Breaking News: Beau Biden to be deployed to Iraq
Yahoo news reports the following:
WASHINGTON – The son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is preparing for deployment to Iraq next year. Capt. Beau Biden, a Judge Advocate General in the Delaware National Guard and the state’s attorney general, is part of the 261st Signal Brigade that has been told to prepare for duty in Iraq in 2008. They have not been given a date of deployment yet.
“I don’t want him going,” Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said from the campaign trail Wednesday, according to a report on Radio Iowa. “But I tell you what, I don’t want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years and so how we leave makes a big difference.”
Biden criticized Democratic rivals such as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama who have voted against Iraq funding bills to try to pressure President Bush to end the war.
“There’s no political point worth my son’s life,” Biden said, according to Radio Iowa. “There’s no political point worth anybody’s life out there. None.”
Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, spokesman for the Delaware National Guard, said Beau Biden is not being treated differently because of his office or because his father is running to be commander in chief.
“He’s a deployable asset just like any other soldier in that unit,” Gratteri said.
Two other presidential candidates, Republicans John McCain and Duncan Hunter, have sons who’ve been in military units deployed to Iraq.
Sadly, Joe Biden uses this to try to score politcal points off of Obama and Clinton adopting the GOP line that voting against a blank check for Bush is tantamount to leaving the troops high and dry.
However, to the family’s eternal credit – they are not using Bush/Cheney style string pulling to avoid doing their duty.
BTW – You read it here first.
That’s a bit different from Mitt Romney’s sons serving their country by makiing sure the Igloo Max Cold 50 Qt Cooler in press bus does not run out of diet coke and fresca.
Perhaps because of the Mitt setup, Biden gets a lot of positive comments on the CNN blog. America may be realizing that “real and genuine” is better than “Marketability.”
Sorry. You did not scoop the story. I read it on Drudge midday yesterday and wondered how long it would take to make it on here. Oops. I admitted I read Drudge. I guess I am a right wing nutjob!
“America may be realizing that “real and genuine” is better than “Marketability.””
“real and genuine” have never been terms I have associated with biden. “Real Nutty” perhaps.
Oh. And while I haven’t been thrilled with Beau Biden up until this point, I certainly respect him for employing his talents with the Delaware National Guard. I know several people in the Guard and they are a great bunch of people.
Chris,
Your admitting to being a right-wing nut job is like Jesse Jackson admitting to being black.
This kind of hyperventilated Biden PR is disgusting. The Bidens appear to spend more time writing press releases and talking about Beau’s service than he has actually spent serving. Beau is an Army lawyer and IF he goes at all he will be in the rear with the gear writing wills and only playing soldier. If he was really going to be deployed or even close to harm’s way old Joe would have kept his mouth shut. Only a total fool of a national U.S. politician would announce to the world that his son is going to be serving in Iraq and what unit he is in etc. Undoubtedly there are plenty of opportunists there who would love to get their hands on the son of a major U.S. politician. Beau will use the Prince Harry ploy – “I really want to go everybody but my commanders tell me I would endanger my fellow troops since I am so famous (and ’cause my Dad announced to the whole world that I was going).” These people are just shameless.
However, to the family’s eternal credit – they are not using Bush/Cheney style string pulling to avoid doing their duty.
Huh? He’s not even friggin’ there yet. Stay tuned.
Anon,
The fact that he is a lawyer does not protect him , but the fact that he is an officer does.
If you look at who has died in this abortion of an occuption it is all Specialist, Corporals, and Sergeants.
Hube – see my wingnut tizzy post above.
Yes you are correct Jason. Lil Beau is doubly insulated as an officer and a lawyer.
The Virtual Fighters on the right are blaming Joe for using this as PR? Those asswipes are nothing more than scum….
Virtual fighter on the right? Not even close. Guess again. — Agreed they are definitely scum much worse than Biden. Especially Romney.
Blaming Joe? No.
Pointing out how Joe and BidenCo roll? Absofugginlutely.
Never has a politician family father-son dynasty tried to get more mileage out of the son’s laughable politically driven so called military service than these two. The guy’s a freaking pampered lawyer in the national guard. Even idiot Bush risked his half assed life over the skies of Texas as a privileged military poser. As dense as Bush is it was probably more risky flying than most other pilots.
lol!
They can’t all be John Kerry.
Kerry definitely put his ass on the firing line in war and against war. Like them or not he and McCain saw shit and suffered shit that most people would pray not to.
Good for Beau.
That said, will the News Journal send a crew to follow him around and take nice pictures of him getting his hair cut by a smiling Iraqi barber?