The joke you've all been waiting for

The Wine Commonsewer (or somebody claiming to be TWC—I don't see the trademark Hawaiian shirt) gets the official response from the troops to John Kerry's personal Dien Bien Phu:

I don't vouch for the authenticity of the pic, nor do I claim those aren't eight campaign volunteers posing in their Halloween costumes at President Bush's Crawford estate, but it's still a pretty funny joke. Still, once they stop laughing and fold up the sign they'll still be stuck in Iraq, and that's gotta suck.

Comments

[Bill]

"Still, once they stop laughing and fold up the sign they'll still be stuck in Iraq, and that's gotta suck."

I appreciate their service.

[gl]

"I appreciate their service"

Me too, that pic is hella funny though.

[Al]

Bill, Amen... Al

[P Brooks]

That looks a lot like Phoenix. But Baghdad looks a lot like Phoenix.

Humor is the ultimate intelligence test.

[Brian]

I dunno. The kerning seems off.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Brian wins the thread.

[Happy Jack]

they'll still be stuck in Iraq, and that's gotta suck

It might suck even more. Private security appears to be getting outta Dodge.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Tim, thanks for the holler. Muchas Gracias, I appreciate it.

No Hawaiian shirt yesterday either. Besides, Aloha shirts are for summer.

There was a question posed at H&R a while back, something like, is Iraq worth it to you if your child has to die there.

For the record, my son is a mere 8 years from military age and the way things are going................

That will have to be his choice but if it was mine, the answer is no.

[Franklin Harris]

So, G.I.s are stealing jokes from cows. Nice.

[Todd Fletcher]

It's definitely not Phoenix - the architecture is too stimulating.

[Deez]

Isn't the military supposed to stay out of politics?

[mediageek]

So are these soldiers stupid because they didn't get that John Kerry was insulting Bush and not them?

Just curious.

[joe]

That's a pretty good stunt. Credit where credit is due.

And I have to say, it's good to see some Republican political activists who actually walk the walk. For a change.

[Lamar]

This is just another case of the GOP making things personal to avoid talking about the issues.

[Tom]

So, how long 'til the catchphrase "botched joke" works its way into the broader culture, where it will get beaten to death? Is it officially A Meme? yet?

[Stephen Macklin]

The bottom line is, the botching of the joke changed the meaning of what was said. Kerry apologized for the fact that his words were misinterpreted, but people were responding to what he said. Not what he claims he meant to say. Given Kerry's history of talking trash about the military, taking at his spoken word is not too much of a stretch.

The Picture rocks. If Kerry runs for president in 2008 - expect to see it often.

[sam_h]

This is more amusing then Kerry's original joke.

Best Iraq joke I heard in kawait before the war-

How many Iraqi soldiers does it take to fill a ditch?

Depends on how tightly you pack them...

[Elmo]

I really don't care what he "meant" to say. I only know whay he actualy "did" say, and that for almost two days he like stood behind a open door and yelled epitets at people who "also" heard what he "did" say.

Then when the pressure cooker was sure to burst he acted like a newspaper writer trying to cover a typo by hiding it on the back page rather than be up front and admit that he'd pissed people off. The fact is, I'd like to know what foorball coach would have a clip artist on his team who has cost as many penalty yards as Skerry has cost the Dimocrats.

And BTW, where are Nancy Pelosi and Howard Deen of late? Why are they not out there making cute with all the campaigning Dimocrats? Does their absence tell us anything about their stock value as far as the campaigners see things? Or is everybody hedging their bets by keeping'em outta sight?

The troops shud get a pewlitsir prize for the pichur.

Luv ya all

[Warren]

As someone who served during the Reagan years, I was none too impressed with the average sailor when the enlistment risk/reward ratio was at it's most favorable.

The joke is funny enough; they're making fun of Kerry calling them stupid. But I doubt there's a triple digit IQ in the bunch.

[Elmo]

Sorry Warren, but it looks like you need to check up on some MOS slot requirements. Some of them BEGIN at 120.

Maybe that's why there's a turn-away rate fro so many enlistment applications today.

[jon]

I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an idiot. I'll admire the patriotism, self-sacrifice, their service and devotion, and I'll even wish them well. But I'd still think they're an idiot.

And that goes quintuple for any Iraqi who volunteers.

