Dick Abuses the Office

There's something incredibly insulting about having a fat, pasty white oil man who took the trouble to get himself five deferments and is a verified Chickenhawk give the commencement address to any of our military academies. It's abuse of the "office" of the Vice President to allow Cheney to grace the stage at such a meaningful moment in the lives of such admirable hard working young people on their big day. Cheney had "other priorities" during the Vietnam War, making a lot of money at the taxpayers' trough. That lust for money has continued unabated. Military men and women are numbers to Dick. How many will he need to protect his investments worldwide? Maybe all 980 graduates. He has no problem dispatching the military to fight his wars for him. Surely somebody like Jack Murtha was available to give the commencement speech at Annapolis, somebody who served, somebody who earned the respect of his peers, somebody who actually cares about what happens to the graduates and isn't there for a photo op.
WaPo
You are the first class to enter the Academy following the attacks of 9/11. And I'm guessing that more than a few of you were inspired to military service by that attack on our country. In these four years, the war on terror has influenced the course of study at our service academies, and it will define much of your career leading American sailors and Marines.
Dick felt no such compunction to sign up and assist his comrades in the fight against "Communism" in Vietnam. His hypocrisy is astounding.
On compromise:
"Confrontation fits our strategy. Polarization often has very beneficial results. If everything is handled through compromise and conciliation, if there are no real issues dividing us from the Democrats, why should the country change and [vote us into office]?" --The New Republic, June 3, 1985
On patriotism:
"I had other priorities in the '60s than military service." -- The Washington Post, April 5, 1989
On the importance of education (specifically, his at Yale):
"I flunked out." -- The Washington Post, April 3, 1991
On style:
"I don't tend to pound on the podium and drool." --AP, October 10, 1994,

Deferments:
From 1963 to 1966, Cheney received five deferments: four student deferments while attending the University of Wyoming and one for having a child. "I had other priorities in the '60s other than military service," Cheney told a reporter in 1989.