Vincent Fiore
Where's the "honor" in this?
By Vincent Fiore
In the early stages of his presidency, many decisions by President Obama have been viewed as being rash, uninformed, and more than slightly arrogant. But for me, his latest transgression upon the nation singularly stands out. The president's midnight run to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to "honor" 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan was a sensationalistic but desperate political stunt, and he should be called out on it.
But to date, the media has reported Obama's trip to Dover as "symbolic" and "pivotal," further reporting that the commander in chief stated: "It was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day, not only our troops but their families as well."
These are eloquent words from a president who has denigrated and disgraced his office by cheapening the sacrifice of these 18 dead as a White House photo op. As recounted in a report by The New York Times, "The midnight trip was not announced in advance. The president, wearing a dark suit and a long overcoat, left the White House just before midnight. A small contingent of reporters and photographers was quietly called to follow him to Dover, where he met for two hours with members of 14 families."
So this "unannounced" visit to Dover was in fact announced to White House pool reporters and photographers?
Yes. Very hush-hush, Mr. President. Why would anybody think that your reasons for doing this were calculated and self-serving? Only a Right-winger bent on hating you would think other than the trip to Dover was a spur of the moment melting of your presidential heart towards these 18 dead from Afghanistan.
Maybe in another time and place, sir, but not now.
Like everything you do, President Obama — and I am struggling here to attach the honorific to your name — you do not even take a breath without serious political calculations. You were a naive and arrogant man before you became president; now I will add cold-bloodied to that list as well.
Do not ever confuse what you did as honorable. You could have done this without the press there to capture the moment — YOUR moment — on film as it did, but this has always been about you.
You believe that as your popularity and policy transformations have plummeted in the polls in recent months, you needed something — like your haughty and assumptive try for the Olympic Games — something that only a president can do.
Well, give yourself a pat on the back, sir; you did it. However, I do not believe you will be happy with the results. No one — at least anyone who has closely followed your presidency these past 10 months — believes that you did not use this opportunity for anything other than as a photo op. Truly, you are repugnant as you unique...Mr. President.
It is being said that President George W. Bush never visited Dover as President Obama did. Neither did President's Reagan, Bush senior, or Clinton, but what of it? President George W. Bush spent hundreds of hours with family members of our war dead from both the theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush also consoled hundreds after the terrible attacks on America on 9/11.
But Bush did this privately, so as not to bring attention to himself, or the grieving families the fallen leave behind. Here then was a road map of sorts for President Obama to follow. Everyone would eventually find out that President Bush visited with these families, but the news of it would not overshadow the importance and privacy of the families. In other words, he was not the story here.
It is what a commander in chief does in these situations: Honor, respect, empathy, strength and soberness. That is what President Bush brought to the process of honoring the fallen in war, and their surviving family members.
Opportunity, brazenness, calculating, and disgrace are just a few of the qualities President Obama seems to bring. Even for an administration that in its short time in office has done so much to alarm so many, this was a dark day in the Obama presidency.
© Vincent Fiore
November 3, 2009
In the early stages of his presidency, many decisions by President Obama have been viewed as being rash, uninformed, and more than slightly arrogant. But for me, his latest transgression upon the nation singularly stands out. The president's midnight run to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to "honor" 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan was a sensationalistic but desperate political stunt, and he should be called out on it.
But to date, the media has reported Obama's trip to Dover as "symbolic" and "pivotal," further reporting that the commander in chief stated: "It was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day, not only our troops but their families as well."
These are eloquent words from a president who has denigrated and disgraced his office by cheapening the sacrifice of these 18 dead as a White House photo op. As recounted in a report by The New York Times, "The midnight trip was not announced in advance. The president, wearing a dark suit and a long overcoat, left the White House just before midnight. A small contingent of reporters and photographers was quietly called to follow him to Dover, where he met for two hours with members of 14 families."
So this "unannounced" visit to Dover was in fact announced to White House pool reporters and photographers?
Yes. Very hush-hush, Mr. President. Why would anybody think that your reasons for doing this were calculated and self-serving? Only a Right-winger bent on hating you would think other than the trip to Dover was a spur of the moment melting of your presidential heart towards these 18 dead from Afghanistan.
Maybe in another time and place, sir, but not now.
Like everything you do, President Obama — and I am struggling here to attach the honorific to your name — you do not even take a breath without serious political calculations. You were a naive and arrogant man before you became president; now I will add cold-bloodied to that list as well.
Do not ever confuse what you did as honorable. You could have done this without the press there to capture the moment — YOUR moment — on film as it did, but this has always been about you.
You believe that as your popularity and policy transformations have plummeted in the polls in recent months, you needed something — like your haughty and assumptive try for the Olympic Games — something that only a president can do.
Well, give yourself a pat on the back, sir; you did it. However, I do not believe you will be happy with the results. No one — at least anyone who has closely followed your presidency these past 10 months — believes that you did not use this opportunity for anything other than as a photo op. Truly, you are repugnant as you unique...Mr. President.
It is being said that President George W. Bush never visited Dover as President Obama did. Neither did President's Reagan, Bush senior, or Clinton, but what of it? President George W. Bush spent hundreds of hours with family members of our war dead from both the theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush also consoled hundreds after the terrible attacks on America on 9/11.
But Bush did this privately, so as not to bring attention to himself, or the grieving families the fallen leave behind. Here then was a road map of sorts for President Obama to follow. Everyone would eventually find out that President Bush visited with these families, but the news of it would not overshadow the importance and privacy of the families. In other words, he was not the story here.
It is what a commander in chief does in these situations: Honor, respect, empathy, strength and soberness. That is what President Bush brought to the process of honoring the fallen in war, and their surviving family members.
Opportunity, brazenness, calculating, and disgrace are just a few of the qualities President Obama seems to bring. Even for an administration that in its short time in office has done so much to alarm so many, this was a dark day in the Obama presidency.
© Vincent Fiore
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