Why our military is so successful

Because Hollywood, the Ivy League and liberal democrats around the country don't have anything to do with it.

The disdain of the liberals for the military is the subject of this column (posted by Glenn and Austin Bay). I have a little different angle on the article. Instead of simply focusing on the disdain, let's celebrate the benefits which result from the liberals' sneer at our military and the middle class, America-loving ethic of duty, valor and character which it embodies.

The quality of student admitted to our academies at West Point, Annapolis and Colorado Springs is outstanding. All three rank among the top 10 most competitive colleges in the nation for admissions. The best and the brightest of our career military leaders rank academically with the best of the Ivy League and the rest of the liberal bastions. But beyond intellect, they bring integrity, love of country and the courage and commitment to risk death to defend America and our values. Imagine how messed up the military would be if liberals didn't stay away!

Allard writes:

the Hayden controversy wasn't about some general on horseback lording it over subservient civilians. This was about class divisions in a nation at war. Think I'm kidding? Just listen to the condescending, eyeglasses-down-the-nose tut-tutting of the New York Times: "It seems ill-advised to put an Air Force general at the helm of the CIA, a civilian agency."

If their tone sounds vaguely familiar, that's probably because it is. Just imagine if the Times editorial had said, "It seems ill-advised to put a black or Hispanic as head of the CIA, there in suburban Virginia where so many white people work."

Such an appearance of institutional racism would have been instantly recognized and deplored — maybe even by blockading the trucks delivering the Times to your local Starbucks.

But the same sloppy thinking, mindless stereotypes and casual acceptance of second-class citizenship that once marked American race relations all now reign unchallenged whenever the military class appears to be getting a little uppity. Fact is, there is a gap — already miles-wide and growing every day — between the American people and their highly professional military.

And:

The authors of "AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes From Military Service" present a devastating portrait of a professional military increasingly segregated from our mainstream institutions. The media and academe are obvious examples, but so is Hollywood, where exemplars of personal sacrifice are almost nonexistent — just imagine Leonardo DiCaprio abandoning the sound stage for a bunk in Marine boot camp.

...

It is probably fortunate that Hayden's family had solid working-class Pittsburgh roots, that he was educated at Duquesne rather than Harvard and that some of his formative professional experiences included command of the Air Intelligence Agency right here in San Antonio.

Fortunate for Hayden, but especially fortunate for the rest of us.

My only quibble with Allard is his characterization of the media, academe and Hollywood as being mainstream institutions.