[Darkwolf377]

He would never have given that speech if he were not speaking in front of actual military.

I bet he gives a very different speech on this subject in front of liberal contributors.

[Steelfish]

You nailed this one well.

[roses of sharon]

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/02/theyre_warriors_not_victims.asp

This is a very subtle form of the soldier-as-victim trope that is fast becoming an Iraq legacy. For soldiers throughout history—those who have endured physical and emotional sufferings of an essential similar quality, if less clinically expressed—the trials of war were at least partially ameliorated by the salve of personal honor and, if the battle went well, the celebration of a victory. The troops who have served and serve still in Iraq should be singled out not just for the burdens of the fight but because they emerge from it, as Bing West’s book puts it, as the “strongest tribe.”

[Little_shoe]

From the clips I saw it appears that the marines were quietly polite during his speech. Not quite the reception which I saw when W visited the troops.

I think the most telling thing I saw from W was after he got done speaking he went and started shaking as many peoples hands as he could manage. For obama it seemed like it was an afterthought.