Pres. Obama Stands Witness at Dover Air Force Base
Oct 29th, 2009 | 14 responses
I use the words, “stands witness,” because they have a very singular significance. George W. Bush did meet privately with selected families of fallen Americans, but he did not put himself there on the tarmac in the dead of night to witness, directly and in person, the graphic human consequences of his war policies. Whether the war in Afghanistan, or any war, is justified and necessary, or not, to receive the bodies as they are transferred from the plane that brought them to Dover to the vehicle that will take them to the mortuary, is to take personal responsibility for those policies, and for the decisions the president — then Bush, now Obama — makes that will so profoundly affect their lives and fortunes. It takes a certain amount of moral courage to be there at such a moment. It’s painful. It makes you feel bad. Perhaps stirs feelings of guilt or responsibility. It’s a raw, vulnerable, emotionally naked position in which to be.
Apparently, Pres. Obama has that moral courage. His predecessor did not.
Milbloggers are furious at Blue Texan for the pointed way he contrasted Obama’s actions with those of former Pres. Bush:
I never cease to be amazed by the sorry haters on the left and their inability to understand the military, respect, dignity and the difference between a gesture and a heartfelt gesture. They are busy hating on George W because he failed to go to Dover and get photo-opped like our current Commander in Chief. Now first of all I will give Obama credit for gong to Dover, but as soon as it became a photo op it was cheapened as Matt noted. Anyone smell the stench of Axelrod and Emanuel? Well the brain-addled, land apes at FireDogLake are calling out the former CinC for not being so blatant. Admire their bile.
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Turning a solemn occasion into a photo op that becomes about you is not respectful, it is sorry. President Bush knew that and chose to show his respect in private to the people who really matter, the Gold Star families.
Perhaps. I’m not going to say that Bush intended any disrespect by making the choice to visit dead soldiers’ grieving families, and to pass on being present for the return of the soldiers’ bodies from Afghanistan or Iraq. But it was the easier choice. And, although Jimbo does not mention it, Obama’s trip to Dover was in addition to, not in place of, meeting privately with the fallen soldiers’ families
Also, it’s unfair, not to mention dishonest, to characterize Pres. Obama’s presence at Dover as a “photo op.” The news media that were at Dover were there with the express permission of the families involved. As Uncle Jimbo well knows, the Bush administration’s policy of banning the press from photographing and/or reporting the arrival of the flag-draped coffins — without regard to what the family wanted — was rather controversial — suggesting as it did that the White House preferred to avoid reminding Americans of the actual physical cost of Bush’s wars. When Obama became president, a decision was made to allow the families to make that call, which is how it should be.
The BBC video, I think, speaks more powerfully than words.
14 Responses to “Pres. Obama Stands Witness at Dover Air Force Base”
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.
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!
“Obama visiting the war dead at Dover Delaware is a sign of pure weakness.”
There you go, see?
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.
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This. Well put AustinRoth. Our fallen heroes don't deserve such pettiness.
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.
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.
“Our fallen heroes don't deserve such pettiness.
People should be ashamed of themselves.”
They'd rather attack, and whine about, others.
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.
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.
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.
What AustinRoth, Leonidas, DaGoat and CStanley said, and what jchem and EEllis have confirmed.
“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).