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Obama Veep: Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy (Ret.)
I don;t know that much about retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, so I'm soliciting your comments.
What I do know is that she was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1947 and became the first woman to attain the rank of three-star general.
I am not the first to suggest her, so I will provide this brief biographical summary from a post at democraticunderground, with a few [] notes of my own. It is accurate, as far as I know:
In 1997, Kennedy was promoted to lieutenant general and named Army
Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence. In 1999, she made a sexual
harassment claim against fellow officer General Larry Smith, stemming
from an incident in 1996 when she was a major general and he was a
brigadier general. Kennedy made the accusation after Smith was slated
for promotion to the position of Army deputy Inspector General, the
position responsible for investigation of sexual harassment claims.
Kennedy claimed that Smith had attempted to grope and kiss her; Smith's
appointment to the inspector general's office was later withdrawn. Some
service members have criticized Kennedy for waiting three years to file
her complaint. [The Army supported her claim.]
Kennedy retired from the military in June 2000 after 31 years in the
Army but under the shadow of her delayed allegations. During the 2000
U.S. presidential election, Kennedy was critical of George W. Bush's
military policies, especially as they related to the status of women in
the armed forces. According to General Kennedy: "If Mr. Bush becomes
president, his campaign platform says he will move us back to a much
earlier time."
In 2002, Democrats actively sought to recruit General Kennedy to
challenge U.S. Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia. Kennedy
passed on the race.
Kennedy endorsed Senator John Kerry for the 2004 Democratic
presidential nomination in September 2003, and served as an advisor to
the Kerry campaign. (see John Kerry presidential campaign, 2004). She
was sometimes mentioned as a possible nominee for Secretary of Defense
in a Kerry administration.
She endorsed anti-war politicians Eric Massa and Patrick Murphy in
2006, which suggests that she opposes the Iraq War. She also endorsed
Senator Hillary Clinton in her campaign for president.
Your thoughts?
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Comments (16)
Actually, the blog post is from wikipedia.
Hope I can format it better here:
June 12, 2008 12:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Great stealth choice.
I actually served under her in Europe.
A smart, groundbreaking leader.
Strong Intelligence background.
Outranks McCain by a mile.
I'd love to see my party try to question her patriotism or commitment to the troops.
Very smart choice Ripper.
June 12, 2008 1:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
This would do a great deal to calm the feelings of hurt and abandonment felt by my fifty something blue collar working girl wife -who is still simmering angrily that Hillary lost .
My own personal favorite pick is former Senator Bob Gramm- ex chairman of the Intelligence Committee , former Governor of fLORIDA-
June 12, 2008 5:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
PS -Sen Gramm actually read all the intel reports and voted against the AUMF - And early on called Achmed "Curveball" Chalabi a fraud & con artist ...
June 12, 2008 5:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
"she was born in Frankfurt, Germany"
On a military base or something? If not, that could clinch it right there.
June 12, 2008 8:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
My understanding is that she was born while her father was serving in the U.S. Army in Germany.
June 12, 2008 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
If so, that's the same situation as McCain, so should be no problem.
June 12, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
A female retired general - now that would be a real curveball.
June 12, 2008 9:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
She was an adviser to Kerry so he should have some input. Anything known about her personal life? family? (It *does* make a difference and I hope those doing the vetting remember that when they think about Hillary would would bring Bill along.....) -------- I've always wondered about the effect Laura Bush and Theresa Heinz Kerry had on the 2004 vote.
June 12, 2008 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I served under her in Europe.... until she decided that I drank too much and had to go, but such is life.
I never did like the lady. We had some choice nicknames for her.
Funniest thing I ever saw was a tree branch falling on her car though. Smashed the Beemer like you wouldn't believe. (Atleast, I enjoyed it)
August 5, 2008 9:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
We were obviously there at the same time... probably in the same company. Maybe the in the same section.
I can't agree with you more. Her biggest accomplishment was handing out condoms. (Which inspired a few of those names.)
