Whoever first uttered the phrase "With All Due Respect" deserves to have a statue erected in their honor, paid for by right wing front groups like Vets for Freedom. How else could folks like David Bellavia, founder of said casino-funded attack group give himself a get out of jail free card for impugning Chuck Hagel's Vietnam service?
Bellavia was on C-SPAN's Washington Journal this morning saying how he would never trash any veteran's service, and subsequently commencing to trash Hagel's service:
You don't question another man's service. I would never attack a Vietnam veteran like some other individuals have during this political season - I think that's absolutely ridiculous. But, with all due respect, your 50 years of Middle East experience, just spend 15 minutes in Iraq you can bring yourself up to speed... Senator Hagel has never been shot at in Iraq, doesn't know what an IED looks like, has never been detonated on... my problem with Sen. Hagel is, again, his experienced is based on what? The Mekong Delta.
(Video at ThinkProgress)
For the record, I don't think questioning the relevance of someone's military service is the ultimate slaying of a sacred cow that many do. When Wes Clark said that John McCain's being shot down in Vietnam does not make him qualified to be president, he was right. When David Bellavia says in this video below that Iraq is a different conflict than the one Hagel was in, he's not totally off base, though his insinuation that we can learn nothing about Iraq from Vietnam encapsulates perfectly just how deep into their colons the GOP's heads are when it comes to conducting a war. Still, this would not be anywhere near as absurd if Bellavia's organization didn't get in such a tizzy about Clark's comments a few weeks back. Here's their open letter to Gen. Clark demanding an apology:
30 JUNE 2008
Dear General Clark,
Yesterday you appeared on CBS "Face the Nation" and made strong statements regarding Senator John McCain and his military service. Amongst other things, you claimed Sen. McCain "hasn’t held executive responsibility" and you criticized him because he didn’t command a "wartime [Navy] Squadron."
You then claimed, in reference to war, that Sen. McCain "hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall" and concluded your political hatchet job with "I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President." Even the show’s host, Bob Schieffer, let out a puzzled "really?" at the conclusion of your assertions.
Frankly General, you should know better. As a previous Commander of U.S. troops in harm’s way, you should take serious pause in disparaging the service record of a fellow decorated veteran. Even worse, your arrogant and careless words undercut the credibility of all those who served and continue to serve, in wartime and peacetime.
Indeed, a few cursory Find and Replaces in Microsoft Word and Pete Hegseth, the other VFF founder who wrote this letter, could just print it out, knock on Bellavia's office next door and pop it on his desk.
I'm not counting on that happening, but if there's any message I'd like to get to Bellavia and the rest of the chorus or crickets who constantly chirp that McCain's service in Vietnam is evidence of his presidential mettle on all things national security, it's that the premise is "based to Vietnam, a totally different fight, a totally different enemy, and by the way, it was 30 years ago."
How can that apply to Hagel and not to McCain? Clearly, Vets for Freedom are not equal-opportunity based impugners, and we should all email them at info@vetsforfreedom.org to say thanks for giving us new talking points about McCain's service's relevance with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan.