It seems J.D. Vance fancies himself a Pete Hegseth type “warrior.” Vance is a fellow Marine which ordinarily would cause me to give him a break. Not this time. Not on this. Vance is not a warrior and never was. He picked an M.O.S. that could be described as Public Affairs. When deployed overseas most of his time was spent in an office on a fairly secure base. When he did venture out it was take escort journalists and visiting dignitaries – to pretty well secured (safe) areas. Senator Tammy Duckworth spent her tour in Iraq flying helicopters over enemy territory, ferrying supplies and troops and even some medivac missions. To put it bluntly when Vance tried to mock/insult Duckworth he was punching WAY the hell above his weight class.
As this article from The Hill explains Vance took exception to Senator Duckworth’s question at a recent hearing and made the mistake of going on social media to compare her to the fictional Forrest Gump. Senator Duckworth it should be noted barely survived a mission where her chopper took a missile hit. She lost her legs and partial use of one of her arms. Yet she put herself through the grueling process of rehabilitation. She built a career in politics and became a Senator where she tirelessly (among other things) advocates for Veterans and all people with disabilities. Vance, who served in relative safety had no business mocking Duckworth for disabilities that resulted from service in a war. Nor her intellect either.
J.D. should stick to humping couches. He probably soaked one with tears from the ass-whupping Senator Duckworth gave him. Her response, deservedly brutal not only skewered Vance, but Trump too and you know that’s going to piss Trump off big-time. Duckworth is after all the one who labeled him Cadet Bone Spurs, inspiring countless memes. (I long for the day when some reporter about to retire, and with the cameras rolling ask him how he justifies playing tough when he’s known as Cadet Bone Spurs) Vance complained on social media about her interaction with Little Marco Rubio, going on X to say:
“Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton.”
Rubio was one of only a few people at least marginally qualitied for their cabinet posts. Trump chewed up Rubio and spit him out ten years ago during GOP primary debates. Hanging around Trump so much the past year has made Rubio even less than what he was when Trump ground him into dust back then. If anything watching Rubio squirm it’s more appropriate to compare HIM to Forrest Gump trying to argue with Newton.
Vance however thinks he is far smarter and savvier than he actually is. So he launched a cheap shot attack on a fellow Veteran, a wounded WARRIOR which is something he should be truly ashamed of. Being an Illinois native who would proudly vote for Duckworth if I still lived there I’m not the least bit surprised she wasted no time giving Vance a rhetorical slap across the face that as I said was hard enough to knock away his eyeliner.
Once again Senator Duckworth proved she is more than a match for Vance, or even Trump and isn’t the least bit afraid of them or MAGA:
Duckworth — a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, who lost both her legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq — dismissed Vance’s criticism as “petty insults.”
“Forrest Gump ran toward danger in Vietnam. Your boss ran to his podiatrist crying bone spurs,” Duckworth wrote in a post on the social platform X, referring to President Trump’s medical draft deferments that excused him from serving in the Vietnam War.
“Petty insults at the expense of people with disabilities won’t change the fact that you’re risking troops’ lives to boost Chevron’s stock price,” she continued. “It’s my job to hold you accountable.”
As enjoyable as it is to see Senator Duckworth smack Vance (and Trump too) around like a tetherball let’s not forget the purpose of that hearing. Duckworth, other Democrats and even some Republicans want clear answers from the administration on whether they are preparing to put American troops into Venezuela to protect efforts by American oil companies to rebuild oil extraction infrastructure. Those of us old enough to remember Vietnam shudder at the thought.
Rubio is doing his best to carry Trump’s water on this, because he has his own obsession. As MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell has said for Rubio, Venezuela is a stepping stone to convincing Trump to invade CUBA. Just like Baby Bush used Afghanistan to crack open the door to avenging his daddy by invading Iraq and taking out Saddam Hussein. So yes, Duckworth had zero patience with Rubio. Vance’s mistake was trying to come to Little Marco’s defense. I suspect he’ll think twice about engaging with Senator Duckworth in times to come.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Man, Adam Lambert sure has let himself go rite???
Changed his name to Vance too I see. Go figure.