Michael Cook: Arkansas Republicans’ Unpatriotic Dinner Guest

Arkansas Republicans had a bounty of Presidential candidates to choose from when it came time to pick a speaker for their annual Reagan-Rockefeller Dinner.

In the end, Arkansas Republican leadership chose reality-TV star Donald Trump to speak at their annual shindig. He’s basically a vapid Kardashian, but with a bigger bank account. TB&P contributor Steve Brawner has a good rundown on Trump’s Friday night speech to Arkansas Republicans in Hot Springs.

It’s what Donald Trump said Saturday about Senator John McCain during a speech in Iowa that has Arkansas Republicans pretending they don’t know him just 24 hours after he was in town.

“He’s [McCain] not a war hero,” said Trump. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

In just two sentences Donald Trump shot down his own candidacy and embarrassed Arkansas Republicans with his shamefully unpatriotic remarks.

John McCain, a Naval fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, is an American hero. He was shot down over North Vietnam and served five years in the Hanoi Hilton, a horrible POW camp. McCain’s service, and the service of all other POWs, should never be criticized or demeaned. I personally disagree with many of McCain’s policies, but I honor and respect his service to our country.

Patriotism is, in part, about feeling pride for the men and women who served in our military. Throughout our country’s history, our armed forces have put their lives on the line and sadly too many, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “gave the last full measure of devotion.”

Attacking a member of our armed forces for being captured during a time of war is about as unpatriotic as you can get and that’s exactly what Trump did. It should be noted Trump never served in the military and received several draft deferments.

Just about every one of Trump’s Republican opponents have already condemned Trump’s remarks about McCain. Of course, when Trump was beating up on Mexicans – calling them rapists and murderers or claiming Barack Obama was born in Kenya – none of them had the brass to criticize him, but that’s another story.

The polls taken before Trump’s remarks about McCain had Trump in first place. In about two weeks, Trump will be polling below Carly Fiorina. Who, you might ask? My point exactly.

Arkansas Republicans should be mortified they had this unpatriotic haircut of a candidate as their keynote speaker this weekend.