of whether the country needed to win the war back then and get out. Why didn't the one who was so proud to serve in Nam make it his business to do so. Where was the courage and sense of duty to his country? Why didn't he use his father's clout as a Texas Congressman to re-enlist in the Air force ,Army or Marines and use his skills to help out his county during a time of need?

How many of you would be proud to stop the ethnic cleansing in Sudan?

It's within your power. If you're reading this, you have enough resources to get yourself over there.

Well?

You would be proud to stop the ethnic cleansing in Sudan, wouldn't you? Why don't you?

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What have you done for your people today?

That makes more sense to me. It takes Bush's point of view into account. He thought the war was just, so where was his courage to fight a just war? Good question. But, his country didn't need him. The war was in fact not just at all, after a time. His country needed to get out.

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lambaste me not

What in the world are you talking about?

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lambaste me not

...which words are unfamiliar?

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What have you done for your people today?

Makes sense to me...