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Hillary who?
Peter LemiskaIf our American soldiers in Baghdad were shocked and awed by the Presidentâs surprise Thanksgiving Day visit, Senator Clinton must have been absolutely dumbstruck. The carefully orchestrated news coverage of her visits to Afghanistan and Iraq â the speeches, the sound bites, the photo ops â all of it was buried beneath a mountain of media reports on the Presidentâs surprise trip to Baghdad. Can anyone imagine her frustration? Spending a few days away from her Chappaqua digs to chow down with the grunts in the field is one thing. But to do it without any measurable media coverage â thatâs something else entirely. She announced her trip well enough in advance to generate some media attention, but that all evaporated when the real story broke. It was on Thanksgiving Day, after the President was out of harmâs way, that the world learned about his visit. And the world could not turn away from the story. The news reports saturated the airwaves and internet news sites. Fridayâs newspapers were filled with accounts of his trip. Of particular interest was Fridayâs edition of the European and Pacific Stars and Stripes, which ran a front-page story on the Presidentâs visit. Senator Clintonâs visit to Afghanistan was not even mentioned â anywhere in the publication. And it was not just the extraordinary security measures that made the Presidentâs trip so compelling. Anyone who saw the troopsâ reaction to his appearance understands why so many of us were glued to the TV. Their spontaneous, frenzied reception and the Presidentâs emotional response could never have been orchestrated. The emotion-charged atmosphere of that event rendered irrelevant any questions about his motives. The enthusiasm was real, and it left no doubt in anyoneâs mind that our fighting men and women not only accept President Bush as Commander-in-Chief, but wholeheartedly embrace him as a genuine leader. And he accomplished exactly what a leader has to do. He inspired and rallied the troops. In fact, except for the most callous cynic, most Americans who saw the taped speech were filled with inspiration and pride. The event also showed us one reason he is so revered by our armed forces. For no one who watched it or read the subsequent accounts can doubt the Presidentâs affection for those troops or his sincerity. The emotions that welled up inside of him were genuine â they were not scripted. On the other hand, we have whatâs-her-name. Why was her trip such an underwhelming PR failure? How is it that, compared to the Presidentâs reception in Baghdad, her welcome at Bagram Air Base was lukewarm, at best? As several observers reportedly noted, the troops seemed more excited about the turkey on their plates. There are a couple of possible explanations for their indifference towards this particular U.S. Senator and former first lady. Some might say that those feelings were forged during the last administration, when Bill Clinton did everything in his power to transform our military from a formidable fighting force to a socially engineered, and ill-equipped humanitarian organization. Or it may just be that they have never gotten over his administrationâs utter disdain for anyone in uniform. Or maybe those service men and women were just more perceptive than Senator Clinton anticipated. Maybe they just didnât want to be used in a campaign advertisement or otherwise exploited by a shrewd, calculating politician. For it seems that wherever there is misery or hardship, thereâs Senator Clinton and a camera crew. And while she frantically makes the rounds, most of us know that there is but one cause near and dear to her heart â her own political success. Whatever the reason for the snub, she should take comfort in the fact that things could have been worse â much worse. Imagine the catastrophic results if those troops were free to voice their true feelings â the way those other American heroes did after she elbowed her way into that 9/11 benefit in New York. What she should have learned when those NYC police and fireman booed her off stage, is that most of us have no trouble recognizing the difference between honest compassion and political maneuvering. In retrospect, she was lucky in Afghanistan. After all, no press is infinitely better than bad press. I usually like to comment in an article but this guys says everything. A salute to all of those that serve and especially those that are away from home. Recently I opined that I HATE when politicians come a calling when I was deployed and I stand by that statement. However, I want to applaud the President for dining with our troops on thanksgiving. Well done! Since he didnât announce he was coming I bet NOBODY had to pull double duty painting rocks prior to his visit. The shrew probably made sure that âmaximum participationâ was ordered for all troops at the airport. This is a code for Commanders to have ALL troops present for a ceremony. Too bad we didnât get some film of the fat shrew breaking bread with the troops. This should be a good lesson for her and people of her ilk. Guess what shrew? The military votes too! We know who voted against funding for the Iraq and Afghan operations. We know how YOU portray the GREAT victories we have had and how you want to turn that around. And finally we understand the Dummocrats plan to first weaken and then subordinate the U.S. defense under some U.N. power structure. Thank you but no, we donât need to go that route! Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-12-02 |
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