President pays respects to America’s fallen
President Obama went to Dover, Del. in the wee hours of the morning to greet the returning bodies of U.S. servicemen killed overseas. He also met privately with the families of the fallen for a reported two hours.
He needed to do that. As commander in chief, he honored the sacrifice of those under his command. As president, he expressed the gratitude of the nation not just to those fallen but to all who risk their lives for the country. And as a human being, he saw and felt first hand the consequences of the decisions he is making. It’s a weight every wartime president must carry.
I continue to search for a convincing argument that Afghanistan can be “won.” I haven’t found it yet, and if someone comes across one, let me know. Even Gen. McCrystal’s assessment was pretty pessimistic if you read it. I’d love to sit McChrystal down and ask him one very private question: If we follow your advice, what do you think the chances that in 10 years, Afghanistan will be a peaceful, self-governing nation that offers no harbor for Islamic terrorism?
Forty percent? Eighty percent? It’s sure as hell not 100 percent.
As an AP story pointed out, the U.S. and its allies already outnumber the Taliban forces by 12-1, yet as McChrystal acknowledges, we’re still losing ground. The inherent corruption in Afghanistan and our status as a profoundly alien presence are obstacles that sheer manpower cannot overcome.
I do see a lot of arguments in effect describing Afghanistan as “a test of our will and toughness.” It is so much more important than that, and justifiying it in those terms is profoundly wrong. We’re not bringing those caskets back to Dover as a way to prove our toughness. At least I hope we’re not.
Here’s an AP video of the ceremony early this morning.
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383 comments Add your comment
Marsh
October 29th, 2009
8:21 am
Did Shrub ever do that? Not saying he didn’t, just wonderin’.
Finn McCool
October 29th, 2009
8:26 am
just walk away. Let Afghans sort out Afghanistan’s future.
Normal
October 29th, 2009
8:28 am
I’ll say again what I said downstairs, I wish he would go to Dover to meet the alive troops he had just ordered home.
Peadawg
October 29th, 2009
8:29 am
He needs to explain to families why he hasn’t brought our troops home. Bush didn’t bring them home and now Obama has a chance to right a wrong and he still hasn’t. Some change!
Finn McCool
October 29th, 2009
8:29 am
Obama’s Declaration Of Swine Flu Emergency Prompts Pro-Swine-Flu Republican Response
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/obamas_declaration_of_swine?utm_source=slate_rss_1
Marsh
October 29th, 2009
8:32 am
A GOP swine flu endorsement. You know, you could not make this sh*t up!
Doggone/GA
October 29th, 2009
8:33 am
What are the chances “that in 10 years, Afghanistan will be a peaceful, self-governing nation that offers no harbor for Islamic terrorism”? I’d put it at about 5%.
Peadawg
October 29th, 2009
8:34 am
I agree Doggone. If I was a bettin’ man, I wouldn’t put much money on it.
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:34 am
well done, Obama – thanks for not only having the integrity for honoring our war dead, but also for realizing that US citizens SHOULD see our dead being repatriated.
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:35 am
Peadawg –
I’m with you and Doggone … with the caveat that, if it is peaceful, it’s going to be under the heel of a boot.
Call it like it is.
October 29th, 2009
8:36 am
Enough is enough, bring them home. Afghanistan is just a testing ground for new weapons. Getting really tired of being the policeman for the world. Nobody else seems to care what goes on with these guys. Its in their backyard so let Europe, China, India handle it. Would love to see what the world and the UN would do without American troops and American money.
Not saying we should part ways with everybody, but getting really tired of the rest of world hating on us, until they need us.
Afghanistan is a souless pit. The USSR couldnt defeat them, and we can’t either. The 2 most powerful armys in the world and they are still there.
Whats that definition of insanity again?
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:37 am
oh … and …
WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Q3 GDP came in higher than expected … 3.5% (annualized)
and continuing jobless claims had a pretty sizeable fall, as well.
The Other Marsh
October 29th, 2009
8:38 am
Nothing poblem with the first part, the end is the problem. So just have all the fallen to have died in vein, and cut and and run, and allow Afghanistan to once again become controlled by the Taliban is what you’re saying huh Jay?
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:38 am
The U.S. economy grew in the third quarter for the first time in more than a year, propelled by stimulus-driven gains in consumer spending and home building.
The world’s largest economy expanded at a 3.5 percent pace from July through September, exceeding the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, after shrinking the previous four quarters, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Household purchases climbed 3.4 percent, the most in more than two years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=a_bD4gJ8o4wc
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:39 am
The number of Americans collecting unemployment insurance fell more than forecast to the lowest level in seven months, a government report showed.
The number of people receiving jobless benefits declined by 148,000 to 5.8 million in the week ended Oct. 17, the lowest since March 21 and biggest weekly drop since July, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. Initial jobless claims fell by 1,000 to 530,000 in the week ended Oct. 24, from 531,000 the prior week.
