Draft Dodger: Biden Got Deferments For Vietnam
Don’t you think its funny that the damn liberals and democrats slammed Vice President Dick Cheney for his Deferments by calling him a Draft Dodger, but its OK for Biden?
August 31, 2008
DOVER, Del. (AP) _ Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War, the same number of deferments received by Vice President Dick Cheney, and later was disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager.
Officials with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s campaign released Biden’s Selective Service records at the request of The Associated Press. Less detailed records were available from a National Archives facility in Philadelphia.
According to the documents, Biden, 65, received several deferments while he was an undergraduate at the University of Delaware and later as a law student at Syracuse University. A month after undergoing a physical exam in April 1968, Biden received a Selective Service classification of 1-Y, meaning he was available for service only in the event of national emergency.
“As a result of a physical exam on April 5, 1968, Joe Biden was classified 1-Y and disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager,” said David Wade, a campaign spokesman.
In “Promises to Keep,” a memoir that was published last year and became an instant best-seller after he was tapped as Obama’s running mate, Biden never mentions his asthma, recounting an active childhood, work as a lifeguard and football exploits in high school. The Obama campaign pointed to media interviews from 1987, when Biden was making his first bid for the presidency, that mention his asthma.
Biden’s five student deferments equal the number given to Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been quoted as saying he had “other priorities” than military service in the 1960s.
According to records AP obtained from the National Archives, Biden registered Feb. 15, 1961, with the Selective Service, when he was an 18-year-old student at Archmere Academy in Wilmington. The archives documents do not include any information about his classification or physical exam. Documents provided by the Obama campaign indicate Biden received a classification questionnaire in October 1963, when he was enrolled at the University of Delaware, and received his first 2-S student deferment a month later. Additional deferments were granted in roughly 12-month intervals, the last coming in January 1968, shortly before he graduated from law school at Syracuse University.
Then in April 1968, when he was 25, Biden was disqualified from service due to asthma.
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Are there any Dem leaders in today’s political world who actually did serve?????????
September 1st, 2008 at 6:58 am“Steady
Are there any Dem leaders in today’s political world who actually did serve?????????”
Hmmmmm…let’s see…oh, yeah…a couple of real heroic patriots…John the ex-Marine Murtha and John F’ing Kerry. Two exemplary war heroes.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:07 amTo be fair, we conservatives were the ones slamming slick Willy for draft dodging, then we gave President Bush and Cheney a pass for doing the same thing. You did not hear a peep out of us then. At least Biden’s son is going to be deployed to Iraq - he deserves a salute for that, regardless of party affiliation.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:16 amJim Webb, D-VA was in the military. There are probably some others, Charlie Rangel I think served in the military in Korea (awarded a Bronze Star). Oh and Jack Reed, D-RI was in the Army Rangers.
Anybody who’s going to vote Obama/Biden anyway won’t care that Biden had draft deferments. People who care about that stuff are already voting McCain.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:04 amIt is hard to find a democrat that has served. Most of those who serve, realize how desperately fucked up the dems are and become conservative. So to be honest, most of the dems who have served either didn’t serve honorably and wish to hide it, or they are trash like Murtha who are embarrassed by where they came from and treat their service as a former life, and did so only because they were a victim of the times. They were FORCED to serve, via the draft, or economic hardships.
If you can’t tell, I am calling bullshit to any service the democrats have ever claimed to provide this country.
Kennedy was not that great of a president, and it didn’t get any better through Carter and Clinton. Damn, at least Carter didn’t try to hide the fact that he was a bed wetting liberal dumb ass.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:12 amto B Verner
Your comment could have been made by any lefty democrat.
President Bush did not dodge the draft. He served honorably in the TANG.
Deferments are not the same as “Dodging the draft”, which is what Bill Clinton did.
Any honest person can see the hypocrisy of the democrats bashing of Cheney and giving Biden a pass.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:20 amOld and inconsequential news, really. Thousands and thousands found ways to avoid the draft. I’m far more interested in a person’s mature views and actions as a contributing member of society. On that score, Biden’s ultra-Liberal stance on most issues is enough to condemn him.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:08 amSenorlehero, but, but he’s a “..we conseratives”. How can you doubt him???
September 1st, 2008 at 10:30 amB. Verner
“At least Biden’s son is going to be deployed to Iraq - he deserves a salute for that, regardless of party affiliation.”
Correction: Biden’s son (Not! Senator Joe Biden) deserves a salute for his military services to protect America.
I’m sure Senator Joe Biden has only the best intentions for the nation in his political decisions making
September 1st, 2008 at 12:24 pmAsthma???? Pretty slick choice there, Barry. Not hard to keep pace with a running mate who should be hooked up to a breathalyzer…er, inhalator..or um one of those mask thingies.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:35 pmShocked I am not.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:26 pm