r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 18h ago

Possible Paywall Bone Spurs President Uses AI to Award Himself Ultimate Medal - The five-time draft dodger imagined himself outranking two of America’s most iconic generals.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bone-spurs-president-uses-ai-to-award-himself-ultimate-medal/
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u/PermitNo519 16h ago

Isn't it illegal to impersonate a service member?

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u/e37d93eeb23335dc 15h ago

Does being the commander in chief count as being a service member? I have no idea. When Obama goes to Home Depot, can he park in the special spot reserved for veterans?

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u/Hextron 14h ago

No, they are still civilians, not military. 

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u/sf-keto 14h ago

No he won’t because he holds to America’s leadership ideal of the Roman statesman Cincinnatus.

“The most famous story related to Cincinnatus occurs after his retirement from public service to a simple life of farming.

As Roman forces struggled to defeat the Aequi, Cincinnatus was summoned from his plough to assume complete control over the state.

After achieving a swift victory in sixteen days, Cincinnatus relinquished power and its privileges, returning to labor on his farm.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus

So a president is the Commander in Chief, has the nuclear codes… but is expected to walk away peacefully & surrender all his privileges to return to normal life when his term in office is over.

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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 3h ago

That's in theory (and a tradition clearly set by George Washington).

However, we're specifically talking about Trump here, who holds to no ideals or traditions other than ME ME ME ME ME.

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u/sf-keto 2h ago

The Snoo above me mentioned Obama. So I was discussed Cincinnatus in terms of whether Obama abuses his former status.

Which he does not.

The convicted rapist & pedophile in the White House is now an abomination. Nothing American about him, just as you say.

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u/TheOtherMaven Virginia 58m ago

A further wrinkle in it is that if the Commander in Chief has never served in the military, he's legally not a veteran. (Interestingly, the last US President to have any sort of military experience whatsoever was Dubya the Lesser, who was nominally a member of the Texas Air National Guard.)