# New Name for Gulf War II - The Chickenhawk War! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 26, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676 "2004-12-26T13:17:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/21 "2004-12-26T22:08:49Z")
I always thought “[chicken hawk](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=chicken%20hawk)” was slang for “pedophile” (usually referring to a gay man). When did “chickenhawk” start meaning someone who supports war but is unwilling to fight? The spelling of the two terms is different, so I guess technically they’re not the same, but when I hear or see the term I usually don’t notice whether there’s a space between the words. Has the war-related “chickenhawk” become very popular? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/22 "2004-12-26T23:15:11Z")
> [@Master Sparky](#): > > Call me old-fashioned, but I tend to prefer the Roman numerals appended to the end. Now, if you want to add a subtitle afterwards in true Hollywood fashion, that’s cool with me. _Gulf War II: Chickenhawk War_ has a nice ring to it, whether or not I agree with the subtitled term. > > Hopefully we’ll not have to worry about titles like _Gulf War IV: A New Beginning_ or _Gulf War VI: Uday Lives_, though… _Gulf War II: Chickenhawk’s Revenge_ has a nice aptness to it, but it’s just not direct enough. The Chickenhawk War is more to the point. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/23 "2004-12-26T23:28:41Z")
* * * > [@](#): > > Hey, **Evil Captor** – here’s the [Chickenhawk Database](http://www.nhgazette.com/news/chickenhawks/). Been there, done that. I checked it to make sure the people I named as chickenhawks were in fact chickenhawks. Great link, though. **Misnomer,** it’s a fairly recent term, according to [this listing in Wikipedia.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenhawk) **Bricker,** it’s true the Dems have not been following my wise and absolutely free advice for the last few years, but if this gets loose online, I think it could backdoor its way into the mainstream media rather easily. It’s a very appealing term, rolls right off the tongue, and has the advantage of readily distinguishing this Gulf war from Gulf War I. **treis,** I am not in Iraq fighting the troops because it is my fondest wish that every last one of them come back safely. My quarrel isn’t with the troops in Iraq, they’re just people doing their duty, it’s with the idiot chickenhawks who’ve put them in harm’s way for no good reason. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/24 "2004-12-26T23:37:37Z")
No you said: > [@Evil Captor](#): > > In this thread it’s been pointed out that, given that the Reserves are having a lot of trouble making quota for new enlistments, that there must be an awful lot of vocal supporters of Gulf War II on the \*\* right who are unwilling to back up their words with actions. To put it gently, they lack the courage of their convictions. \*\* And I am asking you why aren’t you backing up your word with actions? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/25 "2004-12-26T23:40:53Z")
> [@treis](#): > > And I am asking you why aren’t you backing up your word with actions? Not to answer for anybody else, but… If one’s convictions are that our troops should be brought home, how would you be following your convictions to go take up arms against them? See, it makes no _sense_. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/26 "2004-12-27T00:17:46Z")
> [@Master Sparky](#): > > Hopefully we’ll not have to worry about titles like _Gulf War IV: A New Beginning_ or _Gulf War VI: Uday Lives_, though… I don’t think we will. Thanks to the Chickenhawks, Saddam is out of control and his rotten kids are dead. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/27 "2004-12-27T00:19:37Z")
> [@gatopescado](#): > > Saddam is out of control Yeep I think I saw him on dictators gone wild: spring break. :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/28 "2004-12-27T00:59:34Z")
Perhaps I’ve seen too many Foghorn Leghorn cartoons, but I always thought the term “chickenhawk” referred to a fiesty little bird with more confidence and aggressiveness than it had size and ability to bring off. I would think Iraq’s actions under Hussein would fit this definition better than the action the U.S. is taking against it. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/29 "2004-12-27T01:06:56Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Yeep I think I saw him on dictators gone wild: spring break. :eek: 😃 😃😃😃😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/30 "2004-12-27T01:17:49Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Fnord. Word. I once read that good satire is what sounds absurd today, but is then repeated in all seriousness twenty years later. These past few years have convinced me that Wilson’s a fricken’ genius. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/31 "2004-12-27T01:39:27Z")
