Presidential Empathy

Interesting article on the disparity between someone who's seen war up close and someone who hasn't, mostly in the form of George Bush 41 and Trump:

As reflections on his life swell, those considering Bush anew should note that he was not only the last President to have served in World War II, but also the last to have experienced battle first-hand.

Five draft deferments during the Vietnam War precludes today's commander-in-chief from saying the same, though not from celebrating his military prowess. Trump even claims greater expertise than the generals he so frequently surrounds himself with, for civilian and military positions alike, boasting "there is no one more militaristic than me."

Of all his outlandish statements, none better epitomizes the way those ignorant of war have often come to be its greatest champions. Bush's current infirmity alongside Trump's pretensions, moreover, forces voters to consider if military or even combat experience should be a prerequisite for the Oval Office, especially when one considers that what Bush gained from his is something Trump and those like him ignorantly infatuated by military power frequently lack: empathy.

It's easy to pick on Trump, but his childishness (and that of many other Republicans, as pointed out in the article) in the face of a real hero like Bush should be a national embarrassment.

"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), “didn't you point out that voters don't care 10 years ago?"

Sigh. Yes I did, Xmastime fan(s), yes I did.