Posted on 09/25/2014 4:27:41 AM PDT by servo1969
Ah, yes. The infamous “latte salute.” If you haven’t heard about it yet, Obama walked off a helicopter insouciantly clutching an environmentally-deadly Styrofoam latte cup in his right hand. When the two Marines waiting at the base of steps offered him a smart salute, Obama, who seemed to avoid looking at them, vaguely pawed his forehead with the hand holding that cup and then walked on. Here, see it for yourself:
People in the military and conservatives were outraged. Liberals have been outraged at the outrage. Here are a few of the comments I’ve culled from liberals on my “real me” Facebook page:
Obama isn’t military so he shouldn’t be expected to salute.
Reagan started the saluting trend, and there’s no reason to continue it.
Obama has the weight of the world on his shoulders, so it’s ridiculous to expect him to salute.
If you’re going to demand saluting, why not require all presidents to be ex-military. [Bookworm: Not a bad idea, but the liberal who wrote that was obviously being sarcastic.]
We all do things like waving a “hi” while holding a coffee cup. He’s a good guy and sincere.
For military people, the honor of directly serving the president outweighs all other things.
Weak leaders like Reagan (who sold arms to terrorists) disguise their weakness by saluting.
Bush did worse, because he hugged a dog when saluting. [Bookworm: What I see, given my bias, is that Bush found himself holding a dog, and struggled to construct the best salute possible under the circumstances.]
You get the idea. Progressives simply cannot understand why Obama’s failure to perform this silly, formulaic act should excite so much disgust amongst the president’s critics. Certainly, the Left is correct that, just as they viewed every eyebrow twitch on George Bush’s face as a sign of evil or stupidity, conservatives are watching Obama like a hawk for proof that he is indeed a far-Left ideologue, who is hostile to America’s core values and interests. In what is still a kind-of-free political system, this partisanship is natural.
Conservatives, however, are on to something deeper than mere politics or tradition when they look with disgust at Obama’s almost studied disrespect for the Marines. As I mentioned above, you need to look at his body language. It’s not just the limp, cup-in-hand salute he offers; it’s the way he rushes past the Marines, refusing to make any eye contact.
Obama, unlike Eisenhower (whom Leftists note was a general who did not salute the troops), is a wartime president. More than that, he is presiding over the longest war in American history and one, moreover, that appears to be heating up significantly on his watch, with an indefinite, probably far off, end-point.
It doesn’t matter that Obama is trying to distinguish himself from George Bush by promising that his latest war won’t be “boots on the ground” fight. We know that this promise is as untrue as all of Obama’s other promises. After all, Bush also tried a no-boots-on-the-ground strategy, which rejoiced under the name “Shock & Awe.” That strategy failed dismally until the boots-on-the-ground Surge turned the tide.
The reality is that you can bomb battleships and military bases, but you cannot bomb disparate individuals who can instantly melt into the surrounding landscape and population. The only way to deal with that is hand-to-hand combat. That’s what the Israel did to win back Jerusalem in 1967 and to destroy Hamas’s tunnels in 2014; and it’s what the US did to destroy the Iraqi Islamic fanatics in places such as Fallujah.
Gunnery Sergeant Ryan P. Shane shot while trying to rescue fatally wounded Marine at Fallujah
The problem with boots-on-the-ground fighting is that people die. They die in especially large numbers during the first days of fighting, when the Commander-in-Chief is trying to convince the public in a republican democracy that a ground fight really is a good idea. Sure, these fights produce incredible tales of heroism that are still told around military campfires by modern-day bards, but at the end of the day, a culture that still values most life (more or less, depending on whether the life has already been born or isn’t yet aging its way to death) is left staring at a long list of names carved into a wall.
Marine 1st Sergeant Bradley Kasal in Fallujah.
Moreover, because our Constitution (possibly with an eye to our first president) designates any sitting president as Commander-in-Chief, the American way is for the president to command that all these young men be sent to potential death. This power over life and death is especially large if you’re a Commander-in-Chief who insists on ignoring the clear language in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that “Congress shall have the Power . . . to declare War” and, instead, contends that he doesn’t need no stinkin’ Congress. He’s the Obama and has the imperial power to declare war.
Not only has Obama given himself the sole power to send these men into battle, he’s doing so at a time when he’s shrinking our military to a size and readiness more consistent with an America right before World War I than with an America fighting a sadistic, hydra-headed enemy all over the world in a battle that has lasted for more than a decade and that promises at least another several years to come. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that more war with less military probably means more military deaths.
So what about that salute? From a lower rank to a higher rank, a salute is obviously a sign of deference. When returned by that higher rank to the lower rank, it’s a sign of respect. The higher ranking officer is recognizing the individual serviceman’s humanity, his training, and his willingness to go into battle. Never is this mutual respect more important than with a Commander-in-Chief who is in the actual process of making life-and-death decisions about these troops.
Given this relationship between America’s Commander-in-Chief and his troops, it’s stunning that Obama’s whole body language says “I don’t see you. You’re not there. You’re not worthy.” Perhaps that’s understandable. It’s so much easier to send the invisible, unworthy ones into battle than to do so with real human beings. After all, as Stalin tellingly remarked to Churchill when the two met at Tehran, “When one man dies it is a tragedy, when thousands die it’s statistics.”
In other words, when conservatives see a Leftist Commander-in-Chief — one who is uncomfortable with the military and who seeks to cut it down to size, even as he plans to send more troops into battle — rush past saluting Marines, avoiding eye contact, and making a bare pretense of a salute, they see a Commander-in-Chief who is saying “Eh, they’re just statistics. Why bother?”
I have stated before that how you can tell if the insult was intentional or not. First of all, left handed people instinctively favor the to use their left hand when holding something like a cup.