The policy is a failure and must be changed. I am ashamed to admit that I actually supported invading Iraq. How we got to a place where deposing a dangerous nutjob dictator became anything less than an easy call can only be attributed to some of the worst incompetence in political and military history. Our current mission in Iraq seems to consist of propping up a stupidly-powerless government that has little meaning to the common Iraqi. Was it too much to ask that when we take over a country, we should at least give the people some goddamn liberty with their freedom? What, other than a paycheck or a religious vendetta, does any Iraqi really have worth dying for? And is it in their crappy, when-in-doubt-bow-to-Islam constitution? Sheesh!

Partition that place (Kurdish north, Shiite south, East Gaza in the middle), negotiate with the new governments, and let the center rot. Sure al-Queda will have a year or two of celebrations, but I don't think losing Vietnam made us lose the Cold War any sooner, did it?

[Sandnshoes]

I'm from Phoenix and currently in Iraq, the picture is definitely Iraq.

Anyone (Jon & Warren) who makes disparaging remarks against people in the military is a Jack Ass! Assuming the inteligence of people because they are in the Military or Iraq makes your comments worse than Kerry's since he was just being a bafoon and you are sincere.

[Jake Boone]

Isn't the military supposed to stay out of politics?

Yes. Military personnel must, among other things, "refrain from participating in any political activity while in military uniform, as proscribed by DoD Directive 1334.1 (reference (f)), or using Government facilities or resources for furthering political activities." [DoD Directive 1344.10]

If that picture isn't a Photoshop job, it's pretty clear that they're violating military regulations (and before anyone tries arguing that these soldiers aren't participating in "political" activity, give me a moment to preemptively laugh at you).

Sorry Warren, but it looks like you need to check up on some MOS slot requirements. Some of them BEGIN at 120.

Okay, Elmo, care to hazard a guess about which and how many military jobs have those requirements? I have a hunch that "tanker" isn't among them. Nor is "infantryman," I expect.

I was in the Army from 1998 - 2002, and I had the same experience as Warren; military personnel (enlisteds in particular, but no shortage of officers, either) tend to skew toward the dim side. I'm not saying they're all stupid (because they're certainly not), but I am saying that the lack of education and life experience on the part of your average recruit, combined with an environment that doesn't exactly favor critical or original thinking, tends to keep uneducated recruits... well, uneducated.

Assuming the inteligence of people because they are in the Military or Iraq makes your comments worse than Kerry's since he was just being a bafoon and you are sincere.

I've rewritten this about five times and there's just no way to make this not sound cold. Nevertheless:

Has it occurred to you that you may not be the best person to defend the claim that we have a well-educated military?

[BoogedyBoo]

Looks like those soldiers are cut and run defeatocrats!

...what? They were telling a joke?

[Joack C Jaqckson 3rd]

Well, I think he was teling the truth ( either way you can take the "joke"). Surely more educated people are less likely to be in Iraq.

Very few people signup for the "service" because of "patriotism." When I was in school, good grades and/or a high ASVAB almost disqualified you from being recruited. Half the people from my class that joined were ditzy girls that thought the recruiter was "cute" and that the Army was going to give them 30 grand and a Mustang. The other half were dudes that "were not college material" or had nothing better to do.

I will never understand how telling the truth or talking about reality is "offensive."

Saying that a lack of education causes people to serve is NOT in any way questioning intelligence or disparaging anyone. To me it just means that some people have more opportunities than others. I think the reward is not worth the risk/work and that MOST people who have a choice would rather get a higher paying job or start a business in the private sector. And anyone who wants to go to college can go(somewhere) for free, without the Army.

Anyone who thinks that is disparaging troops would have flunked basic Comprehension ( and proves the lack of education/intelligence theory?)

If a pol gives a pseech and tells students to get an education so they dont have to work at mcDonald's, would there be all the outrage? Why not.

Implying someone is "not educated" is not disparaging, IMO. Plenty of intelligent people dont have much education. It is just a statement ( often true) that education presents more opportunity- Like not dying for a glorified minimum wage job where you get to be just another number.

[sam_h]

You can call service members stupid if you would like, but the facts don't lead to that conclusion. The average soldier is slightly smarter then the average American, period. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1534472/posts. Sorry I don't have time to find primary source material on this.

The average soldier may seem dumb in retrospect to some of the ex-military people who have the time and inclination to post on a political blog. Compared to your college classmates or your coworkers in a professional office they would be. Then again if you hung out at a factory or construction site all the time you would realize that they were just average joes. It why whenever someone writes a war memoir they seem to be the smartest person in the war, because you have to be pretty intelligent to write a successful book.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an idiot. I'll admire the patriotism, self-sacrifice, their service and devotion, and I'll even wish them well. But I'd still think they're an idiot."

