Narcissist in Chief Selfishly Shortens Soldiers’ Holiday
As noted here Saturday by Rick Moran, the Commander in Chief got a decidedly cool reception from the troops on a whistle stop at Fort Bliss in El Paso Friday. While this president already is not widely popular with our military, the attitude demonstrated by the shanghaied soldiers in that cavernous hangar was demonstrably cooler than at such past events. The conservative media interpreted that indifferent reception to dissatisfaction with Obama’s politics and his repeated failures as CinC, but the event is far more consequential as yet another example of how little the Obama Administration understands the military it commands.
I’m an old non-com who, as a bachelor lived in the barracks, and as such I’m well aware of the excitement that permeates any military barracks in the days leading up to a four-day, holiday weekend like Labor Day.
Virtually every soldier has made big plans to escape his military existence for four precious days and spend that time with family or friends. Many will have to use the first and fourth days for travel to and from distant destinations, which means only two, crucial days of holiday pleasure for them, sandwiched between two less pleasant days of travel, especially if they must fly commercially. Take away just one of those days and many of those soldiers’ plans will either have to be scrapped entirely or the time at home or whatever destination, be reduced to a single day. Plans made long in advance have to be rescheduled, a sometimes quite difficult task when it regards holiday weekend travel: flight changes may be impossible and hotels are booked solid; neither may allow changes in reservations without severe financial penalties.
So, some hotshot in the Obama campaign, feeling badly stung by the sparse turnouts for the president’s visits to other locales, gets a bright idea of how to produce a really big crowd for a photo op: “Hey, let’s schedule one for some military facility where the commander can be ordered to produce a big audience in a sufficiently impressive backdrop.” It was probably some over-eager, politically correct flack in the Pentagon who suggested the massive hangar at the Fort Bliss airfield, but you can bet it was some clueless member of the campaign with no military experience who picked the incredibly dumb date.
And as with so many other aspects of the disastrous Obama campaign, their scheme to produce a huge crowd ended up giving them another embarrassing black eye. They got their huge crowd all right but it was a silent, sullen crowd that was oozing hostility to the oblivious politician who had ruined their holiday weekend at worst and, at the least, had taken away one-fourth of their free time for his own selfish political gain. That from Democrats, who, knowing that the military is primarily politically conservative, are the first to demand political neutrality from those in uniform.
The resentment created by this incident isn’t limited to just those troops ordered to be in that hangar; it is shared by their far-flung friends and family members who won’t forget such a narcissistic, selfish, political imposition on their own holiday plans. Nor will it go unnoticed by other members of the military, their families, and the millions of veterans in this country who realize what an arrogant, selfish insult this was. Whoever it was on the campaign staff who scheduled that particular date for a military campaign stop might as well have said,
“Here, Mr. President, take this pistol and aim carefully for your middle toe…”
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden
I fail to see a difference between the president’s visit to Fort Bliss this weekend and President George W. Bush’s visit to Fort Bragg ON the Fourth of July in 2006. It was a pain in the butt for all concerned and my unit was tasked to provide many Soldiers to both help set up and tear down the grandstand for the event (in front of Iron Mike on Fort Bragg) and stand behind the Commander in Chief during his speech. Several members of the 525th MI BDE can be seen right behind the President. Many in the unit worked most of the weekend. I remember one or two remarking that they would at least be able to share the story of being just a few feet from the President with their families later on.
As for the the political lean for our nation’s armed forces, we used to pride ourselves, especially the officer corps, on our apolitical view. It troubles me that you are pushing the viewpoint that we in the Armed Forces have some type of right to feel resentment to the Commander in Chief for being a politician, regardless of political stripe.
In twenty plus years in the Army, I have given up many long weekends for the setting President of the time. That said, I really did not resent them for doing so, that much, as it was just another political screwing from those with no clue. The Obama campaign should have thought this through, maybe even hinting about coming then backing out because of the holiday and let it be known why the change was made. I personally DO NOT LIKE Obamas policies, and know he is struggling in the military ranks. But see this as just another bullshit move they all seem to do.
Frosty, I would like to think the Officers I worked for were holding an apolitical view, but, I serious do not believe they were. They did a pretty good job of hiding their views from the lower enlisted, but as a senior enlisted, I found they were pretty conservative, and I thought that very refreshing.
