John Edwards and His PC Flip Flop

August 11, 2007

Following in the footsteps of John ‘F’in Kerry (who it is said served in Viet Nam at one time), John Edwards, who never ceases to amaze me with his pandering and slick attorney antics, today flipped on a long held flop for the nation.

President Bush’s newly appointed War Czar, Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute recently said that considering reinstating a Military Draft made sense to him. Our country has been without a Military Draft since President Nixon abolished in 1973.

President Bush has consistently made it clear he feels a draft is unnecessary.

This didn’t stop the Breck Girl, former Democrat Senator from North Carolina, failed V.P. candidate along with Kerry, presidential hopeful and ambulance chaser extraordinaire from stating today, "Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute's recent statement that the Bush Administration is considering a draft reveals the true danger of the Administration's breathtaking failures in Iraq and around the world.” He falsely adds, “President Bush is floating the idea of a draft that would send more young Americans to Iraq.”

Well, we know that when it comes to campaigning, Democrats often experience difficulties in the area of their personal integrity to pander for votes and Edwards has never been one to miss a chance at bashing the current President. However, Edwards’s prevarications aren’t the issue here but his flip-flopping is.

In his press release, he continues, "I call on all Members of Congress - Republican, Democrat, and Independent - to speak with one voice, and say 'no' to a draft.”

Maybe Edward’s has forgotten that to date, the only actual proposals for reinstating a Military Draft have come from fellow Democrats, John Conyers and Charlie Rangel, which was soundly defeated by members of both party’s.

Perhaps too, Edward’s forgot his own words recorded on May 21, 2007 when explaining his own plan to end the Iraq Conflict said, "One of the things we ought to be thinking about is some level of mandatory service to our country, so that everybody in America _ not just the poor kids who get sent to war _ are serving this country."

Granted, he did not use the term “Military Draft,” but he clarifies his call a few words later when he continued, "We have people from all walks of life in America who are serving, including Reservists and National Guard. What we want to do is to have all Americans to have a chance to serve their country."

Even with this flip-flop now recorded, I am particularly struck with his call of “all Americans to have a chance to serve their country.” What strikes me about that is during the failed Kerry/Edwards campaign of 2004, in an interview with Katie Couric where he spent the time bashing over 250 Highly Viet Nam Combat Veterans who vocally opposed his running mate, he was asked about his own service. To which he replied, “I - I did not serve in the military.”

Truthful enough, until he continued a little. Asked about his draft number being high, he replied, “I did, and I came after - after the time that they were actually drafting from the lottery.”

Not quite accurate, Johnny boy. According to public records of the Selective Service from the period, his lottery number was 178, lower than that of about half of those drafted that year. His claim of coming after the draft is also a tad less than honest as that year the Military drafted 49,514 men along with 646 men born the same year as Edwards, before Nixon finally abolished the draft later that year.

I see just another Kerry moment for the former Senator. He was for a draft before he opposed it. No wait, he didn’t ever say he was for a draft. No, he used a more politically correct term of “mandatory service to our country.”

I’ll be interested in seeing if the media picks up on this and reports it.

Don’t worry; I’m not going to hold my breath.

Lew