What an astounding display of verbal gymnastics. You should be a politician.

[ed]

I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an idiot.

Good one, jon. What, no Viet Nam-era vets nearby to spit on?

Nice of you to mention how much you admire our servicemen while calling them idiots. Classy.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

ed:

This goes to show how the left these days completely twists itself into a pretzel when they talk about the military.

As you allude, back in the Vietnam era these lefties didn't disguise their contempt for our fighting men and women.

In the ensuing decades, when they were ultimately called out for the shrill, clueless assholes that they are, they never the less held on that contempt, and merely changed the packaging. So now they claim that they "support our troops", even though they still detest the very basic thing that these warriors do (fight and die in the name of nationalism).

And instead of "spitting" on the soldiers, they now smother them with smug condescension... these soldiers are merely ignorant dupes caught up in something beyond their control (and perhaps even beyond their awareness).

[Al]

Reasonettes: Can one of you give me an example of a current politician that is smart? Educated? Yes. Smooth? Yes. Glib? Yes. Smart? I've been trying. The only example that I can think of is historic. Jefferson. Possibly. Thanks. Al

[Jon H]

"What an astounding display of verbal gymnastics. You should be a politician."

It would be *wiser* to wait until 2009 to enlist. At least then Rummy and his incompetent crew will likely be kicked to the curb, improving the life expectancy of new recruits.

[Evan!]

Mr. Nice Guy,

While I concur that there are some on the left that seem to have a basic contempt for the military, I still think that supporting the troops themselves, while not supporting the decisions that put them where they are, is an entirely valid position. If you want to move all the way over to the most cynical position possible---that the lefties who hold this position are simply using it as a "softer" contempt---that's your decision. But I'd like to submit that this level of cynicism is unreasonable, and it completely eliminates the possibility of rational discourse on a certain position that is pretty sound. Surely some of them exercise "smug condescension", but to dismiss the aforementioned position, in all its forms, with this assertion, is irresponsible and dishonest.

A valid position stands on its own---it cannot be tarnished by your broad generalizations about the supposed motives of the left. And I believe that supporting the troops themselves, while not supporting the decisions to put them where they are, is a valid position. I'm not a leftist or a democrat or a liberal, but I just don't think that your broad dismissal of this position, based on what you perceive to be perverse motives, is a reasonable action.

[joe]

Al,

Barney Frank.

[rob]

Somewhat recycled from previous thread...

I think it's fairly obvious to anyone being honest that many on the left fall into the false belief that military enlistees are pretty uniformly dumb saps with no better prospects. (Possibly a correlation to why so many Ivy League-types avoid military service?)

While we can argue whether or not a high school diploma is a level of educational "achievement" or not, there are plenty of people in the general population who do not achieve that level of education.

Just because there are very few Ivy League university graduates in the military, it doesn't mean that those serving in the officer corps from other educational institutions are poorly-educated. This is clearly not the case.

The very fact that there IS an educational standard required for eligiblity to serve, it means military personnel are more likely to be better educated than the general population.

For those who have argued that the guys the served with were "dim" I'd point out that this probably reveals a certain intellectual snobbery that is unjustified.

The standard to be in the military is actually higher than it is to NOT be in the military. Because it is a fact, it means military enlistees are more likely to be educated than the general population (which doesn't require an educational standard to be a member).

This means they are more likely to be intelligent - as long as you posit that educational level and functional intelligence are closely correlative.

So if you base your argument on the idea that educational level is a good indicator of intelligence, then the enlisted corps is filled with people who are better educated than the gneeral population and the officer corps is filled with folks who are MUCH better educated than the general population.

I think that to claim from one's personal experience that the folks you served with were "dim" compared to the folks you see walking the streets every day is just bad anecdotal evidence.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Evan:

Even with our revered founders there was hardly a consensus. These guys were at each others' throats. That is part of what makes this country the greatest.

But there is an element among us that has a deep-seated hatred of US nationalism and western culture in general. They are zealots disguised as intellectual elitists. And, as far as I'm concerned, they have nothing of value to add to reasoned disagreement.

So what I'm saying is that in order for us as a nation to have a calm, mature discussion, there needs to be an honest weeding out of the fringe. I happen to pound on the left because I find them especially perverted by their fringe. But the right certainly has their fruitcakes, too.