Hislop had a swell photo of the incident with the tree. I've always wondered if that was really a "natural" disaster.
-M
August 28, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I served under LTC Claudia Kennedy in Germany, and I felt now as I did then, that she was one of the worst officers in the Army, bar NONE. Some of her more memorable accomplishments were:
Handing out condoms to all the troops in the battalion, then threatening them with Art 15 if any of them were found to be using them as water baloons.
Trying to have the doorway to our Morse Ops area painted PINK, and then with little pink pig's footprints all along the wall starting from the door, and ending on the other side of the door (the project was aborted midway through when the Brigade Commader ordered the detail team to repaint the doorway MI Blue to the enormous consternation of LTC K, who left a dinner early to see if her project had been completed.)
REfusing to allow an SFC to send his troubled daughter home to live with her mother in the states because "I won't allow you to split up your family"
Personally educating, then re-educating, then re-re-re-re (did I say Re-) educating the Batallion each and every month on the very important subject of AIDS and the importance of knowing that "if you go to bed with someone, you go to bed with every single person that person has ever been with!"
Fired the Bn CSM in the first week, because he was not going to be a yes, m'am man. THe fired CSM was 3 months later appointed to Brigade CSM when the outgoing Brigade CSM retired, much to LTC K's disgust.
Created the Bn Women's group, whose activities took precedence over every single other aspect of the Bn's mission, including the clasified mission. I found that out when one of my sergeants was tapped to be the Women's group bus driver, leaving the mission critically short, in spite of a personal protest to LTC K, the Women's group still went on the 5-factory tour, and the mission went to hell.
Personally counselled several soldiers who were getting a divorce to try and make them change their minds and not break up their families. At least one soldier's end-of-tour award was allegedly disapproved because the soldier was getting divorced.
The tree-falling incident happened in her last week of comand. We were coming back from a day shift and LTC K was standing outside greeting us all when we came in, so of course we couldn't laugh, so we said our greetings to the Bn CO, then RAN upstairs, and let out a whoop of laughter once we were safely out of earshot. More than just a few wished that she had been in the car when the tree fell on it!
I saw LTG K speak at the Democratic conventioin, and thought that if they knew her like her former Bn soldiers do, they'd all vote republican. As it is, I'd bet good money that LTG K will vote Republican now for no better reason than that they have a woman on the ticket.
September 6, 2008 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I served under LTC Claudia Kennedy in Germany, and I felt now as I did then, that she was one of the worst officers in the Army, bar NONE. Some of her more memorable accomplishments were:
Handing out condoms to all the troops in the battalion, then threatening them with Art 15 if any of them were found to be using them as water baloons.
Trying to have the doorway to our Morse Ops area painted PINK, and then with little pink pig's footprints all along the wall starting from the door, and ending on the other side of the door (the project was aborted midway through when the Brigade Commader ordered the detail team to repaint the doorway MI Blue to the enormous consternation of LTC K, who left a dinner early to see if her project had been completed.)
REfusing to allow an SFC to send his troubled daughter home to live with her mother in the states because "I won't allow you to split up your family"
Personally educating, then re-educating, then re-re-re-re (did I say Re-) educating the Batallion each and every month on the very important subject of AIDS and the importance of knowing that "if you go to bed with someone, you go to bed with every single person that person has ever been with!"
Fired the Bn CSM in the first week, because he was not going to be a yes, m'am man. THe fired CSM was 3 months later appointed to Brigade CSM when the outgoing Brigade CSM retired, much to LTC K's disgust.
Created the Bn Women's group, whose activities took precedence over every single other aspect of the Bn's mission, including the clasified mission. I found that out when one of my sergeants was tapped to be the Women's group bus driver, leaving the mission critically short, in spite of a personal protest to LTC K, the Women's group still went on the 5-factory tour, and the mission went to hell.
Personally counselled several soldiers who were getting a divorce to try and make them change their minds and not break up their families. At least one soldier's end-of-tour award was allegedly disapproved because the soldier was getting divorced.
