Should Military Service be a Presidential Prerequisite?

Should Military Service be a Presidential Prerequisite?

(EXCERPT) By Doug Patton November 3, 2003

Must a candidate for President of the United States have active duty
military experience, preferably in combat, in order to be a qualified
commander-in-chief?

That argument is being floated by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who
is struggling to find a way to stop the juggernaut of his fellow
liberal New Englander, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, in their race
for the White House.

Of the nine Democrats now actively seeking the presidency, only Kerry
and retired Gen. Wesley Clark have served in the military - Kerry in
the Navy and Clark in the Army. Both are decorated veterans of the
Vietnam War; both genuine heroes wounded in battle in the only war the
United States ever lost.

During a recent debate, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman took Kerry to
task for voting for the war, then flip-flopping by vowing to vote
against the financial support needed to support the troops in the
field. Kerry's response was a condescending one: "Well, Joe, I have
seared into me experiences that you don't have...that of being one of
those troops on the front lines."

Clark's meteoric rise in the polls, followed immediately by his
inability to define himself to a very left-leaning co...

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The American War Library
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