I'm not buying Texas Gov. Rick Perry's contention that he is more "military" than President Obama. Yes, Mr. Obama was a community organizer, and he did not serve a tour of duty in any of the U.S. armed forces. And yes, Capt. Perry flew Air Force C-130 transport planes. By the way, thank you for your service, Governor.
Still, there's nothing more "military" than being the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Coast Guard. You head all five branches at once, and you deal daily with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon and assorted military advisors.
You make decisions that send thousands of men and women into harm's way. You also make other life-and-death decisions that far exceed a pilot's responsibilities to a C-130 flight crew or squadron. For example, you give the final go/no-go decision on whether or not to invade a supposed ally's airspace and territory to kill or capture a major leader of international terrorism. You try to convince allies to stay the course as you wind down two unpopular wars you inherited mid-battle. You make repeated trips to Dover Air Force Base to witness and salute the flag-covered coffins coming home from combat operations and overseas accidents. You try to comfort the families of those who lost sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers or sisters in operations that you okayed. And you try to decide which defense programs or military operations should continue and which can be curtained to meet both dwindling economic resources and dwindling political and popular support. Oh, and you stay prepared to launch nuclear-tippped missiles in response to an attack on the United States or key allies.
In my view, President Barack Obama has now garnered one hell of a lot more overall military experience than any ex-C-130 pilot currently seeking the Republican nomination.
-- Si Dunn
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