Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Romney’s sons?

An acquaintance of mine who served with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam, and whose son and son-in-law are both preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, wonders why none of Governor Romney’s many sons ever saw fit to join the military. Romney’s response is, Hey, I thought it was a volunteer military. Yet if everyone volunteered ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
Wikimedia
Wikimedia
Wikimedia

An acquaintance of mine who served with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam, and whose son and son-in-law are both preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, wonders why none of Governor Romney's many sons ever saw fit to join the military.

An acquaintance of mine who served with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam, and whose son and son-in-law are both preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, wonders why none of Governor Romney’s many sons ever saw fit to join the military.

Romney’s response is, Hey, I thought it was a volunteer military. Yet if everyone volunteered at the rate his family has, we would be forced to re-institute a draft. I wonder if he has ever discussed joining the military with any of his sons, and if so, whether he encouraged them or discouraged them. 

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On North America | Republican Party | U.S. 2012 Election

Latest

What to Know as COP28 Begins

The Man Who Conned the World

Does Democracy Really Die in Darkness?

Confusion and Ambition Caused the My Lai Atrocities

What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Man Who Conned the World
  2. 2
    What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
  3. 3
    The Best Books for Understanding the Israel-Hamas War
  4. 4
    Why Xi Thinks He Got the Better of Biden
  5. 5
    Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.

Trending

  1. What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
    Review
    Franz-Stefan Gady

  2. Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
    Argument
    Annie Sparrow

  3. The Man Who Conned the World
    Excerpt
    Yepoka Yeebo

  4. The Best Books for Understanding the Israel-Hamas War
    Review
    FP Staff, FP Contributors

  5. America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
    Shadow Government
    A. Wess Mitchell