So Amazing
Eric Alterman has a typically teriffic Altercation here. In it, he breaks down the moral choices faced by young men of age during the Vietnam war, while noting into which categories certain presidental candidates fell. I agree with 99% of everything in it, but wanted to add the observation that–
“Opposed the war and served in Vietnam because it would have been unfair to force someone less fortunate to take one’s place”
–is, as I understand it, a less than complete answer as to why Al Gore chose to serve. It also had something to do with, IIRC, the fact that his father was a Senator facing re-election at the time, and he didn’t want to let his status be used against his dad.
Not that that’s necessarily a less-moral reason to serve, but I think it is the broader picture.