The tree-falling incident happened in her last week of comand. We were coming back from a day shift and LTC K was standing outside greeting us all when we came in, so of course we couldn't laugh, so we said our greetings to the Bn CO, then RAN upstairs, and let out a whoop of laughter once we were safely out of earshot. More than just a few wished that she had been in the car when the tree fell on it!
I saw LTG K speak at the Democratic conventioin, and thought that if they knew her like her former Bn soldiers do, they'd all vote republican. As it is, I'd bet good money that LTG K will vote Republican now for no better reason than that they have a woman on the ticket.
September 6, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I served under LTC Claudia Kennedy in Germany, and I felt now as I did then, that she was one of the worst officers in the Army, bar NONE. Some of her more memorable accomplishments were:
Handing out condoms to all the troops in the battalion, then threatening them with Art 15 if any of them were found to be using them as water baloons.
Trying to have the doorway to our Morse Ops area painted PINK, and then with little pink pig's footprints all along the wall starting from the door, and ending on the other side of the door (the project was aborted midway through when the Brigade Commader ordered the detail team to repaint the doorway MI Blue to the enormous consternation of LTC K, who left a dinner early to see if her project had been completed.)
REfusing to allow an SFC to send his troubled daughter home to live with her mother in the states because "I won't allow you to split up your family"
Personally educating, then re-educating, then re-re-re-re (did I say Re-) educating the Batallion each and every month on the very important subject of AIDS and the importance of knowing that "if you go to bed with someone, you go to bed with every single person that person has ever been with!"
Fired the Bn CSM in the first week, because he was not going to be a yes, m'am man. THe fired CSM was 3 months later appointed to Brigade CSM when the outgoing Brigade CSM retired, much to LTC K's disgust.
Created the Bn Women's group, whose activities took precedence over every single other aspect of the Bn's mission, including the clasified mission. I found that out when one of my sergeants was tapped to be the Women's group bus driver, leaving the mission critically short, in spite of a personal protest to LTC K, the Women's group still went on the 5-factory tour, and the mission went to hell.
Personally counselled several soldiers who were getting a divorce to try and make them change their minds and not break up their families. At least one soldier's end-of-tour award was allegedly disapproved because the soldier was getting divorced.
The tree-falling incident happened in her last week of comand. We were coming back from a day shift and LTC K was standing outside greeting us all when we came in, so of course we couldn't laugh, so we said our greetings to the Bn CO, then RAN upstairs, and let out a whoop of laughter once we were safely out of earshot. More than just a few wished that she had been in the car when the tree fell on it!
I saw LTG K speak at the Democratic conventioin, and thought that if they knew her like her former Bn soldiers do, they'd all vote republican. As it is, I'd bet good money that LTG K will vote Republican now for no better reason than that they have a woman on the ticket.
September 6, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I served under LTC Claudia Kennedy in Germany, and I felt now as I did then, that she was one of the worst officers in the Army, bar NONE. Some of her more memorable accomplishments were:
Handing out condoms to all the troops in the battalion, then threatening them with Art 15 if any of them were found to be using them as water baloons.
Trying to have the doorway to our Morse Ops area painted PINK, and then with little pink pig's footprints all along the wall starting from the door, and ending on the other side of the door (the project was aborted midway through when the Brigade Commader ordered the detail team to repaint the doorway MI Blue to the enormous consternation of LTC K, who left a dinner early to see if her project had been completed.)
REfusing to allow an SFC to send his troubled daughter home to live with her mother in the states because "I won't allow you to split up your family"
Personally educating, then re-educating, then re-re-re-re (did I say Re-) educating the Batallion each and every month on the very important subject of AIDS and the importance of knowing that "if you go to bed with someone, you go to bed with every single person that person has ever been with!"
Fired the Bn CSM in the first week, because he was not going to be a yes, m'am man. THe fired CSM was 3 months later appointed to Brigade CSM when the outgoing Brigade CSM retired, much to LTC K's disgust.
