Article 88, which states:

“Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

…Not likely. The UCMJ is not the product of military fiat, but rather a 1950 act of Congress. Congress intentionally chose to narrow the prior version of Article 88, which had covered all soldiers, in order to ensure that it applied to officers but not enlisted personnel. From a policy standpoint, why did it chose to do so?

First, Congress probably recognized that the primary purpose of Article 88 should be to prevent active military officers from meddling in politics–a persistent problem in other republics, both ancient and modern.

…More recently, a number of military officers faced disciplinary action after drawing attention to deficiencies in President Clinton’s moral character – an activity which for civilians seemed to constitute a hearty national pastime throughout the 1990s. These cases, while relatively few in number, became emblematic of Clinton’s difficult relations with the military, particularly its professional officer corps.

For example, Maj. Gen. Harold Campbell was compelled to retire after referring, no doubt affectionately, to the “gay-loving,” “womanizing,” “draft-dodging” and “pot-smoking” President in a speech at an Air Force banquet. Other officers received reprimands for characterizing their Commander-in-Chief as a “lying draft dodger,” a “moral coward,” and an “adulterous liar” in letters to their local newspapers.

Even retired officers may be at risk when they speak out – as Lt. Col. Michael J. Davidson noted in his July 1999 Army Lawyer article, “Contemptuous Speech Against the President.” Davidson noted that Article 88 may apply to retired commissioned officers by virtue of other articles of the UCMJ.

And these a$$holes know it.

McCain: Damn Harry, I know we’re on the same side on this immigration thing, but I gotta say something about you for your comment on the Generals.

Harry: OK John. Just keep it professional.

McCain: No problem, old friend. Sorry to do this, but it’s an election cycle. You got your nutroots, I got mine. Gotta keep the dumbasses happy, ya know?

Harry: Gets harder every day John. Gets harder every day.,

How do the people of Nevada tolerate this traitor? He isn’t fit to run the county water board(pun intended) let alone sit in the U.S. Senate.
Limerick on June 14, 2007 at 10:57 AM

I lived in Las Vegas for 14 years and I didn’t vote for that sack of $hit one time. We finally got a rep in the other seat just before I moved. Harry Reid is a POS. His supporters do so because of the unions and Yucca Mountain.

Update: If Reid finds Petraeus so untrustworthy and incomptent, why on earth did he vote for him?

I was looking to pile on Reid for this by finding out if he voted for Pace. I looked all over this am for the vote on Pace for C of Staff, but couldn’t find it. I found the nomination date and the vote date but couldn’t find out who voted yea and nay.

If Bush had any balls, ….
georgej on June 14, 2007 at 3:02 PM

Ha Ha Ha. If Boosh had any balls we would not be in this position today. I wish someone could explain what happened to Boosh after the 2004 election. He went from a strong President to rival Carter as the worst President in the past 100 years.

If Bush had any balls, he’d order Gonzales to impanel a grand jury and indict this son-of-a-bitch on one or all of the above. If he is under indictement, HE CANNOT SERVE AS MAJORITY LEADER or chair any committee.

Time to play hardball, Mr. President.

Reid is CORRUPT. He is actively working to SABOTAGE AMERICA during a time of war. Whether he actually said what this blog entry claims he said or not, he has lent the prestige of his office to aid and abet Al Qaeda elsewhere.

He is unworthy of the United States Senate and should be removed from his leadership position because he is a traitor.

A: Because he doesn’t do dick!

McCain and other senators should not walk on eggshells when denouncing Reid’s idiotic pandering rants. Call his behavior out without sugarcoating it with milquetoast words like “disappointed.”

read it all for more flip-flops. Much of his life is flip-flop on multiple issues…even marriage to who and how many.

Reid allowed the FBI to tape Gordon’s attempt to bribe him with $12,000, at which point Reid attempted (unsuccessfully) to

strangle Gordon, saying “You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!”[8]

temper temper…

On November 1, 2005, Reid moved that the Senate go into closed session, a very unusual action. The public was removed from the Senate chambers. ( sneaky too)

Reid did not receive any contributions from Abramoff, but Reid had contact with clients and lobbying partners of Abramoff,[33] and Reid’s campaign received over $60,000 in contributions from these groups, including about $50,000 from Native American gaming interests.

Las Vegas land deal
Condo gifts
Laughlin, Nevada, bridge project

and of course this little one:
“this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything “

A very small man ‘leads’ the Senate of a ‘serious’ country.

Wake up America!

usarmyretired on June 14, 2007 at 12:27 PM

What Reid has to say has absolutely nothing to do with military experience viz Murtha. It all political and his gang of ‘blame America jerks’ only gain capital if our military loses.

The depths this asshat has stooped, he is definitely ‘gutter assimilated’.

It is utterly despicable for any senator to talk that way, let alone a floundering moronic incompetent like reid.

If Reid finds Petraeus so untrustworthy and incomptent, why on earth did he vote for him?

Bush lied! duh!