Anyone old enough to remember when you could not go on Post in a car that had any political bumper stickers? Bragg, Benning, and Gordon were that way in the 63-65 era.
All I’m seeing with the visit is politics as usual. Doesn’t make it right, but doesn’t make it partisan either.
As for the political bent of the Officer Corps; as a Joe…I would have bet my meager paycheck [read: beer money] that they were lock/stock GOP. And they probably were.
Fast forward to just a few years ago, when as a Senior NCO, I was forced to interact much more with that demographic. I’ve found most Company Grade officers to be much more Libertarian writ large. Field Grade a bit less so, but not as stoically Republican as I might have imagined.
Most of the O’s and NCO’s I had served with [and still work with] have become much more apathetic to the political process; citing dissatisfaction with the penchant for name calling and framing the opposition as extremists, based on personal bias and hyperbole.
Ok let’s face it…the military has a slight majority that leans right(especially among combat arms personnel), whether we try to keep it apolitical or not.
That being said, the speech doesn’t change anything. Those who love the Pres will continue to, that that don’t will continue not to. I doubt anyone who supports him said “That’s it, he spoke and cut short my weekend, I’m not voting for him anymore!”
In my opinion, he is a narcissistic prick (more so than the average politician) and his plans to cut the military while giving free shit to the unemployed, illegals, etc are bullshit. most military personnel with a brain can see that for what it is, no matter how many empty speeches he makes.
“slight majority”???
Seriously? Then explain why “hopey-changey” was still a 3-1 dog against McCain in 2008, and why he’s at least that now.
Rent a crowds are standard military procedure – when has being being hassled and inconvienienced not been part of military life (working weekends or cutting holidays short).
The law of OVUM (officially voluntary, unofficially mandatory)shames troops into going to events or performing details they have no interest in. Most rank and file don’t follow politics on a regular basis – listening to politicians drone on and on ( even the President ) gets old real fast.
@6 yes, slight majority.
Ok,ok… maybe I’m too being generous to our left wing comrades.
😉
And this year I predict a much lower than average military vote for Oblamer.
Aside from change-of-command ceremonies, I was thankfully absent from stuff like this. Must have been because I was at freakin sea all the damned time….
I think you’re going to see a lower-than-average Dem turnout, period.
One of the guys at my work actually voted for Obama in 2008 and plans to again this year. He sports a “Veterans for Obama” sticker on his car.
I asked him if “Veterans for Obama” is anything like, “Chickens for Col. Sanders.” He was not amused.
I think the current generation does tend to lean more libertarian than GOP-conservative, but it’s not monolithic. As far as the officer corps in general, I see a lot more liberal and libertarians in the CGO corps. Field graders and younger GOs (1 and 2 star) seem more traditionally Republican, BUT, from what I’ve seen in the beltway, most senior GO/FOs lean and vote left. Most of the three and four stars I’ve encountered are firmly Democrat. I think a lot of it comes from a higher comfort level with well, statism to be honest. 4 stars are used to nothing if not fiating things into existence (from their point of view). This after 17 years in uniform BTW.
My son, who is at Bliss, told me they needed more bodies to stand behing the Prez and bribed them with an extra day off.
When Bush scheduled a stop at Benning a few years ago, my 1SG asked for volunteers to go meet him. I was one of the few that raised my hands. His response…”Put your hand down Sampson; you’re not going.” Still makes me smile to this day
Two of the most hated GO/FO were Dems in GOP clothing – ADM William Crowe and Gen Merrill McPeak.
Something that needs to watched is voter intimidation ala the New Black Panthers stationed outside polling centers -sanctioned by AG Eric Holder.
most senior GO/FOs lean and vote left.
Depends on who is in power and/or how long they’ve spent inside the Beltway versus in combat or theater commands.
“never before in the history of America have so many be lead to do so little by somebody who knows shit”
I was standing right next to my 1SG one day at Baghram, fresh from R&R, when he received a call from the CSM. “No, Sergeant Major, I don’t have any troops on base at all right now. No, they’re all on ops. No, sorry, not a one. No one is available for dinner with the Adjutant General.” He hung up and I spent the next six hours hiding in my B-hut. Looking back at my journal years later, I can see that I was not entirely hinged, so that was probably a good call. Nonetheless, it still makes me smile to remember.
