The media adore Charles Rangel, so he'll likely get a pass for this latest idiotic remark. And he doesn't even have the good sense to claim it was a botched joke: (emphasis mine)
I want to make it abundantly clear: if there’s anyone who believes that these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.
Rangel gets smacked down pretty thoroughly by Stop the ACLU (at the link) but I'll just add that Rangel continues to demonstrate that he has no idea who is in our military. Today's soldiers are better educated than their civilian counterparts, and are not disproportionately drawn from the ranks of the poor in this country. I think one reason certain Democrats want a draft is because they would then have a steady supply of Conscientious Objectors to exploit and promote.
I guess Mr. Rangel is wondering....who would choose a government job if he could have a decent career?
Charlie?
Posted by dan at November 27, 2006 6:32 PM