President Obama made a trip to Dover Air Force Base to be present when the coffins of troops and DEA agents were returned from Afghanistan.
I have no problem with it.
One thing I’ve learned in life is that everyone mourns in his or her own way.
I reject the attempts by some on the left to use this event as an excuse to attack George W. Bush, who chose to mourn in private with the families of soldiers killed in action, rather than greeting coffins in public.
I similarly reject attempts by some on the right to use this event as an excuse to attack Obama, who chose to mourn at the scene of returning coffins with photographers recording an event he considered important.
To each, his own.
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Comments
And let's not forget the families that have to mourn their loss for the rest of their lives.
I'm glad President Obama went to Dover. I hope he makes the right decision regarding the war. I don't approve of the programs he is trying to get passed, but he does have a hard job. We need to pray for him as he makes the decisions he has to make.
Very well put. A funeral or any sad event with mourning is no place to grind axes.
And this post, more than any other, is the prime example of why you're my biggest blog crush. You're the Craig Ferguson of the right.
While I was not assigned to either Iraq or Afghanistan, I did proudly serve in the military. I despise how Obama's policies are, in the words of Thomas Sowell, "Dismantling America". But I don't understand why anybody would criticize the commander in chief for paying tribute to the men and women who have fallen in battle in service to the country they volunteered to serve.
It's bad form to question his motives with this event.
Nope, sorry, I can't buy it. The Obama photo and appearance with the salute just doesn't ring true to his persona. It's staged, put on, not authentic. The bow to the Saudi King fits with him – a natural reponse by an inexperienced guy – but this? straight back, tight salute in the middle of the night stuffed in between golf outings and fund raisers, while ignoring McCrystal and taking his sweet time to decide not to give McCrystal what he needs even though he can be swift and decisive on stimulus and health care? Bollocks!
I'm just a Canadian but wasn't the media ban lifted and the first pictures taken of a soldier's returning casket in Dover on March 5th? Its a legitimate question to ask of someone freely spending time on many things no where near as worthy of his attention as President of the United States of America, why now?
Sorry, but I've gotta agree with jbo and Alan F on this one. Yes, this is not something to grind an axe or publicly lash out at Obama over– but it still looks staged and inauthentic.
Yes… "everyone mourns in his or her own way." However mourning in a carefully thought out, public display is not real mourning. It's almost certainly a contrived publicity momennt to make Obama seem more approachable and less elitist as his polls drop. I wouldn't make a big deal out of this photo-op and won't disparage a politician for simply behaving like a politician– but this is not authentic mourning and I don't think it should called that.
You had me going for a sec, Mr.Jaconson–too bad more people don't practice such sly humor or I'd have been more on guard for it after my initial, unflattering, knee-jerk reaction.
I'm not as magnanimous as you because I find this just another photo-op for 0. It reminds me of Clinton on the beach at Normandy. My loathing for these men requires medication.
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