I would tend to agree with most of the assessments on officer political leanings. I think the libertarian POV has overtaken the traditionally Republican grip on the officer corps. Not being a GO, I can only say that they have bought into the system of big government “solving” problems but don’t have any affinity for Democrat social policies. Always tried hard to keep politics away from soldiering as you run the risk of perceived favoritism and possibly alienating those of a different political bent. Can’t really afford that at the tactical level.
If anyone had a duty section when a bigwig rolled around, you got called to work, but that was LBJ’s era and Lady Bird routinely showed up at NAVPHOTOCEN to screen LBJ’s travel films. (Don’t get me started on the entourage.)
I watched that broadcast briefly, saw a very narrow shot of dour-looking troops in bleachers, not a wide shot, and then whatever network it was cut away to reporters in the network studio. The guys did not look particularly interested, certainly not too happy. I said earlier that I thought it was rather tacky to pull a stunt like that. Still feel that way.
That said, I was looking for something else but found this from a post back in February this year:
“The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and others will march on opening day of the Republican National Convention on AUGUST 27th, Monday from 3pm to 530pm.
This is a March of the Homeless, the Poor, the Unemployed and Supporters to call for a STOP TO ALL FORECLOSURES, STOP THE CRIMINALIZATION OF THE POOR AND HOMELESS, HOUSING AND FOOD ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!!”
They didn’t show up at the RNC, did they? Anyone there see them? No? Huh. Well, must have lost their enthusiasm, too.
FrostyCWO: You don’t see the difference between a national event like a presidential/military celebration of the Fourth of July in a non-presidential election year and an obvious campaign stunt like this was?
Had this been Obama celebrating some national event with the troops, you wouldn’t have heard a word of protest from me. What I do resent is our troops being USED in such a fashion by any political party for campaign purposes, but especially by the Democrats, who do their damned best to suppress the largely conservative military vote.
“While this president already is not widely popular with our military….” You have a gift for understatement.
What the article failed to point out is that Romney skipped a visit to Ohio and went to Louisiana to see how bad the flooding damage was.
Obama skipped Louisiana and went to Ft. Bliss.
Who has his priorities straight?
Oh, and in case none of you were aware of this, in Keith Koffler’s 1/17/2012 column on White House Dossier, he states that Valerie Jarrett has her very own Secret Service detail. It’s been photographed in several locations. Yes, folks, your tax dollars are paying for a PR consultant’s Secret Service protection. Thought you’d like to know.
This is a link to a New York Times article dated 9/2/2012 regarding her clout:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/us/politics/valerie-jarrett-is-the-other-power-in-the-west-wing.html?hp
Just a heads up on this stuff. Awareness is a desirable attritbute for a voter to have.
My son is currently in tech school at Sheppard AFB. When he first got there, the DFac only had ESPN on the TVs. A month or so ago, the commander made them change it to Fox News. He thought that they needed to keep up with current events because they had a direct affect on their lives and why they were there.
In trying to discuss some of what they saw, my son was appalled that most of the guys his age couldn’t care less about politics, the economy, or anything else that was going on.
I find that ignorance and apathy far more serious than the screechy lefties. At least they’re participating. How in the heck can you volunteer for the military and not care about current events? What if your next stop is Syria? Iran? How can you not care about the character of your Commander in Chief?
Poetrooper – Do you figure the assembled troops at Bragg felt celebratory during the holiday weekend that they were compelled to sacrifice?
Obama campaign bussing “supporters” in from neighboring states to fill the 74,000 seat football stadium in Charlotte for President’s nomination acceptance speech. Yeah, there is definite lack of excitement – I will be surprised if they reach even 70% capacity. You can only be new and fresh once -only if it was 2008 again BO must be telling himself.
CI: Of course they didn’t but that’s not the point. Using military forces to celebrate an historic national event is a legitimate military activity. Shanghaiing them into a political campaign event in support of any candidate is not. Throughout our history the troops have been participants in patriotic events, usually parades, both national and regional. And yes, some of those events have been cynical exploitation by politicians but that still doesn’t justify this latest example.