Since he knew the military always salutes with the right arm, he used his right claw with the empty cup in it to carry out his despicable insult to the Marines.
When/if you post it, please ping me to it. Thank you
Well - let’s start at the beginning...the people, who voted for other elected people - who allowed voter fraud, politically appointed judges, and others - who allowed Obama to go unchecked - to include the US news services (all of them) - did not point out that a group of people in Indiana fraudulently allowed Obama to stay on the ticket during his build up to run for President of the US. Hillary should have been the only one surviving that initial vote...the US news in all their glory has committed treason again the US, the judges and other law enforcement entities have done the same...so before you pen the entire blame on the Marines and the Officers appointed above them - one must go to the beginning...If those Officers and enlisted did act...what would happen to them and would Obama actually be de-throne?
Again - starting at the beginning will give you your answer...
If we are to remain a Republic - then voters need to turn out and vote for the candidate that will do the least harm and can be replaced 4 yrs legitimately...our military should act - but to what end...in doing so - the press would have to be silenced - and what perspective would the US public see that as...since they can’t rationalize voting for a Mormon - let alone let a communist/Islamic moslem infiltrate the White House...
that’s just the way it is right now...let’s pray it changes in NOV 2014!
Of possible interest to the ping listS!!!!
It makes me wonder why he who is not mentioned in the oath is still occupying the Oval Office.
Obama’s been president for 6 years. He knows exactly what he’s doing. It would be better if he didn’t salute. Since he is the commander-in-chief, he can justify saluting.
Since he’s never been military and is our ‘civilian leadership’, then he has every justification not to salute.
So, since he chooses to salute, and he chooses to do so in a disrespectful fashion, then it is only fair to assume it’s intentional.
As you can tell from the picture of Pres. Bush holding the dog, the right hand (salute hand) is free of anything. It appears Pres Bush must have just had to control the dog, but it was important to him to salute and do it correctly, so he used his head and upper body to control the dog while he properly saluted with an empty right hand that is acceptably stiff.
They mention Eisenhower not saluting. I expect he got in the habit in wartime. We were taught not to salute so as not to give away the rank structure to enemy surveillance or snipers.
came across this
A Final Verdict on the Presidential Salute (oldie but goody)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3207330/posts
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/opinion/01winfrey.html?_r=0
Poster comment
the reason I posted this 5 YO OpEd is because I want everyone to remember how the criminal left wing media gushed over obama’s salute 5 years ago as they run to cover his latest outrage.
People like zerobama, who believe in and fight for abortion at any time/for any reason, are badly damaged and shouldn't be trusted with the care of a nation and the command of its forces.
We've chosen poorly and that always means some additional remedial instruction in the School of Hard Knocks' Unintended Consequences program.
I didn’t know you were racist.
Erroneous assertion: “...since they can’t rationalize voting for a Mormon - let alone let a communist/Islamic moslem infiltrate the White House...” MAYBE those who held such a perspective failed to do their sovereign duty and go to the polls and vote, making of themselves a minority for rule of the Republic, but the reality is probably far more sickening, as in the American people as a majority have what they wanted soiling the White House and pissing away the power and respect of America all because they are addicted to the dole from the central authority.
I love it!!! {^)
Remember when Obama first took office, that Tuesday morning I think it was that Air Force One made a fly-by of New York City in a move eerily like 911, and which terrified Manhattan folks for a bit? Official spin is that it was a photo-op for PR photos. I paid very close and special attention to actual news reports with real fact, not journalistic sleight-of-hand to lead you to conclude facts not in evidence.
Knowing the facts -- or lack thereof -- the best explanation for that was that the U.S. military openly defied Obama that day and reminded him exactly who had him by the balls. I believe they did so again with the pirate "negotiations" involving the rescue of the captured ship captain when some SEALS stepped in killed the bad guys.
In real people on the ground, let alone military, probably two in three Americans think Obama stinks like yesterday's diapers. Do the math -- leftists have to cheat with anti-voter-ID illegal motor-voter dead vote machine elections because they are a minority, and leftists dominate America's self-image in the MSM. But the truth is this: Obama's "support," along with support for much of leftism, is illusion, pretend, smoke and mirrors. Illusions always eventually meet reality. It's happening now.
I listened to a pod cast yesterday - http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/e/5/5/e55e32a5cc14a90f/Howard_Davidowitz_23.Sep.14.mp3?c_id=7652821&expiration=1411560820&hwt=8af1c2bbf57fe6f518722a7699022b0e
That basically explains that the debt is built on the middle class who wants all this stuff - but can’t pay for it...it’s going to crash...and Barry is making sure it does not on his watch...while letting the rest of his world responsibility go out the door...all these stores that cater to the middle class are about to go bankrupt...interesting, isn’t it?
ROFL! Eisenhower's mere presence as CiC deterred wars - while Obama's incompetent weakness attracts enemies like flies to a dungheap.
Calling yourself a "wartime President" when the wars would never have started without your own fecklessness is the height of arrogance.
No, we're in Stage 2 of the cycle.
Conservatives point out some irksome display by Obama. No big deal, just noting his general scumbaggery.
Then, the liberals respond with screams of terror/laughs "Oh my Gaia! Why don't you just impeach him for a coffee cup salute! Bush did something similar once and now you want to kill Obama and burn down villages and shoot gays in the back of the head and kick blacks off the bus! You guys are completely insane! He doesn't even have to salute! You racists are always losing your minds! You just can't stand that he's black! Holy cow, now you want to kill him because of this?!? You're a crazy person!!"
you’ll love this, too. The DOD took the initiative to get bin laden after jarrett delayed it or so it is said...
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/bin-Laden-Obama-SEALs/2012/07/30/id/447043/
Exactly
That would be the picture! What a mutt!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
