Salier, Former Marine, Says Romney Boys ‘Fine’ As Civilians

Leading Iowa conservative Bill Salier, a farmer and former Marine who ran a surprisingly close U.S. Senate primary race against Congressman Greg Ganske in 2002 and in so doing carved out a place for himself as something of a rural icon, has some thoughts on the fact that none of Mitt Romney’s five able-bodied sons are serving in the military – as the former Massachusetts governor supports a ramped-up American involvement there in his presidential stumping.

“It’s a volunteer force and if you do not want to be a member of that military you shouldn’t be,” Salier tells Iowa Independent. “It is the dedicated die-hard individuals who are in there serving this nation. The pride that I feel for them – if you don’t want to be a part of that, that’s fine. I don’t think they should be there because I don’t want somebody to be there among those who are trying to do their level-best for the future of this nation and our liberty to be placed at risk by somebody who doesn’t want to be there.”

Since Salier served in the Marines (and saw duty in Somalia) I asked him about the Romney boys recently. Salier isn’t an unbiased observer in the GOP contest in Iowa as he’s the state chairman for Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo. As both Salier and Tancredo are known for their blunt ways, I thought perhaps the Iowa Republican, 39, would rip Romney for having sons who look strong enough to have been farmers in 1880s Iowa but who are being photographed biking across Iowa instead of storming the home of some insurgents in Iraq. Maybe Iowans just confuse Mormons with Quakers?

For his part (and to his credit) Salier said the campaigns shouldn’t get into the career decisions of candidates’ kids (although I’m following with great interest Son of Rudy’s attempt to make the PGA Tour) and Salier termed the Romney boys’ choices to remain civilians as “fine” and “entirely up to them.”

But the issue is out there for public consideration.

In an earlier Iowa Independent piece T.M. Lindsey reports:

At an "Ask Mitt Anything" campaign stop Wednesday, Rachel Griffiths, a member of the Quad City Progressive Action for the Common Good and sister of an Army major who had served in Iraq, asked Romney, in light of his support of the troop surge, why none of his five sons were serving in Iraq. Romney responded, "One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president."

Remarkably, Romney’s response reminded me of comments the bizarre actor Val Kilmer made in a recent interview with journalist Chuck Klosterman.  Here is that stunning exchange from July 2005 that can be found in the book “Chuck Klosterman IV”:

Chuck Klosterman: So you’re saying you understand how it feels to shoot someone as much as a person who has actually committed a murder?

Val Kilmer: I understand it more. It’s an actor’s job. A guy who’s lived through the horror of Vietnam has not spent his life preparing his mind for it. Most of these guys were borderline criminal or poor, and that’s why they got sent to Vietnam. It was all the poor wretched kids who got beat up by their dads, guys that didn’t get on the football team, guys who couldn’t finagle a scholarship. They didn’t have the emotional equipment to handle that experience. But this is what an actor trains to do. So – standing onstage – I can more effectively represent that kid in Vietnam than a guy who was there.

Romney isn’t as honest – or crazy – as Kilmer. But his point is essentially the same: he can stand on the stage at Hilton Coliseum, with none of his sons serving, and having no experience in war himself, and straight-face his support of the surge in Iraq.