> [@treis](#): > > No you said: > > And I am asking you why aren’t you backing up your word with actions? I’m not the one who’s advocating sending OTHERS in harms’ way. There’s a much greater burden to be borne by such. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/32 "2004-12-27T03:10:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Hopefully we’ll not have to worry about titles like Gulf War IV: A New Beginning or Gulf War VI: Uday Lives, though… The one I’m worried about is _Gulf War III: Revenge of the Terrorists_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/33 "2004-12-27T03:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > In broad terms, have positions that the public supports in broad terms. (No gay marriage. Tax cuts. Less government interference. Less political correctness. Welcoming religion into the public sphere. Oppose immorality. Be definite about right and wrong. Support traditional American institutions - Boy Scouts, church, marriage between a man and a woman. ) No gay marriage - well nobody’s denying where the Republicans have stood on this issue. Some would question whether they’re right but they did take a definite stand. So points for them. But on the other issues: Tax cuts - Lowering government revenue while raising government spending. Aren’t the Republicans supposed to be the fiscally sensible party? Less government interference - Heard about the PATRIOT Act? I mean in broad outline, I realize a lot of the details have been classified. Less political correctness - _The Republican Party: Defending Your Right To Tell Jokes About Niggers_ - Yeah, that’ll look good on a bumper sticker. Welcoming religion into the public sphere. - Well, one religion anyway. The others will have to wait their turn I guess. And I suppose it’s only fair we let Christians take the first turn. I’m sure they’ll be equally understanding when the government decides to redo American society based on Daoist beliefs and practices. Oppose immorality - Was there a party that was supporting immorality? Oh wait, maybe you meant “opposing immorality” in the sense of “telling other people what their moral standards should be”. I guess we’ll reconcile this with the “less government interference” platform in committee. Be definite about right and wrong. - So close. Just missed the subtle distinction between saying you’re right and actually being right. It’s like the difference between saying there’s WMD’s in Iraq and there actually being WMD’s in Iraq. Support traditional American institutions - Boy Scouts, church, marriage between a man and a woman - But what do we do when these institutions start attacking each other? Like when churchmen molest boy scouts? Or Jennifer Lopez gets married to Billy Bob Thorton? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/34 "2004-12-27T03:45:55Z")
This thread is too stupid and the OP used a pretty retarded platitude so it deserves no serious response. But the military is predominantly registered Republican, so the whole chickenhawk label is stupid. Legislator’s aren’t supposed to go to war in all reality, although some do. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/35 "2004-12-27T06:58:02Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Legislator’s aren’t supposed to go to war in all reality, although some do. Tell that to JFK, McGovern, McCain, Kerry, Eisenhower, and Washington to name a few. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/36 "2004-12-27T07:06:58Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > But the military is predominantly registered Republican, so the whole chickenhawk label is stupid. … Obviously, if one is a chickenhawk, they’re not **in** the military. So pointing out the Republican content of the military is kinda pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/37 "2004-12-27T07:27:48Z")
I mean to say government leaders are typically better serving their country at that stage in their lives as government leaders, not jumping off into war at age 42 (ala Strom Thurmond.) Now obviously that has merit, but I feel usually it is a political statement to do so and plus I don’t know of anyone who has done it since Korea at least. People who served then become legislators are a different animal from what I was speaking of. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/38 "2004-12-27T07:44:41Z")
I’m not sure if you’re obfuscating or misunderstanding. > [@Martin Hyde](#): > > I mean to say government leaders are typically better serving their country at that stage in their lives as government leaders, not jumping off into war at age 42 (ala Strom Thurmond.) Nobody is saying Bush should enlist now, simply the fact the he, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc… dodged the Vietnam war. Thus, when the chips were down, they couldn’t be bothered to risk or sacrifice a damn thing. And now they ask you to give your sons and daughters to their meat grinder. And anybody who objects is un-american, a traitor, a lover of terrorists, a Saddamite, etc… So, chickenhawks are both the pol’s who dodged war and now ask you to go to war, and those who suport the pol’s who couldn’t be bothered to actually support the trooops, but who’ll cheerlead for blood being spilled. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/39 "2004-12-27T13:26:50Z")
The literal accuracy of the term is almost not at issue: the real point is whether calling it “The Chickenhawk War” will be an effective meme for undermining Bushco’s war efforts. I’d say “Yes.” ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676/40 "2004-12-27T13:28:53Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > The literal accuracy of the term is almost not at issue: the real point is whether calling it “The Chickenhawk War” will be an effective meme for undermining Bushco’s war efforts. I’d say “Yes.” Personally I think it’d just enrage a bunch of Americans. "What, you’re saying our Glorious Leader has done wrong? What’re you, un-umeriken? " [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-name-for-gulf-war-ii-the-chickenhawk-war/281676.md?page=3)