And it is posts like yours that frustrate me the most. Yes there was controversy regarding West's interrogation of an Iraqi officer, but no outright abuse. No he was not 'kicked out of the Army'. He resigned his commission and retired with full military honors and benefits as a 22-year veteran despite receiving thousands of letters of support from other Americans including dozens from Congressional members.
He was voted out in Florida because he was too outspoken, too uncivil (refused to shake the hand of an opponent that rankled a lot of folks and too insulting to some), and too politically incorrect that is never allowed especially of a black man. Protocol and diplomacy were not his strong suits. A good man with solid values? I think he has demonstrated that. Personally, I think the U.S. Congress is the poorer for his failure to win election and needs more people of his caliber. But West is simply not sufficiently poltiically tempered (i.e. enough of a bull shitter) to make it in politics.
But again Black History month that singles out people with a certain skin pigmentation for recognition is in a way insulting. It focuses more on the skin pigmentation than it does on the accomplishments. And because that is the case, it is one of those well intended things that keeps racism alive and well.
West was an embarrassment to himself and his community. He paid the proce at the polls
That is the way politics works
And yet I bet if he had been left of center/Democrat, you would be defending him to the max. Have you ever pointed out somebody on the left who is 'an embarrassment to himself and his/her community? You see, it is all relative. Allen West was thrown under the bus because he was really really bad at playing politics. I wish he had been a bit more savvy about that, but it simply wasn't in his nature.
Evenso, he has been so mischaracterized and misquoted and portrayed in hateful ways which is how the Left generally treats any black person who dares stray off the 'reservation', he has been successfully marginalized. I thought they were going to lynch him over a spoof re comments he made on Black History Month--comments he never made--but the stupid Left picked it up and circulated it for weeks on Twitter and on message boards to be gobbled up by the gullible who love to denigrate and belittle the politically incorrect.
snopes.com: Allen West on Black History Month
Again, West has been pretty politically inept in his outspokenness and he has nobody to blame for that but himself. But he is not to blame for the dishonest verbal lynchings he has endured. I hope for the day that those on the Left and Right, though they disagree on what the policy may be, will equally demand that honest, accurate information be used and the politics of political destruction become a thing of the distant past.