Chickenhawk
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(→Prominent chickenhawks: These nicknames are terrible.) |
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Here is a short list of prominent chickenhawks: | Here is a short list of prominent chickenhawks: | ||
| − | *[[George W. | + | *[[George W. Bush]] |
| − | *[[Dick | + | *[[Dick Cheney]] |
| − | *[[Sean | + | *[[Sean Hannity]] |
| − | *[[William | + | *[[William Kristol]] |
| − | *[[Scooter | + | *[[Scooter Libby]] |
| − | *[[Joe | + | *[[Joe Lieberman]] |
| − | *[[Rush | + | *[[Rush Limbaugh]] |
| − | *[[Bill | + | *[[Bill O'Reilly]] |
| − | *[[Karl | + | *[[Karl Rove]] |
| − | *[[Donald | + | *[[Donald Rumsfeld]] |
| − | *[[Paul | + | *[[Paul Wolfowitz]] |
| − | *[[Dan | + | *[[Dan Quayle]] |
| − | *[[Glenn | + | *[[Glenn Beck]] |
| − | *[[Conservative talk radio#Larry Elder|Larry | + | *[[Conservative talk radio#Larry Elder|Larry Elder]] |
| − | *[[Newt | + | *[[Newt Gingrich]] |
| − | *[[Tom | + | *[[Tom Delay]] |
| − | *[[Trent | + | *[[Trent Lott]] |
| − | *[[Christopher | + | *[[Christopher Hitchens]] |
| − | *[[Ted | + | *[[Ted Nugent]] |
| − | *[[Stephen | + | *[[Stephen Harper]] |
===Special category=== | ===Special category=== | ||
| + | |||
*[[Chickenhawk/Iraq war vote|Every Representative and Senator who voted for]] the [[Iraq War]], but avoided serving if and when it was possible for them, and did not recant or repudiate their vote by the end of 2005. | *[[Chickenhawk/Iraq war vote|Every Representative and Senator who voted for]] the [[Iraq War]], but avoided serving if and when it was possible for them, and did not recant or repudiate their vote by the end of 2005. | ||
Revision as of 18:30, 2 August 2012
A chickenhawk is a person in a position of public prominence or power who displays two traits:
- Aggressive support for military force as a primary instrument of foreign policy.
- A documentable lack of combat experience.
The Bush Administration (2001 - 2009) had an abundance of these creatures. Indeed, after the resignation of Colin Powell, there was no one with genuine combat experience in any prominent executive position. In fact, several of the listed Chickenhawks below were notable draft dodgers, especially from Vietnam. This probably led to their policies being based on dangerously abstracted notions of the nature and efficacy of war.
Those who have seen the horrors of war first-hand tend to be cautious about willfully unleashing such havoc again, no matter how remote or foreign the field. As well as not appreciating the full human costs of their decisions, there remains the uncomfortable suspicion that chickenhawks are prepared to send others to risk their lives in ways that chickenhawks would never risk their own.
We have yet to parse the nature of the Obama administration, however chances are a few will turn up there.
Note: Knowing the alternative and possibly unsavoury meanings of political labels is wise, as any Teabagger with intact cognitive function (probably a mythical beast) could tell you. "Chickenhawk" is also a slang term for a person who favours inappropriately young sexual partners (often, but not necessarily, a pedophile).
Contents |
Prominent chickenhawks
Here is a short list of prominent chickenhawks:
- George W. Bush
- Dick Cheney
- Sean Hannity
- William Kristol
- Scooter Libby
- Joe Lieberman
- Rush Limbaugh
- Bill O'Reilly
- Karl Rove
- Donald Rumsfeld
- Paul Wolfowitz
- Dan Quayle
- Glenn Beck
- Larry Elder
- Newt Gingrich
- Tom Delay
- Trent Lott
- Christopher Hitchens
- Ted Nugent
- Stephen Harper
Special category
- Every Representative and Senator who voted for the Iraq War, but avoided serving if and when it was possible for them, and did not recant or repudiate their vote by the end of 2005.
See also
External links and sources
- The New Hampshire Gazette ("the nation's oldest newspaper") is the home of the original Chickenhawk Hall of Shame.
- Chickenhawk Playing Cards were produced to honor the chicken hawks' contribution to war, since, of course, it's not real unless someone makes a deck of cards to commemorate it. The original site is defunct, but is available at the Internet Archive.
- Chickenhawks at Commie Michael Moore's web site.
- Sourcewatch also reports on the phenomenon, but they include Pat Buchanan on their list which is ridiculous since Buchanan has opposed every war since the Berlin Wall came down.
- Flight of the ChickenHawks from toostupidtobepresident.com.
- "Chickenhawk" (song) by Roy Zimmerman -- YouTube video
- Tony Benn, President of the Stop the War Coalition, takes John Bolton to task on being a chickenhawk. (Longer version)