Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?

Part of the President's job is being in charge of the military. Should it be required to have prior military service to better understand what goes on with military personnel and the inner workings of the armed forces?Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?Why not. Thay should at least like the USA!Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?
I think you could make a stronger case that Presidents ought ot have some experience in economics. But they almost never do.Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?No, we should stick to the constitutional requirements



The president is in charge of the national debt maybe we should require the president to have a negative net worth.
No.Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?Only the males. Women dont need the experience to know what goes on.Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?
Crap, we should have done that a long time ago so we wouldn't have had to suffer the Clinton years.
Why not? If he hasn't fought for it why should he get the chance to be in charge..Should Presidential candidates be required to have prior military service?
No but it helps with credibility in my eyes.
not sure such an idea would really be practical or fair to some candidates
I think you are right.
Great question. Yes I think it should be required. They become the top dog of the military as "Commander-In-Chief" so it seems reasonable to me. What other job/company lets you start out as teh CEO of the company?
Then there would have to be universal service.

And I am not sure that 2 years as a private gives anyone an understanding of the Armed Services. Most young service members don't even know their own inner workings.



I spent 20 years in the service and it seems to operate as any other large system does, just more people die at work.
No. Unless they should also be required to have been: a farmer; an economist; an entrepreneur; an auto manufacturer; a scientist; a civil engineer; a lawyer; a first responder; a member of the middle-class; a member of the lower-class; a welfare-recipient; a member of the clergy; a parent; an immigrant; and a minority (among other things) so that we can be sure they better understand what goes on with all aspects of our country when they are President (a job which is much, much more than being Commander in Chief).



Military experience is not required to function at the policy level of Commander in Chief, any more than cashier experience is required to function as the CEO of Wal-Mart. And while it couldn't hurt, military experience in no way guarantees that a candidate will be a more effective President.



An argument could be made that someone who has served in wartime is less likely to be a warmongering leader, because they have seen the utter waste and destruction that results from armed conflict. However, military experience by itself will not guarantee that someone will have developed any greater understanding of how the military works, how good policy/strategy is decided, or what all of the societal ramifications of war are.