If Elected, Can Kerry wear a military uniform?

[hexola]

I can't recall if Bush 1 ever wore any military uniform? Has any president since Ike wore a uniform conspicuously? I suppose only a few could...

[Claire Beth]

1. If the current idiot * can put on a flight suit and......

prance around an air carrier surely to goodness a TRUE war hero should be able to wear a uniform.

[Leilani]

2. No!

Once you are out of the military, you dont wear your uniform.

And Ike did not wear his uniform after retirement.

[hexola]

3. But as Commander in Chief...isn't he "back in" the military?

[Q]

7. CIC is a CIVILIAN position...

...which is what separates the US from Military Dictatorships. Or at least it used to.

[edison1958]

4. You can.....

....wear uniform after discharge or retirement, but it must be for a primarily military-oriented function (military ball, parade, ceremony, etc.)....can't just wear it down the street but then again why would you want to? (BTW, I just retired...giving my uni's away except the one for retirement parade and the one for burial....won't matter if I can't fit into it right?)

Inappropriate for a POTUS to wear uniform....even in wartime, FDR did not. Churchill, Stalin, other WW2 allied leaders did.....

[hexola]

6. If you can - I think Kerry will...but only perhaps ceremonialy

Why is it inappropriate?

[edison1958]

8. IMHO....

....it would not be appropriate....irrespective of party, qualifications, etc....just wouldn't pass the "smell" test.....even Washington didn't wear uni as President.....

[Bridget Burke]

5. No.

As has been pointed out, ex-military do not generally show up in uniform.

Ike never did.

[hexola]

9. BTW - not trying to stir anything up here...

I had been following the Freepers attempts to discredit Kerry's medals and citations...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1122563/posts

and just started wondering if Kerry could wear a uniform...wouldn't they love that...!

Well...maybe they really would....even scarier!

[JI7]

10. he can wear it just to wear it as he could now if he wanted to

but he will still be a veteran and not active military. and i really don't think he should or WANTS to go around in his military uniform.

[bowens43]

11. Let's hope not.

The presidency is a civilian position. Military service is completely irrelevant.

[LagaLover]

12. Totally agree with you!

[agingdem]

13. No but...

why would he want to?

[City Lights]

14. Why would he?

He's already worn the uniform proudly. shrub hasn't. shrub does it now to satisfy his inner cowardice. he doesn't have the brain power to understand that bravery is not required to play dress up in the Oval Office.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

15. The history goes back to George Washington

He refused to wear the military uniform because he wanted to emphasize the presidency was a civilian office. He wanted to avoid the Caesar-complex type thing and wanted it to be clear that the president was not a king or an emperor. All other presidents avoided wearing the uniform, including ones that been military heroes and generals.

Bush broke 200 some years of precedent and was allowed to get away with it. It makes me sick how the press screamed about every little thing that Clinton did, yet Bush can parade around like a sick, deluded emperor and spit in the face of democracy, and they rave about how wonderful that is.