Rick's Cafe Americain

Pat Tillman had it all. He was a professional football player - and a damn good one.  He left a $3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals on the table when, in the wake of 9/11, he gave up his football career in order to enlist in the military.  Not surprisingly, this elite athlete was in the U.S. Special Forces.  He chose to put himself in the line of fire in pursuit of a cause he believed in over the life of luxury that he had earned by his talents.

Pat Tillman was killed today in Afghanistan serving his country.  I have grave doubts about the way the administration is conducting this war, but I have no mixed feelings about Pat Tillman. 

Tillman’s brother, Kevin, a Cleveland Indians prospect, also gave up his career to enlist and serve.  I congratulate the Tillman family for raising two fine men and join them in mourning Pat’s death.

What is going to be gross is when right wingers over the next few days (primarily to difuse the public relations nightmare this could be for Bush, even though Tillman was not in Iraq, but also just to capitalize) try to use Tillman as some sort of example to justify our military operations abroad.  Or just use Tillman to promote some other agenda.

This one gets close http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110001975

Tillman is a true hero. He gave up cash and celebrity to serve his country and fight for the war on terror which he was doing in Afghanistan. Of course politicans will seize the opportunity to make a case for their ineterests, thereby tainting his courageous actions.