I'm not going to speculate on one candidate or the other here. My views are already fairly well known, and there have been a dozen other blogs today covering that. Instead, I want to once again highlight an idea that I've long supported and found that, in spite of the fact that I rarely hear anyone else discuss it, nearly everyone I talk to about it agrees.

And that idea is simply this: Military service in a primary branch such as the Marine Corps, Navy, or Army should be a pre-requisite to running for any government office. Mayors, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, and Presidents/Vice Presidents... should ALL be prior military. Every last one of them.

The pros of such an arrangement are virtually too numerous to list, and the cons are easily dismissed. But we'll go ahead and give it a shot, hm? We'll start with pros, since they're easier to think up.

Good leadership would soar, while corruption would plummet. Our government officials would almost universally be just, selfless, honorable men and women who have truly devoted their lives to improving the lots of others above themselves and their friends. The disconnect between government officials and the military would also vanish, so there would be no more of this "our poor soldiers are just pawns of the government" mentality. The government would basically be the highest extension OF the military... the politicians who "send us to die" will have once stood in our boots, and have a much clearer understanding of what it is they're doing.

Also, by being required to enlist and serve the nation as a soldier before they can become a politician, you'll quickly weed out the silver-spooned sissies who claim to want to serve our nation and not simply line their pockets and wield more power/authority but who don't actually have the steel to stick their necks out for your best interest above their own. There would be no young, immature, naive kids running for office because those years would be spent in the military, where maturity comes on like a freight train (you don't really have a choice). By the time they finish their tour of duty, they'll be mature responsible adults ready to take on the challenge of leading the economy.

And finally, this ensures those with dishonorable backgrounds can't get into office... because they won't make it through their tour. They can't enlist with a criminal background, and they'll be dishonorably discharged if they commit crimes while they're in. These are simply the most obvious benefits... there are countless more, mainly concerning various specific types of training and the universal military mentality of selfless sacrifice for the good of others.

Cons? HAH! There's just ONE - Those who aim to be politicians will run the risk that they could be sent to war and even be killed before they get the opportunity. See above for the reasons that this is, in fact, a pro. If they're not willing to serve four years in the military to get started on their career as a politician, they don't deserve to be our leaders and representatives anyway. In fact, I think it should be a minimum of EIGHT years, and I'll tell you why:

These days, I see a lot of non-hackers who make it through boot camp without being weeded out thanks to how politically correct our country has become (drill instructors basically have to baby the recruits these days... it totally defeats the purpose of boot camp, which is to inflict extreme stress comparable to COMBAT on the recruits and weed out the ones who can't handle it). And so you get these kids who put on the uniform who lack the discipline to have truly earned it. They go on to do stupid things, throwing away our code of honor, disgracing themselves and their branch of service. Even Marines, who for over the past 232 years have proved themselves to be the living breathing PINNACLE of honor and integrity.

By the time these kids are even halfway through their tour, they do nothing but complain about it and talk about how they can't wait to get out. Their tour ends, and they return to the civilian world... and many of them return to being whatever sort of dirtbag they were before they joined, if not worse. The ones who truly learn discipline, who truly live by our code of honor and hold themselves to our highest standards of behavior, are very frequently the ones who reenlist for another four years and often go on to make a career out of the Marine Corps. And so I say that should be a requirement. 8 years. But do it across two tours, just like everyone else... so that the wannabe politicians will be faced with that decision, after serving for four years, if they still want to serve ANOTHER four years.

I guarantee you, there is not ONE SINGLE MAN OR WOMAN who will get out of the military after serving honorably for 8 years that will not be mature, responsible, competent leaders who are ready, willing, and MORE than able to continue serving this nation as our elected officials. If you can manage it, I beg you to find a flaw with this idea and share it with me... I've been trying a long time, and the more I think about it the more I wonder why such a system isn't already in place.