Can't We Send Them All?

Republican Rep. Jonathan Paton, a freshman legislator, said he learned Saturday that he was going to Iraq to work in military intelligence for five to six months.

He will also miss the primary and general elections, and likely would be absent for the a few weeks of the 2007 legislative session.

The 35-year-old Tucson native said he volunteered for the duty last year because he needed to back up his support of the war with action. "You should kind of put your money where your mouth is," he said.

So, what about these other Republicans?

* Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - avoided the draft, did not serve.
* Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - avoided the draft, did not serve.
* Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay - avoided the draft, did not serve.

"So many minority youths had volunteered ... that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself."

* House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve
* Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve.
* Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not serve.
* Rick Santorum, R-PA, third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve.
* George Felix Allen, Republican Senator from Virginia - a supporter of Nixon and the Vietnam war, did not serve.
* Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott - avoided the draft, did not serve.
* GW Bush - decided that a six-year Nat'l Guard commitment really means four years. Still says that he's "been to war." Huh?
* VP Cheney - several deferments, the last by marriage (in his own words, "had other priorities than military service")
* Former Att'y Gen. John Ashcroft - did not serve; received seven deferment to teach business ed at SW Missouri State
* Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve.
* Karl Rove - avoided the draft, did not serve, too busy being a Republican.
* Former Speaker Newt Gingrich - avoided the draft, did not serve.
* Former President Ronald Reagan - due to poor eyesight, served in a noncombat role making movies for the Army in southern California during WWII. He later seems to have confused his role as an actor playing a tail gunner with the real thing.
* "B-1" Bob Dornan - avoided Korean War combat duty by enrolling in college acting classes. Enlisted only after the fighting was over in Korea.
* Phil Gramm - avoided the draft, did not serve, four student deferments.

And they're just the tip of the chickenhawk iceberg (courtesy of awolbush.com).