Of course they should have opinions. That's the beauty of democracy and freedom of expression. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. On the other hand, everyone has a right to evaluate the different opinions and come to his/her own conclusion. Sometimes that means disregarding certain viewpoints. It is a matter of individual choice and analysis.

These are the guys sending people to war: Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage. * Dennis Hastert: did not serve. * Tom Delay: did not serve. * Roy Blunt: did not serve. * Bill Frist: did not serve. * Mitch McConnell: did not serve. * Rick Santorum: did not serve. * Trent Lott: did not serve. * John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business. * Jeb Bush: did not serve. * Karl Rove: did not serve. * Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism. * Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve. * Vin Weber: did not serve. * Richard Perle: did not serve. * Douglas Feith: did not serve. * Eliot Abrams: did not serve. * Richard Shelby: did not serve. * Jon Kyl: did not serve. * Tim Hutchison: did not serve. * Christopher Cox: did not serve. * Newt Gingrich: did not serve. * Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor. * George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty. * B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea . * Phil Gramm: did not serve. * Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve. * John M. McHugh: did not serve. * JC Watts: did not serve. * Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years. * Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard. * Rudy Giuliani: did not serve. * George Pataki: did not serve. * Spencer Abraham: did not serve. * John Engler: did not serve. * Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer. * Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base. * Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies. Pundits & Preachers * Sean Hannity: did not serve. * Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.') * Bill O'Reilly: did not serve. * Michael Savage: did not serve. * George Will: did not serve. * Chris Matthews: did not serve. * Paul Gigot: did not serve. * Bill Bennett: did not serve. * Pat Buchanan: did not serve. * Bill Kristol: did not serve. * Kenneth Starr: did not serve. * Antonin Scalia: did not serve. * Clarence Thomas: did not serve. * Ralph Reed: did not serve. * Michael Medved: did not serve. * Charlie Daniels: did not serve. * Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back

They can have opinions, but why should I respect them?

How could you stop them from having opinions? Not serving is not the same as avoiding serving. I don't think non military service should keep someone form political office of any kind. Nor do I think it has anything to do with their respectability. I believe in military service but I don't think it should be a prerequisite for public office.

Everyone should have opinions but it is up to us, the public, to decide how important their opinion really is. That's the beauty and the downfall of this country.

Opinions every one is allowed. No politician deserves respect.

From Richard Russell's "Dow Theory Letters." You see, there's another club that neither Bush nor Cheney has ever been a part of. It's not so much a club as a brotherhood. I call it "The Brotherhood of Them That's Been Shot At." Occasionally, I meet one of these brothers, and we immediately have a sense of kinship. Maybe you can see it in the other guy's eyes -- or maybe it's something we exude. Is it an odor, is it the left-over odor of fear and death from another time? I do know this, it's an odor that permeates your DNA, it's an odor that never leaves. Neither Bush or his buddy, Dick Cheney, have been members of this brotherhood. Now I'll let you in on a secret -- I don't trust men who send other men to war and maybe to their deaths -- not if they were never a member of the "Brotherhood of Them That's been Shot At." Richard Russell's Dow Theory Letters, 8-8-07

Sure they should be allowed to express their opinions. It's just up to the rest of us to decided how much validity they have. REPUBLICAN CHICKENHAWKS who did not serve in the US Armed Forces: Spencer Abraham: Did not serve Eliot Abrams: Did not serve John Ashcroft: Did not serve Roy Blunt: Did not serve Michael Bloomberg: Did not serve George W. Bush: Texas Air Nat. Guard; skipped duty; didn't take physical; suspended from flying Jeb Bush: Did not serve Saxby Chambliss: Did not serve. Attacked Cleland's patriotism Dick Cheney: Did not serve Christopher Cox: Did not serve Tom DeLay: Did not serve John Engler: Did not serve Douglas Feith: Did not serve Bill Frist: Did not serve Newt Gingrich: Did not serve Rudy Giuliani: Did not serve Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer Phil Gramm: Did not serve Dennis Hastert: Did not serve Tim Hutchison: Did not serve Jack Kemp: Did not serve. "Knee problem," BUT continued in NFL for 8 years Jon Kyl: Did not serve Trent Lott: Did not serve Mitch McConnell: Did not serve John McHugh: Did not serve George Pataki: Did not serve Richard Perle: Did not serve Dana Rohrabacher: Did not serve Karl Rove: Did not serve Rick Santorum: Did not serve Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base Richard Shelby: Did not serve JC Watts: Did not serve Vin Weber: Did not serve Paul Wolfowitz: Did not serve Andy Card – no service Condi Rice – no service John Bolton – no service Don Nichols – no service David Dreier - no service Republican Pundits, Preachers, and Judges Bill Bennett: Did not serve Wolf Blitzer: Did not serve Pat Buchanan: Did not serve Mann Coulter: Did not serve Charlie Daniels: Did not serve Lou Dobbs: Did not serve Paul Gigot: Did not serve Sean Hannity: Did not serve Bill Kristol: Did not serve Rush Limbaugh: Did not serve Chris Matthews: Did not serve Michael Medved: Did not serve Ted Nugent: Did not serve Bill O'Reilly: Did not serve Dan Rather: Army Reserves Ralph Reed: Did not serve Michael Savage: Did not serve Antonin Scalia: Did not serve Kenneth Starr: Did not serve Clarence Thomas: Did not serve George Will: Did not serve Roger Ailes (Fox) – Did not serve Anne Coulter – Did not serve Fred Barnes – Did not serve Gary Bauer – Did not serve Neil Bortz – Did not serve Tony Snow - Did not serve Jerry Falwell - Did not serve As of this date, only 3 Congressmen, all Democrats, have sons serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, no daughters. Democrats David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72 Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, etc Jimmy Carter: Lt. Commander in the Navy 1946-53 Wesley Clark: Army 1966-2000, Vietnam, Silver star, purple heart Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver/Bronze stars, Vietnam Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72 Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze star Michael Dukakis: Army 1955-57 Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71 John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs; Air Medal w/18 Clusters Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam as journalist Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74 Howell Heflin: Silver star WWII Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze star Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, WWII Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53 Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver/Bronze stars, purple hearts Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII Jim McDermott: Navy 1968-70 George McGovern: Silver star & DFC during WWII Zell Miller: Marine Corps, 1953-56 Walter Mondale: Army 1951-53 John Murtha: Retired Marine officer and decorated Vietnam combat veteran Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver star, etc Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze star, Korea Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-79; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91 Chuck Robb: U.S. Marine Corps, 1961-70, Vietnam Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57 Mike Thompson: Staff Sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart John Conyers – US Army

Yes. But what I find annoying: Are those chickenhawks, who denigrate those who DID serve- Got Kerry?

There is no evidence that military service makes a wiser leader.

Yes, I ignore the draft dogging Bill O'Riely, Rush Limbaugh and a few others on the right. But military service itself is no judge of whether you should listen to them talk. Just keep in mind that they are "chicken hawks" and have no idea when it comes to speaking about war or the military.