Congressman Bill Sali: Afraid To Debate Opponents With Military Experience

Tonight's news that my Congressman, Bill Sali, pulled out of a long-scheduled primary debate because of "scheduling issues" comes as no surprise. While some people would be ashamed to admit that they can't schedule their own time properly, Bill Sali seems to have no such compunction -- it's almost as if he recognizes that people already know he's a failure, so when he can't even clear the low bar that's been set of "show up where you agreed to show up", he isn't the least bit ashamed. My guess is that we won't see Congressman Sali showing up for any debates this year, because a) he doesn't want to have to talk about his record in places where there will be people who will question it, and b) because he's afraid to show further ignorance of military matters when debating someone with military experience (which is both his primary and general election opponents).

I don't blame Bill Sali for not serving in the military in his youth; he turned 18 in 1972, and the military wasn't exactly a popular place to be in those days. I do, however, wonder why a serving Congressman chooses to remain so ignorant of military culture that he doesn't even understand the difference between a unit award and a medal: "The U.S. Navy had previously awarded VO-67 the Navy Unit Commendation medal, a medal of lesser value and stature." I am glad that he helped VO-67 get their well-deserved upgrade, though, and hopefully he'll get some more people with military experience on his staff (campaign or otherwise) so he can learn more about the culture of the military he's supposed to be overseeing as a Representative.