Created the Bn Women's group, whose activities took precedence over every single other aspect of the Bn's mission, including the clasified mission. I found that out when one of my sergeants was tapped to be the Women's group bus driver, leaving the mission critically short, in spite of a personal protest to LTC K, the Women's group still went on the 5-factory tour, and the mission went to hell.
Personally counselled several soldiers who were getting a divorce to try and make them change their minds and not break up their families. At least one soldier's end-of-tour award was allegedly disapproved because the soldier was getting divorced.
The tree-falling incident happened in her last week of comand. We were coming back from a day shift and LTC K was standing outside greeting us all when we came in, so of course we couldn't laugh, so we said our greetings to the Bn CO, then RAN upstairs, and let out a whoop of laughter once we were safely out of earshot. More than just a few wished that she had been in the car when the tree fell on it!
I saw LTG K speak at the Democratic conventioin, and thought that if they knew her like her former Bn soldiers do, they'd all vote republican. As it is, I'd bet good money that LTG K will vote Republican now for no better reason than that they have a woman on the ticket.
September 6, 2008 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
SHE WAS A PRODUCT OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DRIVEN WOMEN EQUALITY IN THE ARMED SERVICES POST WAC TRANSITION PERIOD. HER CAREER TOOK OFF UNDER THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION WHEN HILLARY TOOK A NOTICE OF HER. I SERVED WITH HER WHEN SHE WAS A MAJOR IN AUGSBURG GERMANY WHEN SHE WAS THE A/OPS OFFICER PUNCHING HER TICKET. SHE WAS A HARD WORKER BUT PRONE TO POLITICS AND WOMAN'S ISSUES. WASN'T MUCH OF A LEADER FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS A SENIOR NON-COM TRYING TO RUN A 24/7 CLASSIFIED MISSION. MISSED HER WHEN SHE TRANSFERRED TO KOREA USAFSK. HEARD SHE WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH GI'S IN HER COMMAND MARRYING (HOOKERS) IN THE VILLE AND DELAYING THEIR PAPERWORK TO THAT END. MORE OF A MOM TYPE THEN THE TYPICAL COMMANDER CONCERNS. PUNCHING HER TICKET ONCE AGAIN AND WITH THE ARMY'S DRIVE TO RETAIN SENIOR FEMALE OFFICERS PROBABLY HAD GLARING PROFOUND OER'S. ARRIVED IN GERMANY FOLLOWING HER DEPARTURE AND WAS GLAD OF IT. SAME OH SAME OH. SHE FOLLOWED ME TO SIERRA VISTA AZ WHEN SHE WAS A DEPUTY COMMANDER UNDER GENERAL STEWART AND MOST OF THE STAFF AVOIDED HER. SHE DID HER GENERAL STUFF WITHOUT MUCH IMPACT CONCERNED ABOUT THE WORKING CONDITIONS IN NEWLY DEVELOPED INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS. SHE SEEMED TO FOCUS ON MINOR ISSUES INSTEAD OF THE BIG PICTURE. PROBABLY DIDN'T GET IT. NOT MUCH OF A CHANGE FROM MY PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS WITH HER. I BELIEVE SENIOR OFFICERS WITH MUCH MORE EXPERIENCE WERE PASSED OVER TO POLITICALLY EXPLOIT THE UPWARD PROMOTION OF A FEMALE OFFICER.
SHE IS A TRUE LIBERAL FROM MY VIEW AND I'M GLAD SHE WASN'T PLACED IN A COMBAT COMMAND ROLE. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS FOR THE MOST PART DONT GET BEYOND LTC BECAUSE OF THERE NO COMBAT ROLES. WOMEN WERE HEAVILY POSITIONED IN MI DUE TO OUR NON COMBAT ROLES OF THE TIME. OTHER THAN MEDICAL FIELDS THIS WAS THE LOGICAL PLACE TO PROMOTE A FEMALE OFFICER TO THE GENERAL RANKS. SO MUCH FOR POLITICS IN THE MILITARY.
October 8, 2008 12:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
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