Obama to be a no-show at Gettysburg 150th anniversary ceremony

The Washington Times ^ | 10/31/2013 | Ben Wolfgang

[markomalley]

President Obama has declined an invitation to speak at next month’s ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.

The event, slated for Nov. 19 at the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, instead will feature Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and renowned historian James McPherson as the keynote speakers, the Gettysburg National Military Park said in a press release.

“President Obama will not attend and the Secretary of Interior will represent the administration,” the park pointed out in the first paragraph of its press release.

It’s unclear why Mr. Obama, a noted admirer of President Lincoln, declined the invitation. Among other tributes to the 16th president, Mr. Obama used the Lincoln Bible at both of his inauguration ceremonies, in 2009 and 2013.

Skipping the event may not make many waves in Washington, but it’s already causing an uproar in Pennsylvania.

Writing for the Harrisburg, Pa., newspaper the Patriot News, journalist Donald Gilliland said the president’s decision “is nothing less than a profile in cowardice.”

[x]

It's because Obama was never an admirer of Lincoln in the first place. Lincoln was just another disposable prop in the grand illusion.

True. Anybody with an Illinois connection who runs for president is going to play the Lincoln card no matter what they actually think or how they actually feel.

Plus, it gives reporters something to write about -- either on their own (because Lincoln is someone everyone knows at least a little about), or with a little guidance by the Obama team.

[x]

I seriously doubt Obama is not going because he loved Robert E Lee...

5th cousins, twice over, 8 times removed?

[stockpirate]

Well that’s great news, now if he would go back to hell where he came from.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks markomalley. The spin is in -- no one can figure it out, since Zero's a professed admirer of President Lincoln -- gosh, it's almost as if he lied about that.

[wildbill]

simple explanation: It would be an uncontrolled venue without a staged group of sycophants in back of him.

[colorado tanker]

With approval down to 41% and everyone now realizing he has been telling blatant lies for years, he’s probably afraid to appear in any public, non-controlled environment. The boo birds would be loud.

[SunkenCiv]

The drive-by would fix it in post.

[JohnBrowdie]

of course he’s not going. it’s not about him. the man can’t even go to a funeral if the corpse is going to get more attention than him. remember inouye’s funeral? “Dan was so lucky to know me. He was great because he knew me, even if I was young when he knew me — he still knew me”

[MikefromOhio]

His party was on the losing side of that war.

And since his party is again on the side of enslaving people, maybe someone in the White House wised up and realized the parallels were too large to ignore.

Democrats 150 years ago enslaved people in the name of States Rights, thereby poisoning a very worthy cause for the beastial crime of slavery.

Democrats today enslave people to the government udder, thereby poisoning the founders intent to help its citizens but not mollycoddle them into a life of dependence upon the government trough.

And as usual, it's not surprising to see the LCLs polluting this thread. If ever a purge was needed, there it is.