Deferred gratification

Dr. Max of That One Blog has a savage* post up on "General Casey Submits Cut and Run Plan to Rumsfeld."

And Dr. Max's characterization of Kansas Representative Felix Danderwell and his 15 deferments got me to thinking. Of today's prominent chickenhawks, who holds the record for the number of deferments?

So far, the leader seems to be John Ashcroft, former US Attorney General and legal rubber-stamper of Gitmo and Bush-Lite® Torture.

Aschcroft had a whopping seven (some claim eight) deferments, including a rarely awarded — and highly suspect — occupational deferment.

While attending Yale and then the University of Chicago Law School in the 1960s, Ashcroft repeatedly sought and received student deferments from his local draft board in Springfield, Missouri. In this, Ashcroft was hardly unique.

But, as The Boston Globe reported…, when Ashcroft graduated from law school in 1967 he took the far less common step of seeking an occupational deferment granted to those who hold critical civilian jobs. (Out of 35 million men registered with the Selective Service in 1967, only 264,000 received occupational deferments.)

The "critical" job in question? Teaching business law to undergrads at Southwest Missouri State University — an assignment he lined up with the help of a family friend.... [link]

Does anybody know of any prominent chickenhawks who tie or beat Ashcroft's seven, possibly eight, deferments?

*Highest praise for political writing.