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Originally Posted by Flash Walken
See, I don't really regard those with military 'experience' to be military men? none of those listed were really 'defined' by their service. Bush was shot down flying sorties, Carter was instrumental in America's submarine program, gore was a military journalist. Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander, the military all but encompassing his entire professional career.
I would've thought Powell to be an excellent presidential candidate, if it weren't for his weak moral character.
Having said that though, Wesley Clarke was a bad candidate aswell.
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That's a fair distinction. And many great presidents were also career military men. (starting with Washington, I guess!) It's worth noting though that some of the worst presidents in U.S. history were what you'd call "military men" too. U.S. Grant is the first example to pop into my head, but Zachary "Old Rough and Ready" Taylor is another. History shows that it isn't much of a guarantee. Andrew Jackson was a military man too--and though he's not especially well remembered for it, there was a guy who in the twentieth century would be facing a war crimes tribunal.
I guess what skews this is the fact that so many presidents had military backgrounds. It's almost the norm for much of the nation's history.