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The Insiders: Why the “latte salute” is a big deal
The Washington Post's Post Partisan ^ | September 25, 2014 | Ed Rogers

Posted on 09/28/2014 11:42:40 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

By now, everyone has seen the pictures of President Obama’s “latte salute,” where he walked off Air Force One and couldn’t even be bothered to switch his cup to his other hand while lazily saluting the Marines at the bottom of the airplane stairs. The Obama apologists are dismissing the criticism, calling it “ridiculousness.”

Perhaps the president meant it as an insult; perhaps not. But we know the president is vain – after all, he has already written two books about himself – and he’s also very stage-aware. He knew what he was doing. President Obama was striking a pose.

While the usual suspects want to make apologies for him – and of course, immediately blame President Bush – this has hit a nerve. If we were still under a traditional liberal media monopoly, this might have been swept under the rug. But in the age of social media, this short clip has taken on a life of its own, and the timing could not be worse for the president from a policy or political standpoint.

The reason this is so bad for President Obama is because he just broke the cardinal rule of not playing to his negative stereotypes....

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: disrespect; lattesalute; marines; obama
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Yes, yes, I know it wasn't Air Force One, it was Marine One.
1 posted on 09/28/2014 11:42:41 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

you know, the first thought that popped into my head when I saw it was not that he planned it as an insult, but, already having the coffee in his hand, thought it was a “cool” gesture and the new “informal” norm that we now live with.
somewhat akin to bill Clinton drinking from a can of diet coke during his monica Lewinsky testimony. to show he was an “every man”.
of course, I could be wrong and he really is the devil.


2 posted on 09/28/2014 11:54:31 PM PDT by willywill
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Negative stereotypes?

Wha?

This writer could get a clue and go over to
Andrews and speak with any first sergeant and find out that it was not Air Force One and that the author’s not knowing that puts him and his audience in a stereotypical little bubble outside of any contact with the military.

what he could also find out is that this was highly insulting, and for the public, for whom the military works, to not do anything bout this, not say anything about it, is disgusting


3 posted on 09/28/2014 11:54:59 PM PDT by stanne
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Bill Maher Battles Gen. Tony Zinni over Whether ‘Latte-gate’ Was Disrespectful - YouTube
4 posted on 09/29/2014 12:23:01 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
▶ Countries bombed: Obama 7, Bush 4 - YouTube
5 posted on 09/29/2014 12:31:42 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Perhaps the president meant it as an insult; perhaps not.

I thought it was an insult, simply because I remember he had that other Marine hold an umbrella for him. To me, that was an insult, that had me seething, so he has priors.

6 posted on 09/29/2014 12:54:45 AM PDT by Mark17 (So we tanned his hide when he died Clyde and that's it hanging on the shed. Altogether now)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Of course it was an insult.


7 posted on 09/29/2014 1:07:30 AM PDT by DeaconRed (It is time Adults run our country again. Not the children running it now. I hope we can hang on. .)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

In saluting, Bush (43) switched his position to carry the dog on his left hand. It is also easier to switch a styrofoam cup to the left hand than to switch a dog the size of Barney to the left arm. In this time of war, I think it is significant in showing Obama’s lack of respect of the military who is now doing his bidding in bombing Isis’s empty buildings.


8 posted on 09/29/2014 1:39:07 AM PDT by Stepan12 (Our present appeasement of Islam is the Stockholm Syndrome on steroids.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It was a deliberate show of contempt, not a “gaffe”.


9 posted on 09/29/2014 1:39:30 AM PDT by Salman
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I wrote the following in another thread on this earlier today: "As a very junior Naval officer (I'd been a sub-lieutenant for a few weeks), I found myself (in uniform) on a busy street approaching the then Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Admiral Sir Victor Smith, also in uniform. He was carrying something. He saw me and he handed what he was carrying to the lady who was with him (I assume his wife) so he would be ready to return my salute when we passed. That's what you do if you are anticipating a salute - you make sure your hands are free if possible (obviously if you are carrying something you can't put down or pass off it's different.) Surely President Obama should have anticipated he was going to be saluted in this situation." Since writing that, I've been thinking further on that incident and that thinking leads me to add the following. I actually got a real thrill out of rendering that salute and receiving a salute in return. I'd worked very hard to get where I was, and the acknowledgement from the Admiral, even if it was just a matter of form, felt deeply respectful of what I had earned. It was a highlight of my career at that point.

I've got to think that that may well have been true of those young Marines - even more so, given that I was saluting an Admiral and they were saluting their Commander-In-Chief. I don't know their exact position - it may be that for them it's not that uncommon a thing to have to do, but what is worrying me is the idea that it may have been something they only get the opportunity to do once - and to have it treated like this if that is the case, could seriously sour what might have been a very special moment for them.

It is disrespectful - President Obama must know that he can expect to be saluted leaving Marine One. He should have made sure he was ready to return such a salute properly. If he can't understand that, he should have aides who make sure he gets it right (I've worked as a protocol officer, and part of my job was to make sure any VIPs I was working with were prewarned of anything they might be expected to do, if I had any reason to think they might not know.)

10 posted on 09/29/2014 1:43:21 AM PDT by naturalman1975 ("America was under attack. Australia was immediately there to help." - John Winston Howard)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Obama's next use for the military

11 posted on 09/29/2014 1:47:25 AM PDT by Stepan12 (Our present appeasement of Islam is the Stockholm Syndrome on steroids.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Eventually, he may write another book: “Me and The Latte Salute”, published by the Khorosan Group! :/


12 posted on 09/29/2014 1:49:12 AM PDT by odds
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I wonder how many times a few of those Marines pissed on Marine one or better yet.. made some “real” coffee for the usurper.


13 posted on 09/29/2014 2:08:10 AM PDT by maddog55
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A mere contrivance.


14 posted on 09/29/2014 2:22:59 AM PDT by Usagi_yo (Criticize, marginalize, demonize, criminalize.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The reason this is so bad for President Obama is because he just broke the cardinal rule of not playing to his negative stereotypes

Negative? I thought being a classless clown was one of Obama's least unappealing characteristics.

15 posted on 09/29/2014 3:41:17 AM PDT by stevem
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To: naturalman1975

Excellent story and personal observation about the salute, natural man.

Furthermore, BO knew there would be cameras as well, and therefore knew the “optics” of his actions to the public and the world (during a military campaign overseas, no less). A wartime CINC?!? Pfffft.


16 posted on 09/29/2014 3:59:14 AM PDT by Dr. Pritchett
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To: stevem

Obama will say it was bad ‘optics’ just like his playing golf. It was not bad it just looked bad in his mind.


17 posted on 09/29/2014 5:29:30 AM PDT by taterjay
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To: taterjay; Nachum; narses; neverdem

Well, after the polling data came out, THEN it became “bad optics” ... Before, he didn’t care. To him, it DID mean “nothing” - just like ordering a Marine to hold his umbrella meant “nothing” to Obama.
And “the best use of the military while cutting their budget during a war against terror” is ordering the Army to go to Africa and build isolation huts for the Ebola epidemic . They mean “nothing” to Obama. Or anybody else in the White House.


18 posted on 09/29/2014 5:44:55 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Just as bad as Klinton when he had the marines serving as waiters at his little prom.


19 posted on 09/29/2014 5:45:32 AM PDT by longfellow (Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The big question is - how would he salute while eating a sunday cone?


20 posted on 09/29/2014 6:32:32 AM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marylin vos Savant)
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