[joe]

I agree that there are those on the left who hold people in the military in contempt. It's sort of equivalent to libertarians who hold police officers in contempt, although the latter is much more commonplace from what I read on this board.

That being the case, it is most unfortunate and unwise when conservatives and their media allies work to blur the line between those who look down on the troops, and those who look down on the President, a certain war, or a certain set of military policies.

One of the things I liked about Kerry when he ran for president is that, while he adhered to a liberal position on foreign policy, his background as both an officer and in politics led him to abandon the old shibboleths about the military from the anti-Vietnam left.

But Republicans don't care. They'd rather have a Democratic Party full of people who hate the military than one that would discredit that line of thinking about those lefties who still adhere to it.

[ben]

Shame the sign is mis spelled
(hear instead of here )
Kerry is an Illumunati stooge front man
ask him to have a drink of Kool Aid

[Sam Franklin]

The standard to be in the military is actually higher than it is to NOT be in the military. Because it is a fact, it means military enlistees are more likely to be educated than the general population (which doesn't require an educational standard to be a member).

Maybe, but I wouldn't neccessarily say the same thing about getting a job in the military versus the difficulty of landing a non-military job.

[rob]

"I agree that there are those on the left who hold people in the military in contempt." - joe

Now that we've got that out of the way...

"It's sort of equivalent to libertarians who hold police officers in contempt, although the latter is much more commonplace from what I read on this board." - joe

I think you'll find contempt for police officers who use too much force on Hit & Run. But for cops in general? No. But amongst the left side of politics and the Democratic Party you'll find a lot of barely-repressed hatred for the military, even those who serve impeccably and with complete honor.

So no, it's not really equivalent at all.

"it is most unfortunate and unwise when conservatives and their media allies work to blur the line between those who look down on the troops, and those who look down on the President, a certain war, or a certain set of military policies." - joe

I agree 100%.

"One of the things I liked about Kerry when he ran for president is that, while he adhered to a liberal position on foreign policy, his background as both an officer and in politics led him to abandon the old shibboleths about the military from the anti-Vietnam left." - joe

Here you go right off the tracks entirely. Kerry's Winter Soldier Congressional testimony alone puts him firmly in the camp responsible for creating "the old shibboleths about the military from the anti-Vietnam left." For crying out loud, his testimony is where much of this nonsense started!

"But Republicans don't care." - joe

No kidding... Actually, it looks like Repubs dance with glee every time someone says something they can construe as offensive to the troops. But I can't honestly say that if the shoe was on the other foot, Democrats would behave better. The whole boondoggle started with Kerry "botching" an insult aimed at the guy who beat him in the last election. (Now that I think of it... what does it say about Kerry that he can't beat a guy he claims is demonstrably dumber than he is?)

"They'd rather have a Democratic Party full of people who hate the military than one that would discredit that line of thinking about those lefties who still adhere to it." - joe

Well, I think the Repubs are smart enough to realize that most Democratic voters don't hate the military the way much of the extremist, self-proclaimed "intellectual" side of the party does. It's always seemed an unreasoned, knee-jerk approach to me, and it's always seemed odd that it comes from people who think they are real-life versions of Mr. Spock...

The Democratic Party seems hell-bent on giving this advantage to Repubs... That should be what actually makes you mad, joe. You'd think they'd have done a bit of cost-benefit analysis on this like the sort that led Dems like Howard Dean to join the NRA.

But how are the Repubs responsible for a Dem party that fails to discredit such an odious line of thinking? This is like blaming your neighbor when you shoot yourself in the foor...

Couple of questions for you, joe...

Why have the Dems failed to eradicate this evil shite from its leadership? Why is the Democratic Party beset with a leadership that sounds like Peter N. Kirsten?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_N._Kirstein

[rob]

"Maybe, but I wouldn't neccessarily say the same thing about getting a job in the military versus the difficulty of landing a non-military job." - SF

On the contrary, not many 18-year-olds can get an entry-level job that requires a degree...

The military, OTOH, takes people who are smart enough to learn - but who are untrained in a given field - and trains them to be expert (or nearly expert) in that field.

I'd say that it is true that you can't compare a 23-year-old entry-level computer systems administrator with a degree in computer science to an 18-year-old assigned to a Communications Squadron. But that same 18-year-old at 23? He/she will probably be a better system admin than the college graduate.

