They're taking another vacation--his second one since the BP oil crisis broke in the gulf--and he's delegated the honoring of our nation's war dead to Joe Biden, right along with walking Bo the Dog and bringing in the White House mail and newspapers every morning.
Sources say that he will be rearranging his schedule to make it back to Washington DC in time for a meeting with Paul McCartney the next day, however. Priorities...
Granted, Barack Obama is about as welcome at Arlington as those inbred banjo-pickers from the Westboro baptist "church", but it's unheard of for a sitting president to fluff off our nation's heroes and their survivors just for a vacation, especially in a time of war.
Obama really needs to change his name to "Recess", because he's got no class.
Also culpable, of course, are his loyal followers, most of whom excoriated President Bush every time he dared take a vacation or even tried to play golf. Bush gave up on golf because he felt that it didn't look right to be playing while our troops were at war, but Obama...he's played more games in his first year than Bush did in all eight of his. And he's taken more vacation time, too, all without any negative feedback from the same people who criticized Bush for much less. They even overlook the fact that he's only been to view the oil spill disaster in the Gulf once. But hey--those golf balls aren't going to hit themselves...
I'm disgusted, but I should not be surprised by this. The sort of person who could vote for Obama has never been the sort of person known to demonstrate much logic, consistency or intellectual honesty.
Hope and change, folks. The only things changing though appear to be some peoples' expectations of how a president should act.
I find it amusing that you "aim for the cat" photo in the side bar appears to be point right at PrezBO. Not that I'm suggesting anything. Just an interesting coinkidink.
ReplyDeleteObama ia a disrespectful A--hole
ReplyDeleteHope and change, my ass... sigh...
ReplyDeletePresident Ronald Reagan skipped Arlington on Memorial Day on four of his eight years in office, sending various substitutes in his place.
ReplyDeletePresident H.W. Bush, who was a World War II veteran, did not attend the Arlington Cemetery ceremony at all while he was president; he spent three of them vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine, while Vice President Dan Quayle laid the wreath.
And President George W. Bush was out of the country on Memorial Day 2002.
Given this information, it is clear President Obama not only is not the first to break with tradition, but is, in fact, following in the footsteps of some of his more recent Republican predecessors.
President Clinton, a Democrat, is the only president in three decades who never missed a Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington.
That may be true, Katherine, but there was never a doubt as to the respect that each of the Presidents that you mention have held for our military, Bill Clinton being the notable exception.
ReplyDeleteBarry, on the other hand, is not popular with our troops, and one reason is that unless he can force them to participate in his photo ops, he ignores them completely. His skipping this traditional day of honor for our troops for a vacation is in character for him. And for him to do it in a time of war...well that's even worse. I have to say, I can't recall us being at war during the terms of the other Presidents, G.W. Bush excepted, of course. And he served proudly in his own right and was never one to fail to honor our troops.
Oh--and welcome to the blog. Lagniappe sends his regards.
Well, it is enlightening to hear that you don't consider being in Afghanistan or Iraq being at war and thus excusing Bush the young and Bush the elder from Memorial Days at Arlington. I doubt that those serving there would agree with your definition, since we haven't officially declared it - it isn't a "war".
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I've been following the blog for awhile and find some topics downright inspiring and others, well, I try to read them only when home and when I have access to copious amounts of alcohol.
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI omitted G.W. Bush from the list of Presidents serving while we weren't at war. As to Bush the Elder...Desert Storm's 100 hour offensive (which was not in progress during Memorial Day) hardly meets the test. But again--both of those men served in the military themselves, something that we both know Barack Obama would never voluntarily do. They demonstrated their commitment to our troops countless other times as well, but B.O.? He merely treats our fighting men and women as photo op props. He owes it to our military to go out and show some real respect, and I suspect that he knows that too, and that's precisely why he's not at Arlington this year--he can't stand the idea.
But I'm glad to see you finally post. Now with a token Liberal on board, I can actually lay claim to having a "diverse" blog.