You Can’t Buy Genuine Respect, With Planned Photo-OP

Last week, President Barack Obama flew out to Dover AFB in the middle of the night to receive the flag draped bodies of 15 servicemen & 3 DEA agents killed in Afghanistan. He also took the time to meet with the families of the fallen heroes before the bodies were transferred to an on base mortuary.

On the surface, this seems like an honorable and noble gesture on behalf of the President. The first time in fact, that he has paid his honor to the fallen in this manner. But if you take a step back and analyze the moment, many will see that this was simply a planned photo-op which exploited our fallen heroes to simply score cheap political points. This is a President that makes sure the few Standard Operating procedures he gives to the military, are well documented by the press.

It comes as no surprise that Barack Hussein Obama took full advantage of a situation to try and cement home 3 things.

For starters, this photo-op, which by the way he has perfected since coming into office, comes on the heels of speaking to a group of soldiers at the Florida Naval Base where he warned them that he would not rush any decision to boost the number of troops in Afghanistan. He told them that he would not

“risk their lives unless it was absolutely necessary”.

After almost 3 months of vacillating between whether to provide the necessary troops or not, the President now wants to come across as a caring Commander-in-Chief . And what better way to create that impression than to ask a pool of AP reporters to meet him down in Delaware for a photo-op showing him receiving our fallen heroes?

This to me is an insult to the families of these brave young men & women who may have lost their lives in vain knowing that their Commander-in-Chief did not go to bat for them when it mattered most. I would assume that this is a bitter pill to swallow for these families knowing that their sons & daughter’s safety was put at stake because of ideological chicanery.

What more prove that additional troops are necessary is needed to convince this President? Is it the direct orders from his top Commander in Afghanistan General McChrystal who has practically begged the President for help or is it the death of 53 American troops killed in action this month as a result of being under manned? It has been almost 3 months since the request was made by McChrystal. Is it a coincidence that the bloodiest battles have taken place since that time?

The second reason for the President’s planned photo-op was to somehow put the bull’s eye on George BushGeorge Bush again. Barack Hussein Obama somehow thinks that by drawing attention to the fact that George Bush, in his 8 years as President, never received any of our troops killed in action – will make him seem cold and uncaring.

The fact of the matter remains that instead of taking advantage of having cameras take his picture standing next to flag draped coffins, George Bush decided to meet privately with each family member that lost a son or daughter. No need for all the pomp and circumstance, just genuine respect and admiration done privately.

George Bush has said many times that he preferred to pay respects privately because he did not think it was fair or appropriate to attend the funerals of some and not others when they all served courageously. He thought the best way to handle this situation was to meet individually with each family and keep it private. Pales in comparison with President Obama who has not met a camera de does not like.

Thirdly, this President wants America to decide for him on whether more troops should be sent over or not. He still cannot get over the fact the General that he chose to run the war in Afghanistan, has actually gone against the grain unexpectedly and in the process put him in a tough situation.

He wants America to see and feel the pain of seeing our fallen servicemen & women in front of our T.V’s. He wants these images implanted into our psyches. He wants America to ask him to pull out all of our troops now. He wants to be spared the chore of having to make a tough decision. He wants an out and what better way to do it. But America has made its voice heard on this subject and by a wide margin they agree with sending additional troops to Afghanistan if it means keeping our troops safer and winning the war. They also would want our troops to come home if our Commander-in-Chief does not have the stomach for war. This is your war now Mr. President. Show some leadership.

In a perfect world, I would have preferred that this was done without the presence of any media. To have the media present takes all the authenticity out of a sobering and somber moment. There are times when it is appropriate to have the media capture a moment, this was not one of them.

It would be selfless & cynical on behalf of the President as to use the ultimate sacrifice of these brave young men & women to prop himself up. I hope that he had anything but the best of intentions, but I do wonder. It has been over 8 months since the ban on allowing the media to take pictures of our returning dead was lifted. The President has had ample opportunities to receive other soldiers secretly without the presence of any media. Why now?