Of course, not all military occupations have such a clear corresponding civilian career field.

[Sam Franklin]

"Maybe, but I wouldn't neccessarily say the same thing about getting a job in the military versus the difficulty of landing a non-military job." - SF

On the contrary, not many 18-year-olds can get an entry-level job that requires a degree...

Correct, getting an entry level job with the military is easier than securing an entry level job somewhere else. This is why people who are neglectful in high school are liklier to volunteer for military service than those who are diligent.

getting stuck in Iraq may or may not be good for the soul and the work ethic and the IQ and all that (we will have a better idea when stop loss ends), but the path to getting stuck in Iraq in the first place often starts by being neglectful and losing other viable options in life. Which is basically what Kerry words suggested and what he now insincerely and unconvincingly disavows.

[rob]

"Correct, getting an entry level job with the military is easier than securing an entry level job somewhere else." - SF

Sorry, I should have been more explicit - your argument doesn't make sense because you're comparing apples to oranges.

"This is why people who are neglectful in high school are liklier to volunteer for military service than those who are diligent." - SF

So what is your take on college graduates who join the military? Are they also people who have lost educational opportunities?

Just like joe has admitted that there are left-leaning folks who rabidly hate the military, I admit some people join the military as the "best among tough options." But I don't think that this is indicative of the majority of military folks. If you've got evidence to the contrary, I'm interested in seeing it.

"but the path to getting stuck in Iraq in the first place often starts by being neglectful and losing other viable options in life." - SF

Based on your keen examination of the educational achievements of military personnel?

"Which is basically what Kerry words suggested and what he now insincerely and unconvincingly disavows." - SF

Wow... Way to follow up an interesting take on what leads people to join the military with speculation on what "Kerry really meant."

I can't stand Kerry, as you may have guessed from my previous post, but I still think he's being unfairly raked over the coals for something he obviously didn't mean - for once.

(Not that he hasn't made himself fair game with shenanigans that tried to make the entire military out to be monsters back when he left the military for politics.)

[Sam Franklin]

,em>If you've got evidence to the contrary, I'm interested in seeing it.

My evidence comes from living in 29 Palms for 2002-2003 and talking to a fair number of men in the military in casual situations, like at bars, in laundromats or in the common areas of our apartment complexes. I don't think there is any real substitute for first hand experience. These men did not want to talk about the looming Iraq War, not even after it actually arrived. They often did talk about how they ended up volunteering.

Of course, generalizations only take you so far. I am sure that there are geniuses who volunteer and dunces who go to med school. probably the best thing to do is to take each individual on their own merits and not worry about whether they are somehow better than other people by virtue of being, or having been in, in the military.

[Rick REED RxR]

I POsted this Reason .com Blog addres on Ten Of NBC's Message Boards and that was all they would allow.

I was glad I got it on Jay Leno's.

The address for anyone wanting to go there is..
http://nbc.com/tonightshow

Then just hhit up where it says...be a part of..

then youare on your own.

All I have been doing for twelve hours is PUSHING this page.

Doesn't matter if it is a bunch of actors posing to get a point across or if it is real...

Kerry..like so many others in posito9ns like that..they only speak FOR themselves...and ThankYouGod, when they do, they only TELL ON themselves as well.

WEeeeeeeeeeeee.....

Tick REED

[e-mail]

[Rick REED RxR]

check out what I did with the poster hgere..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RxR108

[rob]

"My evidence comes from living in 29 Palms for 2002-2003 and talking to a fair number of men in the military in casual situations," - SF

Hmmm... That's definitely a convincing and scientific comparison study you've conducted, amigo. I can't imagine how you could possibly come to any unrealistic conclusions...

"These men did not want to talk about the looming Iraq War, not even after it actually arrived." - SF

That's not exactly surprising. I had a British chick light into me for my evil American imperialism at a bar. Makes you think twice about even admitting you're military when you could be enjoying your beer in peace. It also makes you appreciate U.S. dentists... She'd have been gorgeous if her teeth didn't repeatedly puncture her own cheeks when she spoke.

[Sam Franklin]

That's not exactly surprising. I had a British chick light into me for my evil American imperialism at a bar. Makes you think twice about even admitting you're military when you could be enjoying your beer in peace.

