This is a picture of a hero and a zero. There is no difficulty in figuring out which is which.
Posted on 10/30/2009 10:36:44 AM PDT by kristinn
ABC News' Pentagon correspondent Luis Martinez reports that Barack Obama brought twenty-four reporters, photographers and videographers from fourteen media outlets to Dover Air Force Base to cover his 'surprise' visit there early Thursday morning.
The New York Times reported earlier that there was a "small contingent" of media at Dover. However, two dozen is a crowd, especially when vulnerable grieving families are involved.
Liz Cheney is being attacked (and here) for pointing out that Obama imposed the question of media coverage on the families by his presence at Dover. Seventeen out of the eighteen families of the fifteen soldiers and three DEA agents refused media coverage of the return to American soil of their loved ones.
The AP reports that one family changed their minds and decided against media coverage when they were informed Obama would be there:
The wife of Army Pfc. Brian Bates, who died Tuesday in Afghanistan, said she changed her mind and decided against allowing coverage after learning by phone around 11 p.m. EDT Wednesday that Obama would attend.
"Brian met the president, and that's all that matters," Enjolie Bates, who was not at Dover for the transfer, said in a telephone interview from her home in Lakewood, Wash. "I know he would like that. We didn't need to broadcast it to the world."
Thanks to Obama, Pfc. Bates' grieving widow is answering phone calls from the AP not about her hero husband, but about Obama and the media.
The AP also reported claims by the Pentagon and Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that "there was no suggestion from the government for the families to lean either way on media coverage."
As was reported yesterday, the sole family out eighteen to permit coverage is well below the sixty percent rate of permission granted since the ban on media coverage was lifted by Obama in April.
Fourteen of the eighteen families were present at Dover Thursday morning, which is consistent with the seventy-three percent rate of families of the fallen coming to Dover since the Pentagon changed its policy to now pay for travel and hotel costs for the families. That policy was also instated in April.
The Pentagon videotapes each dignified transfer, apart from the media, and offers the video to the families. ABC reports about three-quarters of the families accept the videos.
It's unfortunate that Obama's motives in going to Dover are suspect, but his terrorist associations and his leaving his general and troops twisting in the wind in Afghanistan leave Obama open to such doubts--especially from military families.
Zero is suck a disgusting bag of puke.
^such^ Freudian slip, there.
What an unclassy thing to do Obama; surprise grieving families.
OMG....thanks Kristinn for posting this
Of all the digusting vile slimey crap odumbo has done this is at the top.
damn he is scum
That way he can salute more, like he’s ever earned the right to salute at all.
Only this guy could turn death into a photo op.
He is truly a disgusting human!
Bush, throughout his Presidential tenure, met IN PRIVATE with grieving 9/11 family members and the family members of fallen service member. The media was NEVER invited, not even off the record, to be present in those meeting. This is one Bush policy Obama, if he cared more for his country than his political popularity, would adopt immediately.
Ranks right up there in tackiness with our late Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll’s habit of crashing military funerals and referring to them as “functions.”
I am not at ALL surprised by this "man's" horrid actions.
He also claimed that he visited Walter Reed without media....
uhm, Walter Reed will not allow media to enter, Obama left his “media” that he brought, sitting outside....
either he didn’t know enough to realize that his photo-op croonies wouldn’t be allowed to go in with him.....
or, he called up media and invited them to join him for a car ride? Can you imagine? “
I am going to visit some folks. Now, you won’t be allowed to come in, but would you like to ride with me and just wait in the car?”
arrogant? Lying? Fool?
then later he spins it like he visited out of the goodness of his heart?
Pure and simple, Bam wanted a photo-op to stop his plung in the polls.
W would frequent Reed Army Hospital, but there were never any pix.
I added the correction below in a follow-up post. I think it was a ‘Freudian slip’.
Very unfortunately our enemies also know that he is a coward and appeaser and because of this they are emboldened to the extreme. That is why everything broke loose in Afghanistan since he was elected and may be soon the same disaster will happen in Iraq.
Obama is a Gollum.
I am proud of the 17 families who refused the POS.
He didn’t go there to pay his respects. He went there to gloat.
It’s ‘all about the show’.....and about ‘him’, of course.
The photo will show up in the reelection campiagn, bet on it. Remember the furor over the RNC using the picture og Bush on AF1 on the telephone on 9/11/01 talking to the White House. We will not hear a peep out of the press when zer0 uses his picture.
He was not there for a photo-op as much as to gloat and admire his handiwork.
17 out of 18 families refused the photo op.
That’s certainly a pretty strong indicator of how they feel.
And it’s encouraging if Obama ever decides to order our troops to attack Americans on our own soil. Would they follow such orders blindly? I trust not.
Prayers for the dead.
My daughter-in-law’s grandfather,a WWII vet, died last week. When her Dad was handed the flag he was asked if he would like a signed letter from O. His response was” thanks but no thanks”.
Two dozen reporters and photographers for a photo op with the caskets of dead soldiers? Good God. And these people wonder why we hate them.
That was a powerful message.
Obama is a media whore and any time he needs a popularity boost he uses anyone and everyone to achieve that boost! Never mind that Oct has been the deadlist month in the Afghan war “oh no lookie at our CIC and how much he cares”...ooopppsss guess if he really cared there wouldn’t be 24 reporters with him would there?
These people are beyond contempt. What makes me even more sick is the fact that I can actually picture in my head, Gibbs, Axelrod, Obama, etc. sitting around thinking of ways to get him some face time regarding the military and they choose Dover!!!
I will bet dollar to donuts that there was a cold reception earlier in the day down in Jacksonville and the callous idiots that they are thought this would get them some “street cred”.
words fail me..at least in polite company. How DARE he?
I don’t understand your comment. Did Obammie do something to your wife?
I wonder if he saluted.
Exactly!!! Nicely put.
That's just it, he doesn't.
I recommend you un-FUBAR yourself Mr. President, and either fight this war to win it, or bring our heroes(including my son)home!!! Either option will show testicular fortitude; anything else will be due to a lack of it.
If it helps Mr. President; maybe you can pretend the Taliban is under Rupert Murdoch's command...that should give you incentive to win.
I remember when the soldiers were killed in the Gander Newfoundland crash in 1985. My husband was in Korea at the time (thank God) or he could have been on that flight. He lost a lot of friends that day. I worked at a Ft. Campbell school at the time and everyone knew that President and Mrs. Reagan were coming to the airfield hangar to meet with the families. Everyone wanted him there and he didn’t do it for a photo-op. There were one or two Nashville news organizations there, but it was not a circus. President and Mrs. Reagan offered their heart-felt condolences and
the families really appreciated it.
President Reagan had class, Obama doesn’t.
Good job, kristinn
We visited the site of the crash in Gander and were truly humbled by the reverence with which the Newfoundlanders treat the site.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American Soldier
One died for your soul; the other for your freedom.
It's not like he's a f'ing pile of dog sh#t that uses caskets of American soldiers for a photo op. Nobody is that crass, classless and dishonorable......
Of course he is a democrat...so maybe he is...
“ABC News’ Pentagon correspondent Luis Martinez reports that Barack Obama brought TWENTY-FOUR reporters, photographers and videographers from FOURTEEN media outlets to Dover Air Force Base to cover his ‘surprise’ visit there early Thursday morning.”
Dead soldiers are meer “props” for Obama. What a disgrace he is to our country.
I’m stealing that from you... that’s one of the most succinct statements I’ve ever heard... thank you.
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