And I’ll bet you something else, CI, that George Bush got a much warmer welcome than Obama. The faces and attitudes in this Fort Bliss video clearly demonstrate that these troops knew they were being exploited for selfish political gain and it is visible proof of the cluelessness of the Obama campaign leadership.
“The Secret Service says a truck rented to carry equipment for Vice President Joe Biden’s Labor Day visit to Detroit was stolen outside a downtown Detroit hotel.” Now, that’s funny.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/03/secret-service-truck-stolen-with-supplies-for-biden-event-in-detroit/?test=latestnews#ixzz25QrmVCLJe.
@Pootrooper – “Of course they didn’t but that’s not the point.”
The shanghaiing of the holiday weekend seemed to be the major point of your piece. Nothing a politician [especially a POTUS] does is without a political angle.
“The Secret Service says a truck rented to carry equipment for Vice President Joe Biden’s Labor Day visit to Detroit was stolen outside a downtown Detroit hotel”
A buddy of mine is part of Biden’s detail….so he’s in for some serious ribbing when he gets back.
@ 24; Common Sense, look to the parents of these young GIs. My parents, Zell Miller Democrats, had all of us, myself, two brothers and two sisters, involved in politics from a young age. Mom was a precinct committee woman. I grew up with state legislators at my house all the time. I was campaigning for Dennis Deconcini before I eligible to vote! My own children are very politically active, voting for everything from the local school board to Captain McCain for president!
When a bunch of us from Calif were in Bosnia with the Minn Nat Guard, they had some politicalasshole coming. they wanted every soldier to remain on the camp for a high turn out–even though we had realfriggen missions to do (go drink coffee with locals). I ignored the “suggestion” and went out anyway. I’m sure they really didn’t want some guy from Calif talking to some political puke from Minn anyway.
We did have a new crew from Minn come by…I tried to stay away from them, but they came into the little mess hall on our camp and started asking Soldiers stupid questions. When they stuck the mic and camera in my face and asked: “What part of Minn are you from Soldier?”
I said: “That area that grows wine north of San Francisco asshole.”
@21; Poetrooper,
The subject of President Bush’s (#43) speech on the Fourth was not a celebration of the Fourth, but a political speech about the war in Iraq set against the backdrop of patriotism and sacrifice that the Fourth represents. This was after the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra (FEB 2006), when Iraq was tearing itself apart and the Republican party was headed into what turned into a brutal mid-term election cycle.
I am well aware that both parties do some very shady/unethical/despicable things to suppress voter turnout by demographic groups that traditionally vote the other way. It troubles me greatly that this is so. Just this election cycle we’ve seen Republican gerrymandering in Texas and Democratic chicanery in Virginia. I’m not defending a particular party or viewpoint, just frustrated that things aren’t better than what they are and hopeful that the Armed Forces of this great nation will continue to serve as professionals and keep their mouths shut when it comes to politics, at least while they still where the uniform.
That would be “wear the uniform” not “where the uniform”. Second beer tonight; many apologies.
Frosty, how many dead people do you think will vote in this election?
This is nothing.
Try The Old Guard (3rd US Infantry) back in the day.
It gets old.
@32;FrostyCWO Whether or not you see the distinction I do; Bush was acting in his capacity as CinC to use both the significance of the national holiday and the troop backdrop as a patriotic call to unity in the war effort. Is that using the troops? Sure it is but it is a far different cry from this crass political campaign stunt Obama pulled.
A commenter on my piece over at American thinkers notes that George and Laura Bush were known for their sensitivity to the needs of those who served them when it came to holidays, vacations, etc. while the Obama’s are well known to be the exact, insensitive, selfish opposite.
You seem to be trying to dismiss my criticism of another example of O’s well-established narcissism with a, “Well, they all do it,” argument. Well, they don’t all do it and if you can’t see that, it’s your loss, not those of us who can discern a scheming phony pretending to be a commander-in-chief and who are willing to call him on it when he screws the troops.
If you really want to see the troops remain above the political fray then you rightly should be condemning this cheesy attempt by Obama’s minions to drag the troops smack into the middle of a political campaign. I seriously doubt that a single one of those soldiers was there because of his or her strong political beliefs, one way or the other.