No, it is not. One reason that I got on as well with the soldiers as well as I did despite having very different politics is that I was sensitive to the difficult situation they were in, and was always careful not to pry, or to be too open with them about the fact that I thought they had made a mistake by enlisting. With a little common sense, we were able to co-exist peacefully and even enjoy each other's company. For their part, they did not try to jam the Iraq War down my throat or act racist or anything like that.

Political discussion belongs on poltical discussion forums, and not when you are trying to enjoy an apolitical beer in a bar and listen to Shania Twain and play darts. That holds true for both soldiers and civilians, I think.

It was more interesting when one of my coworkers, whom I have been friendly with, volunteered this summer for Afgnanistan. He knew my politics since we had known each other for a couple years. Even so, we were able to discuss his decision and career choice without any rancor. That is as it should be. In the context of his life, it was a pretty understandable decision. You really have to take every individual, soldier or not, on their own merits regardless of aggregate trends taken over larger groups.

[jon]

"I think anyone who volunteers (today) to serve in Iraq is an idiot. I'll admire the patriotism, self-sacrifice, their service and devotion, and I'll even wish them well. But I'd still think they're an idiot."--me, recently, in this thread.

I'm going to apologize. I'm sorry to idiots, who were unfairly slandered. Please replace "idiot" with something more appropriate, such as "pro-actively delusional person of insufficient objectivity to determine that the policy in Iraq is a failure." Thank you.

Military guys are indeed above average in intelligence, but that doesn't mean they aren't capable of fooling themselves.

[kevrob]

How The Picture got from Iraq onto the screens of millions of webheads, and the front pages of countless newspapers, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Kevin

[wayne]

This is an interesting discussion.

I turned 18 in June, 1971. The day after my birthday I was in boot camp at Ft. Lewis, WA. I joined for a bunch of different reasons. I was vaguely attracted to the GI bill paying for my college education. I was bored, and the army looked like a fun, exciting time, and it turned out to be fun and exciting. I was a little nervous about getting my ass shot off in Viet Nam, but I felt pretty invincible just as an 18 year old is supposed to feel.

I joined. I served. I had a great time. I have fond memories of it all and made life long friends with people I cherish to this day. The bond you develop with other soldiers is impossible to explain really, and if you haven't done it I really think you can't grasp it.

The last thing in my mind was "US foreign policy" or any notion of politics. I can't imagine an 18 year old boy (man) who is interested in politics of any sort. In fact, I am suspicious of an 18 year old who gives a rat's ass about politics. To say that anybody who volunteers for Iraq is an idiot is arrogant and stupid, but that's OK because the world needs arrogant, stupid people too.

I have since graduated college with a degree in Math, and work in engineering. I am no genius, but I have never thought of myself as idiot.

I am in Iraq as I write this and I have been since June. I came for the adventure and the experience; sort of a last chance in my lifetime to do something like this. I will say that this is a much uglier war (orders or magnitude) than Viet Nam, and the boys serving over here, and lots of girls too, have my utmost respect. Viet Nam was a cake walk in comparison.

There are worse things in life than doing something dangerous. Doing something dull comes readily to mind.

Oh, one more thing, the picture is legitimate; it circulated over here for a day or so before it hit all the news outlets in the states. It is amazing how a bunch of "idiots" could come up with such a biting, satirical rejoinder to an intellectual blow-hard like Kerry, isn't it

[wayne]

"Yes. Military personnel must, among other things, "refrain from participating in any political activity while in military uniform, as proscribed by DoD Directive 1334.1 (reference (f)), or using Government facilities or resources for furthering political activities." [DoD Directive 1344.10]

If that picture isn't a Photoshop job, it's pretty clear that they're violating military regulations (and before anyone tries arguing that these soldiers aren't participating in "political" activity, give me a moment to preemptively laugh at you)."

The picture is legit. Please explain how these soldiers are politicing, I am curious. Is John Kerry running for reelection?

Poking fun at a Lantern-jawed jackass does not seem like politicing to me.

[Sam Franklin]

I am no genius, but I have never thought of myself as idiot.

Please explain how these soldiers are politicing, I am curious.

lol

[Jake Boone]

The picture is legit. Please explain how these soldiers are politicing, I am curious. Is John Kerry running for reelection?

Poking fun at a Lantern-jawed jackass does not seem like politicing to me.

When said jackass is a U.S. Senator, especially one who, in the most recent presidential election, campaigned for the presidency, and the remarks in question were part of a speech he made blasting the winner of said election, I'd say it looks a lot like political activity. If they were blasting Jay Leno or Richard Simmons, not so much.