I was wondering where Reid stood since the Senate is half of the Congress. Also there are rules on who can get into Arlington and who can't. Waivers can be granted like when Clinton gave a waiver to Armand Hammer after he got large donation for his reelection campaign. Hammer had to be exhumed and moved when this was discovered. Like the song says, "Honor you can buy."
Anyone care to make a bet on which party holds the numbers for veterans?
Originally Posted by john_galt
Interestingly enough, until the last election, it was exactly even - 60 to 60, counting both houses of Congress. Now, it's 76-37, Republicans. Interesting article here:
http://www.wnyc.org/articles/its-fre...-sink-new-low/
Pretty good article putting the Buckles issue into perspective:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/04/am...y-turned-down/
A couple of paragraphs from this article really explain things:
Buckles, who enlisted when he was just 16, was a corporal who did not see combat. He served as a driver and warehouse clerk in Europe during and after the war.
In recent years, as his cohort of veterans dwindled, he gained fame chiefly for his longevity. Years before his death, his daughter lobbied successfully to convince President George W. Bush to make an exception to allow him to be buried in Arlington.
I, like hopefully everyone here, appreciate Mr. Buckles' service, and frankly a life well lived. But the only thing that would begin to justify honoring him in the Rotunda is the length of his life post-service, not anything he did during the war itself. Maybe that's enough, but on this issue I can see where both John Boehner and Harry Reid are coming from. It seems to me that his family has already accomplished a major exception in getting him buried at Arlington.