DISQUS

CStanley · 1 month ago

It's turning my stomach to see this being used as a game of political football. Really, what are we coming to that we're going to argue about which president honored the fallen troops in a more appropriate way? People should be ashamed of themselves.

DaGoat · 1 month ago

I applauded Obama in another thread for the understated way he handled the visit. Rather than follow his lead, others have turned the visit into just another political football.

Leonidas · 1 month ago

What I do find wrong is using this to go 'my President honors the military dead better than yours did', when both have in their own way. That is truly petty and unnecessary.

This. Well put AustinRoth. Our fallen heroes don't deserve such pettiness.

EEllis · 1 month ago

I was all set to act with, well lets just say I was upset with the petty and clueless nature of the post. I have seen the responses from others and it calmed me down. I have had family members come home and the last thing I would want is for any of my family used for politics. The idea that my aunt or cousin could show up on a newspaper grieving is something that would be almost impossible to tolerate. I felt Bush acted properly but am more than willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt that his visit is meant to honor our fallen and not PR.

tidbits · 1 month ago

What AustinRoth, Leonidas, DaGoat and CStanley said, and what jchem and EEllis have confirmed.

DLS · 1 month ago

"Our fallen heroes don't deserve such pettiness.

People should be ashamed of themselves."

They'd rather attack, and whine about, others.

vey9 · 1 month ago

As someone assigned to escort remains, (I know they say everybody volunteers for that duty, but that is not exctlly true) I can tell you that doing so is not a joyful experience. It discourages me when Presidents don't want to deal with these things and seemingly sloughs them off on subordinates.

So I was surprised to see Obama at Dover. The remains have already been "fixed up" by the capable "contractors" in Iraq or Afghanistan, but still they are there.

President Truman understood. He made a habit of "not looking back" but he kept in his desk for many years letter he received from a Mr. Banning.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/banning.htm

You should read it.

lucyluuu · 1 month ago

Obama visiting the war dead at Dover Delaware is a sign of pure weakness....By Bush doing it in private with the family tells me that Bush understood the dead of war, he understood that if men and women go off to war, they may not come back alive, Bush understood all of that, Bush understood and certainly understand how emotional one can get by view of the war dead,,,,it'll make you do an about face, run hide under a rock, it would make you disban the military all because you don't want to make the decision on whether to send men and women off to war "all because they might not come back alive".......My Former Commander-N-Chief understood that,,,,,,for some odd reason, you can not be a spinless coward running away from the bad guys......you must have the backbone and spine to make the tough and hard decisions, u can not be a coward,,,,no Sir, just can't do that.....by obama showing up to view the war dead was an act of cowardness, he's a very spinless young man..........very weak indeed!

vey9 · 1 month ago

"Obama visiting the war dead at Dover Delaware is a sign of pure weakness."

There you go, see?

AustinRoth · 1 month ago

I don't find what Obama did a sign of weakness or wrong in any way. Nor do I find how Bush choose to handle this a sign of weakness or wrong in any way.

What I do find wrong is using this to go 'my President honors the military dead better than yours did', when both have in their own way. That is truly petty and unnecessary.

Father_Time · 1 month ago

Most veterans don't look at these right wing "mil-bloggers" with anything but disgust anyway.

I don't see them, I don't hear them. They died when they became partisan in uniform.

However I am certain that the FBI monitors them….and rightly so.

jchem · 1 month ago

I agree with pretty much everyone else on this thread; using this as a political football is pretty sad, and should be below anyone who wants to keep any credibility. But it really doesn't come as any surprise since everything needs to be politicized.

DLS · 1 month ago

"I have had family members come home and the last thing I would want is for any of my family used for politics."

Hopefully most will have learned this lesson from Vietnam (which involved live as well as dead soldiers); it seems that way, and I hope it is that way.

However Obama handles it, it is his decision. About the only thing that might be read from it is that it may be a signal he is willing to commit more troops to Afghanistan; we won't know until if or when he does this. That he chose to greet the fallen would naturally expose him to cheap shots from critics; had he, for example, visited even one bereaved family, that, too, would have been attacked by some, sooner or later (as we await this event's attacks), if not creating expectations or demands me make more such visits subsequently. He chose to do it and I doubt many question his sincerity or would claim this is just a reversal of Bush "visibility and attention" policy about Dover (with or without media in attendance).