Ex-PH2,
Wouldn’t even to hazard a guess on that one! Seriously, I am confused why voter fraud is suddenly such a hot-button issue. I think I see both sides. The Democrats will apply the “Better to let ten guilty men go free than to let one innocent man hang” principle voting rights, especially when it applies to their targeted demographic, and to an extent, they have a point. Why can’t someone just cast a provisional ballot and then we can sort it out later? And if some yahoo voted in the wrong precinct, why can’t we just strike the votes for local candidates and leave on the statewide and national level candidates? And the Republicans will rightly point out that a photo ID card really isn’t that hard to obtain. Really? A Photo ID is hard? I’m not indigent, so I don’t know how valid the counterargument is to that point. The issue of college students voting in their local areas vice back where mom and dad live seems to be much ado about nothing. IMO, it should be shooter’s choice, just like military voters. And yes, if you can use a piece of paper that gives you concealed carry privileges to identify yourself as a voter, they can use a student ID from Tallahassee JUCO.
The bottom line is this: We can’t make everybody happy and we, as a nation chose to use an electoral system with a margin for error greater than the margin of victory for at least two presidential elections in the last 12 years. Compounding that, our volunteer poll workers are often under-educated on the technology we use to vote with and lack uniformity in their training. Honestly, both sides need to remove their scrunched-up panties from their fourth points of contact and get a grip.
@35;Green Thumb. Here’s the mission of the Third Herd:
“The regiment’s mission is to conduct memorial affairs to honor fallen comrades and ceremonies and special events to represent the U.S. Army, communicating its story to United States citizens and the world.”
In other words, it’s a ceremonial unit and back in my day it was considered volunteer duty and a distinct honor to be accepted. Those troops at Fort Bliss are from combat arms units and nowhere in their mission statements will you find a requirement to support Democrat presidential campaigns.
The fraud bubble has erupted because of the photo ID thing. I don’t know why that becomes an issue, because if you have a driver’s license, isn’t your photo on it already?
There are only 13 states that have an option for a license with no photo, and you can get a photo ID at the license bureau when you get your driver’s license. Or at least, you should be able to do so.
I don’t know why this has become such a hot-button item, but I’m also puzzled as to why no one has brought up the voter registration business. You can sign for that at the driver’s license office, too.
It just seems to me that with this election, the very real possibility of losing has got some parties scrambling like crazy to up the chances of their winning, and I think we know who they are. Why else would you see a state law (Ohio) suddenly contested a few weeks before a national election?
My guess is that this is going to be the nastiest, dirtiest, ugliest election since Andrew Jackson ran and was caricatured in the papers as a jackass.
@38.
I do not disagree as I was stationed w/ TOG for four years, both peace time and war time.
However, TOG was reflagged (oddly enough) and actually carries out real world missions. I am not saying they are a line unit per se, but have a dual mission.
Anyway, standing at attention and being on call 24/7 definitely qualifies. Especially around the holidays, poltical events (inagurations, state and servicemember funerals, foreign dignataries, etc).
I also understand the volunteer aspect. You are correct in that statement. However, run that by the rank and file.
@39 If you’re talking about the Ohio state law that was put in place fairly recently by the Republican legislature and which quite clearly creates unequal voting opportunities, well, it was contested because it was a bad law. We should strive to allow every citizen of our country to vote, to vote equally, and to not care about party for these sorts of ideals.
If the military in a state needs additional time to vote, give them that additional time – but also extend the same courtesy to non-military voters.
@36; Poetrooper, I hear what you’re saying, I just don’t buy this the CinC and the First Lady are narcissists thing or are only willing to use the troops as props. “Well known to be the exact, insensitive, selfish opposite” is someone’s opinion, just like mine.
