A Tale of Two Men

One man served our country in the military, was shot down in his jet fighter and captured by our enemies, and survived being tortured mercilessly for five years by his captors. The other avoided military service and the war because of “bone spurs” in his feet, as diagnosed by his private doctor, and served our country during the war by playing golf and chasing women.

One man additionally served his country for decades by working for the betterment of the nation, in Congress and beyond. The other served himself by not paying his contractors and vendors, by declaring bankruptcy various times, by being involved with countless scams and schemes, by discriminating against minorities and by suing anyone who disparaged or even crossed him.

One man conceded he was not a good husband in his first marriage and reportedly did all he could to be the consummate husband and father in his second marriage. The other fooled around on all three of his wives, always trading in the older wife for a newer model (literally a new model), was pretty much an absentee father for most of his children and was an unrepentant womanizer into his advanced old age.

One man had a bad temper and tended to lash out, but was quick to apologize and admit his fault. The other has a bad temper and tends to lash out, but almost never apologizes or admits his fault.

One man had an irreverent, quick and self-deprecating sense of humor. The other has no sense of humor, and no one better deprecate him, or else.

One man was quick to admit his flaws. The other believes he has no flaws.

One man took criticism well … eventually, anyway. The other refuses to countenance any criticism, ever.

One man was known as a person of truth, even hard truths. The other lies ceaselessly.

One man believed in the rule of law. The other believes in bending laws to suit his wants and needs.

One man, as a member of Congress, bravely flew into war zones, even those considered terribly dangerous, even against expert advice, to support our troops and better understand the circumstances of the conflict. The other, as commander-in-chief, timidly has not flown into a single war zone to support our troops or better understand the circumstances, despite going on and on about how tough he is and how much he supports our troops.

One man was short and wiry — I met him once in Reagan National Airport in Washington and was surprised by how small he was — and had his arms broken so often and was otherwise so battered by his captors that he never could lift his arms over his head again. The other is big, soft and bulbous, to the point of having a hard time even finishing his golf swing.

One man had undying loyalty to his country. The other has undying loyalty to no one but himself.

One man was honored for his service to our nation in a funeral service in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. While he was being honored, and while people respectfully watched, both in the cathedral and around the nation via television broadcasts, the other went golfing.

One man was saddened by the state of affairs in our nation and the person in charge of our land, and his dying wish was for our country to return to its greatness. The other one hated him for all of that.

One man will be remembered forever as a national hero. The other will be remembered forever, as … well … certainly not that. Bret Kofford teaches writing a San Diego State University-Imperial valley. His opinions don’t reflect those of SDSU or its employees. Kofford can be reached at kofford@roadrunner.com