Good news if you’re a lawyer; bad news if you care about national security

I mentioned this during the campaign. Odd how in 2004 Bush and Cheney’s military records became a central focus of Democrats who thought that, for once, they had a “war hero” on their ticket. Bush’s “mere” Air National Guard service and Cheney’s draft deferments became for the Democrats the single-best measure of character. Until Kerry was exposed by the Swifties for the blow-hard opportunist that he is. Edwards’ lack of military service was conveniently buried. Of course, when Bill Clinton, who had avoided even National Guard service by prevarications to the draft board (what, Bill Clinton prevaricate?), was running against two decorated war heroes in 1992 (George H.W. Bush) and 1996 (Robert Dole), even to mention military service was regarded by Democrats as the depth of perfidy and lack of character. Democrats “explained” the difference by claiming that, in ‘92 and ‘96, there was no war (Bosnia notwithstanding). Once a war starts, the candidates’ military records become crucial (even for the incumbent who had been guiding the war effort already).

In 2008, with another Republican decorated war hero running for Commander-in-Chief against Democrats with non-existent military background, the Democrats and the media reverted to 1990s form. Odd, that, since the same war conditions on which they had relied in 2004 to trumpet Kerry’s allegedly superior military brilliance was still ongoing. Any mention of Obama’s (and Hillary’s, Edwards’s, and, later, Biden’s) lack of military experience was unfair and probably racist. Indeed, Leftie Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa (whose own attacks on the military record of W had come to naught in 2004 when it was discovered he had vastly exaggerated his Vietnam “war” experiences), opined that it was better to have someone like Obama than McCain, who would be too set in a military way of thinking. The media’s obsession in 2004 with Cheney’s five draft deferments gave way to utter silence about foreign relations and national security “specialist” Joe Biden’s—five draft deferments. Hillary was ridiculed by the press for her explanation that she visited a recruitment office once in her 30s and thought of joining, but was dissuaded by the recruiter. Right. But the reason the press pilloried her was because by then they had all gone in the tank for The One.

Now it turns out that the Community organizer-in-Chief has no use for people with a military background (except as Defense Secretary and as head of veteran’s affairs). Obama’s high level appointees come predominantly from law schools, not the military. Given the administration’s approach to fighting “lawfare,” as the transnational legal elites nesting in our law schools favor, this is not a surprise. But it is not good news for Americans; of course, our enemies may feel relief, which will raise America’s standing abroad. After all, isn’t the President’s job under the Constitution is to make sure that the world feel good about the U.S., even if that may reduce the quality of life—or life itself—for Americans? That’s got to be somewhere in the penumbras of Article II and discoverable by a judge with the proper empathy for those who have long suffered from American power and over-consumption.