Between the Obama’s the Biden’s and Holly Petraeus, they’ve visited military installations in NC alone probably a dozen times in the last 18 months. Last year’s WH Easter Egg Roll was military oriented as is this whole feel-goody “protect the troops from getting crappy interest rates when PVT Snuffy finances a car on Bragg Boulevard” initiative that the First Lady is pushing. What I’m trying to say is that it’s all political and it’s all not. They want to help the country, they’re trying to support the troops; they just really don’t know how unless its showing the flag and pressing the flesh, cutting the red ribbon on the new Fisher House, that sort of thing. I wish the President had served, but I think he gets it (at least, I hope he does) since he has to write the letters to the Gold Star Families. I’m pretty sure the Biden’s get it, they have some skin in the game, since their son served in Iraq in the last few years. Romney will get it if he is elected, I believe that he’s a decent human being as well, beneath the wax mannequin he walks around in. If he doesn’t now, I’m sure he will the first time he has to write a letter to some widow to explain why her sponsor is not coming home, ever.
Speaking of which, here’s an article from today that deals with voter ID laws in SC – ignore the clear slant in the first few paragraphs and just read the exchange between the lawyers and the woman working for the state:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/08/in-south-carolina-shockingly-candid-talk-about-voter-discrimination/261760/
@42.
Well said.
@42 Thank you for your perspective. I, too, think all the people involved -the President, Romney, Ryan, Biden, whoever- are decent people, doing their best, as they see fit. Often without the background or focus we might like, but still, doing their best, as competent people, to lead a very diverse nation.
I get so tired of the ‘so-and-so on the other side is the devil incarnate’ attitude, and it’s tremendously refreshing to see that opinion shared by others. I think more people looking for the good is the only way we can pull together. We can all disagree about policy, and even people, but it doesn’t hurt to do it with a modicum of respect and understanding.
One word regarding CIC Obama and his recent address to the troops, “DOH!”
@1, if you don’t know the difference between an event on the 4th of July (which, while we know is a holiday, we also know that there are always potential taskings during that celebration) and the beginning of a four-day weekend in which the command is as hands-off as possible…then there’s no helping you.
@42;FrostyCWO and you, too, Anonymous: you guys are just so touchy-feely happy with everything that’s transpiring in this country right now that it seemingly makes no difference to you who is running it? They’re all the same and essentially they’re all well-intentioned? Do I have that right? Makes no difference to you, huh? That would be damned scary if I didn’t know your kind of thinking is in the distinct minority, thank goodness. We are a constitutional republic now being governed by an administration that has sworn to “fundamentally change” this nation. We have a commander-in-chief who refused to wear a flag lapel pin until political expediency forced him to and to this day refuses to honor the common gesture of respect in holding his hand over his heart when allegiance is pledged to this nation and you don’t see anything ominous in these little cues? The leader of the most powerful nation in the world goes on an apology tour while he has troops engaged and bows to those Islamists who are funding our enemies in the field, and you two are just hunky-dory with that? In his announcement of the killing of bin Laden, this self-promoter uses I.I.I. and me, me, me repeatedly while giving lame, secondary credit to the warriors who risked their lives and you don’t think the bastard is a narcissist? Tell me, Chief, just what in God’s name would Obama have to do to satisfy you that he’s a narcissist? Hell, three-quarters of the psychological world, even liberals, recognize that the man displays classic narcissistic traits but you don’t think so? And your credentials are? I spent thirty years operating within and around military medicine and don’t recall once seeing warrants practicing in any of the psychological disciplines. Why don’t you two list some examples of Obama’s loyalty to his friends and associates, the ones he has yet to jettison? This guy is loyal to no one except those who promote his candidacy or shield him from possible criminal indictment, like Eric Holder; that behavior is purely and simply classic narcissism. Anonymous, I do… Read more »
I’m not a fan of this CINC, but this whining diatribe is just what is … a whine without fromage. Frosty points it out succinctly in the first post. Yeah it’s political, yeah it’s a pain, yeah it is an inconvenience etc… Welcome to the Army!
@Poetrooper – “We have a commander-in-chief who refused to wear a flag lapel pin until political expediency forced him to and to this day refuses to honor the common gesture of respect in holding his hand over his heart when allegiance is pledged to this nation and you don’t see anything ominous in these little cues? The leader of the most powerful nation in the world goes on an apology tour while he has troops engaged and bows to those Islamists who are funding our enemies in the field, and you two are just hunky-dory with that?”
This seems to be a prime example of why you don’t understand someone who – though doesn’t think highly of the current POTUS – doesn’t harbor a visceral and blinding hatred for everything associated with him. If digital chain letters and memes are your guiding light…..