Companies are cutting few jobs as they see more evidence of a recovery, helped by government stimulus efforts and less weakness in housing and manufacturing. A rebound in hiring may take longer to materialize than other parts of the economy, and economists predict the unemployment rate will rise to 10 percent by early 2010.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=addLGY7AlNrM
Mrs. Godzilla
October 29th, 2009
8:40 am
God Bless You Mr. President and give you the wisdom to bring them home.
Peadawg…you support bring them home rather than surging?
Jackie
October 29th, 2009
8:40 am
The USA has had a presence in Afghanistan longer than the old Soviet Union, whom had to go home in defeat. For their efforts, Afghanistan was more lawless than when they went in.
What is our purpose in the country and what can we do to bring peace and stability?
The obvious answers are we have no purpose: we can not impose peace nor bring about stability without the Afghans wanting it.
Time to load it up and head back this way!
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:41 am
now, where’s my friend TF … we can hang out and watch all the green lights on the equities market …
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 29th, 2009
8:41 am
Getting some points for the big Jay Leno interview coming up.
Doggone/GA
October 29th, 2009
8:43 am
“if it is peaceful, it’s going to be under the heel of a boot.”
And I agree with that…and I think that’s what will happen in Iraq also, BTW.
Peadawg
October 29th, 2009
8:43 am
“Peadawg…you support bring them home rather than surging?”
Yes I do Godzilla. I’m actually kinda of torn on the subject…on one hand, we need to finally get Bin Laden but on the other hand, I’m tired of ready a story every other day about 5 or 10 or whatever more soldiers killed in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Finn McCool
October 29th, 2009
8:44 am
The other marsh,
So, you want other young Americans to die there? Tell me what the “win” is in Afghanistan. What do we tell the parents and families of the young who die there in the future?
“Well, we just couldn’t walk away cause that would LOOK bad”??
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 29th, 2009
8:44 am
What happened to “Code Pink”?
mmm, mmmm, mmmm
Finn McCool
October 29th, 2009
8:45 am
“Surge” is a pay-off to the enemy to stop shooting our young people. Where do you want to get the money for that and what will that solve?
Call it like it is.
October 29th, 2009
8:46 am
“The other marsh”
Dude take your time, get your thoughts in order, type slowly, re-read the post, fix errors, then hit the submit comment tab.
Marsh
October 29th, 2009
8:47 am
This is something we ALL need to see.
Such a contrast to the previous, ahem, ‘administration’.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/02/10/2009-02-10_family_members_of_fallen_soldiers_urge_p.htm
Mrs. Godzilla
October 29th, 2009
8:48 am
Peadawg,
Thanks for the honest answer.
Doggone/GA
October 29th, 2009
8:48 am
“So just have all the fallen to have died in vein, and cut and and run”
Try looking up the meaing of the phrase “throwing good money after bad”
GoingBroke
October 29th, 2009
8:50 am
Thank You Mr. President.. The only downside is you had to smear it to get your “photo op”
Normal
October 29th, 2009
8:50 am
USinUK, Back in ‘69, I was asked by a family to escort their sons body back from ‘Nam, and this is probably the most vivid memory I have of that part of my life. Without going into great detail, I was deep in my second tour, and when replacements came in, I avoided them…they were just meat to me, as was the sailor I was to escort. I, evidently did or said something to hime that he wrote home about.
To this day, I don’t know, but long story short, I ended up sitting on a Nebraska front porch, making up lies on how brave he was, died like a man, went down fighting. I was 22 then.
When I got back to my unit, I requested to extend for a third tour. When asked why, I said “So some other poor bast*d won’t have to”.
War is such a stupid enterprise and ought to be outlawed. Then there would be no reason for someone to have to do what I did.
Common Sense
October 29th, 2009
8:51 am
Saluting pristine flag draped caskets is one thing. I would like to see a president for once who had the courage to go over and watch the mangled bodies as they come off the medivac choppers.
Hotlanta
October 29th, 2009
8:53 am
Wow – I wonder who taught the President to salute. I am sure he hadn’t planned on saluting, but someone told him, “Psst, lift your right hand up to the side of your head like this.” I am sure it nearly killed him to have to do it – about like it did when he wouldn’t place his hand over his heart at the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Other Marsh
October 29th, 2009
8:53 am
Hey Finn, why do you libs want to make it another Vietnam so badly? If I knew what would result in winning the Afghan campaign, I wouldn’t be here blogging with you. I’d be a military analyst.
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:54 am
What happened to “Code Pink”?
dude … google. it’s your friend
http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&source=hp&q=code%20pink%20protests&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
GoingBroke
October 29th, 2009
8:57 am
USinUK
- Peoples benefits are running OUT.. thats why the numbers get lower.
Other Rants -
- Whitehouse miscounts jobs that it created by several THOUSAND – double and triple counted in some case – Yep.. trust these people when they say the healthcare bill won’t cost you anything.
