The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Worst VP Pick Since Tom Eagleton?

Posted on | August 8, 2024 | Comments Off on Worst VP Pick Since Tom Eagleton?

Kamala Harris has been the designated Democratic candidate for barely two weeks, and she’s already screwed the pooch with her first major campaign decision, the choice of Tim Walz as her running mate. I’m sitting here with my office TV tuned to CNN, and everything right now is all about Walz’s disputed military service record.

THIS IS NOT A GOOD MESSAGE DAY FOR KAMALA.

Far be it from me to pretend any expertise in what does or does not constitute “stolen valor,” but it seems clear that at times, Walz has misrepresented or embellished his record, which is unfortunate, because his actual record is nothing to be ashamed of. He did 24 years in the National Guard, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant (E8) and, at one point, served temporarily as Command Sergeant Major (E9), although he did not complete the training necessary to obtain E9 status.

Then there’s the thing about him retiring from the Guard just weeks before his unit deployed to Iraq and the fact that, whether or not Walz himself claimed to be a “combat veteran,” he didn’t make a point to deny that misleading portrayal of his service. There will be lots of back-and-forth over all this, and CNN is currently running with the idea that Republicans are “attacking” Walz’s service, which is itself misleading. Nobody is denying that Walz served honorably; the issue is whether he misled the public about his service. That may not seem like a big deal to most civilians, but let me give you an example of why it matters.

As regular readers know, my son is in the Army, and has twice completed the Best Ranger Competition. He spent years training Rangers at Camp Merrill (“Mountain Phase”). Despite that, my son doesn’t call himself a “Ranger” (and corrects anyone who erroneously refers to him as such), because that title is reserved to members of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Earning the Ranger tab is a worthy achievement, but there have been instances where former soldiers seeking political office have made the mistake of calling themselves “Rangers” (because they finished Ranger School) when they never served in the 75th — and that’s deeply offensive to veterans of the 75th. So while we civilians may think the difference between E8 and E9 is insignificant, and as for Walz’s . . . Well, his indifference to whether he was perceived as a combat veteran, some civilians may not understand why that’s problematic, but it is.

CNN is trying to defend Walz on this, but the thing about politics is, if you’re playing defense, you’re losing, and the Democrats are losing this week, whether they are willing to admit or not.



 

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Category: Tim Walz

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