Bill Clinton’s Draft Record
Suzanne Garment’s column (Opinion, Sept. 20) misses the point concerning Clinton’s problem with his draft status and ignores the real dilemma President Clinton would face in any decision to deploy U.S. troops abroad. The issues are can we trust Clinton with the affairs of state if he lies about his own personal record; having himself evaded the draft, could President Clinton commit troops to combat with moral authority; and would a soldier have the right to refuse to obey Clinton’s order on the grounds that he/she didn’t agree?
Garment suggests that Clinton’s problem with the draft evasion issue is somehow connected to a national psychosis about Vietnam, and that we are all still perplexed about the U.S. role in the Vietnam conflict. T’aint so. The Vietnam War is over; Clinton is here and now.
FRITZ MEHRTENS
Irvine
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
