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Does being the President mean you have served in the US Military

Is being POTUS military service


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TurtleDude

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Easy poll. DOes being POTUS entitle you to claim you have served in the military because the president is the commander in chief?
 
No. Being C-in-C OF the military does not mean you are IN the military. Likewise, there are a lot of civilians who work FOR the military but they are not IN the military.

I feel like there is some sort of agenda to this poll but I can't for the life of me figure out what it might be.
 
Emphatically not. We have explicitly civilian control of the military for good reason.
 
Easy poll. DOes being POTUS entitle you to claim you have served in the military because the president is the commander in chief?

This has "trap thread" written all over it. I'm going to go ahead and guess that some pundit, low level aide or local politician claimed he did, though it's just crazy enough for Biden to have claimed. No way would Obama have been stupid enough to say it, though.

Do I win anything?
 
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No, I wouldn't really consider being president to be military service.
 
Obviously not. Whats the point of the poll?

on another thread someone was whining about Romney's lack of military service so we noted that they must have voted for McCain over Obama (they are Obama slurpers) one of the Obama fans said that Obama now has 3.5 years of military service. I know this is BS but I wanted to see what others think.
 
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft. Again, not sure how anyone can honestly believe that being in charge of the military doesn't qualify as military service...
 
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft. Again, not sure how anyone can honestly believe that being in charge of the military doesn't qualify as military service...

management is in charge of union labor in many companies. ask any member of the UAW if their boss is serving in the Union
 
Easy poll. DOes being POTUS entitle you to claim you have served in the military because the president is the commander in chief?
Not an easy poll as the poll is in present tense but your question here is in past tense. To the quoted question above I would answer "No", having been the POTUS does not in and of itself let you honestly claim you had "served in the military".

However, being the CinC is, by it's very definition, military service. And your last option is false on it's face as well. Obviously the CinC is an active member of the military.

Put this in a private perspective. Can the CEO of a steel company claim he is a steel worker? Obviously not - BUT can he claim he works in the steel industry? Of course he can.
 
on another thread someone was whining about Romney's lack of military service so we noted that they must have voted for McCain over Obama (they are Obama slurpers) one of the Obama fans said that Obama now has 3.5 years of military service. I know this is BS but I wanted to see what others think.

What the hell is an Obama slurper man? I swear to God every time you open your mouth I hate what comes out, can you please try to start talking about those you disagree with in somewhat more respective terms
 
I answered "No". Being appointed or elected to a position in charge of something doesn't mean one is one of those whom one has appointed over. Being the CEO of an airline doesn't make one a pilot. Being CEO of trucking company doesn't mean one knows diddly about driving an 18-wheeler. As Michael Brown showed the world, being appointed head of FEMA doesn't mean one knows squat about emergency services.

One thing I respect President Obama for is his willingness to listen to his military advisers even when it conflicts with his base and/or political party. Keeping Gitmo open and adding a surge to Afghanistan was very unpopular among his supporters but it was exactly what our military advisers recommended was best for the nation.
 
on another thread someone was whining about Romney's lack of military service so we noted that they must have voted for McCain over Obama (they are Obama slurpers) one of the Obama fans said that Obama now has 3.5 years of military service. I know this is BS but I wanted to see what others think.
So, boiling ^^this^^ down to the point, instead of hacking it into an unrelated poll: Is Obama a better candidate based on knowledge of the military? Of course he is. He's been the CinC for almost 4 years working with generals on a daily basis - and unlike his predecessor he seems to actually listen to them.
 
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does owning a garage make you a car?
 
No, it is not military service. And further, I believe the POTUS should have to have, at a minimum, 4 years of service in the reserve component to be POTUS. What other job in the US, that carries the level of impotance the POTUS does, can someone have ZERO experience in and still be hired? Its ludicrous that this isnt a requirement. And no, Newt Gingrich, reading a friggin book doesn't make you a tactician. It makes you an overeducated civilian that STILL has no clue what its like to get up and put a uniform on and perform the duties of a military member.
 
No, it is not military service. And further, I believe the POTUS should have to have, at a minimum, 4 years of service in the reserve component to be POTUS. What other job in the US, that carries the level of impotance the POTUS does, can someone have ZERO experience in and still be hired? Its ludicrous that this isnt a requirement. And no, Newt Gingrich, reading a friggin book doesn't make you a tactician. It makes you an overeducated civilian that STILL has no clue what its like to get up and put a uniform on and perform the duties of a military member.

Not plausible. A president can't have experience throughout the entire spectrum of American society his position affects. Its not as though the military is more important than, say, the intelligence agency, or even the civil bureaucracies that oversee the many markets vital to our prosperity and growth, such as agriculture and healthcare.

Ultimately, you vote for the person who has the experience or even just the character you feel makes for the best response to the nation's challenges in the present.
 
Not plausible. A president can't have experience throughout the entire spectrum of American society his position affects. Its not as though the military is more important than, say, the intelligence agency, or even the civil bureaucracies that oversee the many markets vital to our prosperity and growth, such as agriculture and healthcare.

Ultimately, you vote for the person who has the experience or even just the character you feel makes for the best response to the nation's challenges in the present.
If our gov't was run correctly, politicians wouldn't need much expertise in economics, agriculture, healthcare, etc. However, the Commander in Chief would still need the expertise provided by serving.
 
Interesting question in that I've never heard it or considered it before, but I'd have to say 'no'. Paraphrasing what someone else already said, being in charge if the military is not the same as being in the military.
 
Does owning a basketball goal make you an NBA player? We could keep going with these all day lol.
Does posting on an internet political forum make one a political expert? :2razz:

(Not directed at you specifically, just popped in my head and thought it was funny.)
 
If our gov't was run correctly, politicians wouldn't need much expertise in economics, agriculture, healthcare, etc. However, the Commander in Chief would still need the expertise provided by serving.

Why is military service special when all other ones are not?
 
Why is military service special when all other ones are not?

Well, because we kill people in foreign countries by his order and others don't. Duh.
 
Does posting on an internet political forum make one a political expert? :2razz:
Only if you have 5 or more of those symbol thingies under your avatar.:prof
 
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