Rangel Opens His Yapper Again

Charles Rangel really ought to know better than to open his yapper about all things military. On the heels of his comments about the need to reinstitute a draft, he slurs those serving in the military by questioning the intelligence of those serving in the military that are reminiscent of those of Sen. John Kerry.

I want to make it abundantly clear: if there’s anyone who believes that these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.

This is a reiteration of the comments that got John Kerry into so much trouble right before the election. For those that forget that debacle (or if you're a dedicated leftist and want to ignore it), here's a refresher:

You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.

As for Rangel's comments, it would appear that Rangel hasn't talked to too many folks serving in the current US Armed Services, for if he did, he'd find more than a few very dedicated soldiers who believe in the mission in Iraq.

But don't take my word for it. Take the word of those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice. Army Ranger Pat Tillman comes to mind. He gave up a career in the NFL to serve his country and died in a friendly fire incident. The salary he gave up? $3.6 million for three years to serve.

But let's not question Rangel's support of the troops or his knowledge of what motivates those to serve.

Hat tip: LGF.

UPDATE:
Sister Toldjah also takes Rangel to task. Macranger doesn't think much of Charlie. Yet Another Right Wing Conservative Blog and Right Voices also finds the parallels between Rangel and Kerry's statements.

Also blogging: The Political Pit Bull, Biga's Rant, and Instapundit.

UPDATE:
Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive doesn't think much of Rangel (and I'm being charitable). Jimbo had agreed that the military needed to be increased, but contends that Rangel needs to steer clear of all things military for quite a while because of his inane and patently false statements.

Major John posting at Protein Wisdom mocks Rangel, by hearkening back to John Kerry's foot-in-mouth disease.

The Jawa Report also weighs in.

UPDATE:
Stop the ACLU also chimes in on Rangel's attempt to outdo Kerry. The thing is that this wasn't part of some botched joke or half-assed attempt at a joke after the fact. Rangel truly believes this stuff.

Technorati: rangel, charles rangel, democrat, draft, politics.