- Clunkers program cost $24,000 per car.. this figure done by people that actually study the industry.. not by some czar that has no clue.
- Rangel – Man that forms IRS regulations reveals he hasn’t been paying taxes for YEARS.. but thats OK with the Dems.. they have even come out and supported him.. (FYI he is not paying fines on his back taxes either) Guess thats the new CHANGE..
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:57 am
Normal – my brother-in-law’s brother (my sister’s husband’s brother) is a chaplain in the AF … he’s done 3 tours in Iraq and 1 in Qatar … frankly, I don’t know how either of you do that kind of duty. I guess I look at it as hard enough when you have to carry the gun, umpteen times as hard when you’re spiritually and emotionally carrying the guys who carry the guns.
bless you, my good friend.
Doggone/GA
October 29th, 2009
8:58 am
“about like it did when he wouldn’t place his hand over his heart at the Pledge of Allegiance”
That’s right…he should have put his hand over his stomach like George Bush did: http://www.thepresidentialcandidates.us/falsehoods-about-barack-obama-not-putting-his-hand-on-his-heart/178/
DAVID
October 29th, 2009
8:58 am
BARRY…..Losing “Is not an option-”..get it……LOSING Is not an option..
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:59 am
would someone mind telling going broke that benefits have been extended, so this number doesn’t reflect the roll-off.
thanks
Marsh
October 29th, 2009
8:59 am
So…did Shrub ever go pay respects?
Not only did Shrub and Shooter want to hide the coffins, they shoved our honored, wounded veterans into filthy hospital wards, denied them decent medical care, and then had the nerve to call people who complained, ‘terrorist sympathizers.’
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 29th, 2009
9:00 am
dude…haven’t seen them in the last 10 months.
again, what happened to Code Pink?
Thogwummpy
October 29th, 2009
9:00 am
I’m just wondering when Obama will visit Iraq to lay a wreath on Saddam’s grave. After all, if a liberal is true to his anti-war position, honoring Saddam would be a mandatory act of national contrition. Of course, this administration hires senior staff that are devotees of such humanitarians as Mao (the biggest mass murderer in human history) and Che (who executed thousands of men, women, and children for the “crime” of having property and wanting to be free…traditional values America held dear until we elected this Marxist novelty president)—-so really, any official ceremony to praise Saddam would be right in character. Let’s not forget, Saddam’s Baath Party…like the Democrats…was SOCIALIST—and Lefty collectivists tend to stick together.
Sunshine and Thunder
October 29th, 2009
9:00 am
George Bush met privately with each family far away from the cameras. Every president has his way of paying respects.
Hotlanta
October 29th, 2009
9:02 am
Obama didn’t salute the flag – I saw it myself. It was during the presidential campaign. He was on the platform with all of the other Democratic Candidates for a debate, and he didn’t put his hand over his heart, unlike Hillary Clinton and the other candidates. It was there, Doggone. That’s what people remember, not the other times where he decided to pledge AFTER it was pointed out that he didn’t then. He only did it AFTER he was made to for “political expediency.”
electrician
October 29th, 2009
9:03 am
normal…I totally agree with your constant call to bring them home, my son came back alive, but with a permanently disabling back injury that required major surgery that included some hardware being installed in his spine..the cost of all this is too high for the results it is producing.
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 29th, 2009
9:03 am
I’m shocked he had the courage to meet with the families…probably the last time he’ll do that.
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
9:03 am
“dude…haven’t seen them in the last 10 months. again, what happened to Code Pink?”
Ramble – do you have reading comprehension problems???
USinUK
October 29th, 2009
8:54 am
What happened to “Code Pink”?
dude … google. it’s your friend
http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&source=hp&q=code%20pink%20protests&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
Call it like it is.
October 29th, 2009
9:04 am
Okay, enough is enough. Obama is not my favorite person, but I will not attack him for being there when the dead body of a solider is coming home. Only he knows why he was there and I will assume it was for the right reasons.
This is not a right or left thing, not a democrat or a republican thing. America has had its nose in Afghanistan for “decades” starting with us giving them weapons to fight the soviets. Regan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama all could have made better choices when it comes to this hell hole.
You know the more I think about it, the madder I get. So much I don’t even feel like playing anymore with you guys today. I’m out of here…………..
Jimmy Carter
October 29th, 2009
9:04 am
Doggone/GA
October 29th, 2009
8:33 am
Not being the contrarian, but I think 5% may be a little too high.
Road Scholar
October 29th, 2009
9:05 am
Hotlanta: And you call yourself a patriot. Can’t you accept anything with respect?
Going broke: If you haven’t noticed, the president can’t take a crap without someone trying to get his picture. If he wanted a “photo opt” wouldn’t he have staged it in broad daylight with all (even Fox) networks in attendance? Give me a break!