I listened to Sean Hannity's radio program while running errands in my car this afternoon. One caller labeled Sean a chickenhawk. Sean defended himself from the charge, but I doubt that the caller was persuaded. Among other things, Sean said that there was no war for him to fight when he was of fighting age; that he's now too old to serve; and that his father served in World War II. At one point, Sean said that he didn't give up his right to speak merely because he didn't serve in the military. That's a red herring. The caller was accusing him of hypocrisy, or not practicing what he preaches.
What do you make of this charge? Is it hypocritical to support a war, such as the war in Iraq, if one has not served in the military? Let's generalize this principle. One cannot support any policy or program that involves risk or sacrifice unless one has undertaken those risks or made those sacrifices oneself. Many progressives support the Peace Corps. Can they do so, if they haven't served in the Peace Corps? Bill Clinton didn't serve in the military. Did progressives accuse him of hypocrisy for putting American military personnel in harm's way? Surely the concept of a chickenhawk doesn't apply only to conservatives.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 