David Maraniss: Obama’s military connection
Washington Post’s David Maraniss reaches out and gives the Obama campaign a happy ending today in what can only be considered a real piece of crap entitled “Obama’s military connection“. Maraniss tells us that Obama was born to be commander-in-chief of the military because he knew people who knew people who had been in the military. And because he “chaffed” against the anti-war generation of the sixties.
The photo for the article is one of Obama having a conversation with General McCrystal, the man Obama was destined to fire when it was discovered publicly that McChrystal’s staff didn’t respect the president who wouldn’t grant the commander’s requests and recommendations for fighting the war in Afghanistan. So, yeah, Maraniss’ contention is falsified before you even begin reading.
The article begins by recounting the day in 2002 when Obama first became the darling of the anti-Bush party when he spoke out about “the rush to war with Iraq” – the fact that the speech was given more than five months before the first combat soldiers entered Iraq makes one wonder why the “rush” took so long.
But anyway, Maraniss tells us that Obama couldn’t relate to the creaky anti-war songs that were playing before his speech. Somehow, that’s proof that Obama has a connection to the military. But, that’s not all;
The cultural geography of those formative years also shaped his perspective. Obama was in Honolulu then, surrounded by military installations. Hickam Air Force Base, Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter, Pearl Harbor Naval Station and Hawaii Marine Corps Base were all part of his adolescent environment. He grew up comfortable with the military culture, not alienated from it. Some friends came from military families. One of his buddies dated an admiral’s daughter, and they would borrow the old man’s car to tool around the island.
Which leads to the least-appreciated aspect of Obama’s connection to the military — race. That buddy was known as a hapa, the Hawaiian term for someone of mixed heritage; like Obama, he had one black parent. Oahu was a diverse and colorful place, a mix of cultures and languages, but fewer than 1 percent of its residents were black, and almost all of those were connected to the military.
Yeah, by knowing a guy who dated an admiral’s daughter and drove the admiral’s car, well, that’s more proof. And because he grew up around military bases and most of the black people in his neighborhood were in the military. That’s an indisputable connection to the military. It’s almost as if he’d been through basic training and served for years, isn’t it?
And, oh, don’t forget that his grandfather had been in World War II – so some of his genetic material had been in World War II, as well. Maybe he deserves some WWII service medals.
Look into the faces of the soldiers who greeted Obama in Afghanistan this month, black and Latino and white, and you can almost feel the visceral connection with a president who has a diverse background.
Certainly, just by looking like some of the soldiers makes you one of them. Yeah, those are the only points Maraniss made in the whole piece, if you don’t believe me, read it for yourself. I was at least hoping that Maraniss would reveal that Obama had taken some seminars in the relationship between War and Politics, or some other mental masturbation on that level, but Maraniss’ point couldn’t be that sharp – it’s always about race and shit that doesn’t matter.
Maraniss is f’n idiot, and so is everyone at the Washington Post who thought it was a good idea to put that POS into the cached memory of the internet.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Media
Not to mention, he went to Punahou, the most expensive private school on O’ahu, which is nowhere near a military base as far as I recall.
Its a shame that reporters thieve so much oxygen. Must’ve been a slow news day when he got this story approved. Nope, wait, its “Some kind of wonderful” about Obama, so it wouldn’t matter either way, its going in the news…
I get the Sunday WaPo, and knew without a doubt how this piece was going to play. It read like a bunch of tripe, but then again, it’s an OpEd…and I give it the due accorded to all OpEd’s.
W! – T! – Everbleedin’ – F!
How far up his fourth point of contact does this alleged human (homo sapiens? upright bipedal hominid? spineless rat?) have his cranium?? Obviously far enough so that the intestinal fumes interfere with his intake of O2 for his “brain”.
I’m glad I had both empty hands and stomach when I read this. Otherwise you’d be buying me a new keyboard and monitor.
I’ve heard, and “knew” on a visceral level, that the LSM was in the tank for Obeyme, but this has to be the worst example to date.
But just wait until tomorrow . . .some other brainless journalist idiot will create out of whole cloth and thin air something worse. And some editor will approve it. And it will be printed (a waste of paper and ink).
And the LSM will continue to go bankrupt. But not soon enough.
Then, of course, there is the opposite (and more compelling, IMO) logic. President Obama knew and consorted with known and admitted domestic terrorists. So that would make him LEAST suited to be C-in-C.
That’s all I need to know. Between this article and the last campaign making an issue that his grandfather served in WWII, I guess he must have military cred. Any idea who his paternal grandfather fought for?
Bonus points to Medic09’s #4 posting. We’ll see if next week he covers that relationship.
That tapestry of diversity is a carefully selected and screened tasking sent out to unit commanders to provide a quota service members of specific race, creed, color, sex, and rank for all of the on base appearances. Same for the front rows and aisles adjacent to any areas where they may become the backdrop in a photo or video. Believe me, commanders on our base were tasked to provide by name tasking to be screened and arranged beforehand.
And Punahou is flashy but subject to the same appalling standards of poor education statewide as all schools public and private fall under the same consolidated school district. Had many friends (non military) who left the islands once their kids reached high school as the education system on island is so bad that they had no chance of gaining acceptance at a top ranked university.
I really, honestly wish I could say I’m surprised about this but sadly I’m not.
Maraniss would have done better than than the flowery tripe he wrote had he at least mentioned actual accomplishments regarding the military, such as his recognition by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
So if I met someone who met an astronaut I guess that gives me a conection to astronauts?
If this is to believed, then I must understand what it’s like to be a Black man in America because my best friend married a Black woman. I know EXACTLY what it’s like tone Jewish because I saw a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and I am qualified to be the Attorney General because I know a guy who is a lawyer.
Total Logic Fail
Sorry. “to be Jewish”. Damn autocorrect.
I really don’t understand. What does race have to do with anything in the military and being C in C. If I am a rascist bigot for not voting for and openly opposing Obama and all his cronies and his poor treatment of active military and vets….why aren’t these people rascist for telling me because his sperm donor is supposedly black means he is super awesome. He is an appeaser of countries who have killed and are still active in killing U.S. Military (looking at you Iran/Pakistan/France/China/n.Korea/the shitty shell of Ussr/Syria/list can go on and on and on….). I hate how obama treats my brothers I hate how obama limited free speech…I hate his supporters telling me I am rascist or stupid because I hate obama and his policies and his behavior. His wife was never proud of our country before a few years ago….well I have never been less proud of my country until he became our so called president and commander in chief. NObama!
What in the world is this idiot smoking? Because I would love to get some myself if he is tripping out enough to equate living in an area surrounded by military bases as giving him credibility with the military. I guess since I a have to fire stations within shouting distance of my home, I am a qualified firefighter. this numbnut should change his name to Moroniss.
Hey!! I just realized something. I work at a Catholic hospital, so according to this numbnutts I’m uniquely qualified to be the Pope.
Sanctu Sanctu… Feelie me boney belly… Bennie sellie alla his dominoes. Alla you tall guys, Alla you short guys.. GETOFFATHELAWN!
So all of us who attended any college in the country in the past 50 years are uniquely qualified to tell this numbnuts to STFU since we have all be exposed to, and seemingly inocculated from, leftist, commie tripe?
#5 IIRC, in 2008 he claimed his grandfather was part of the force that liberated Auschwitz. Only problem is Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviets…..
@17 – It was his great Uncle not his Grandfather, but he did mistakenly say Auschwitz, instead of the accurate location of Ohrdruf, a Subcamp of Buchenwald.
RFTL Bubblehead! Love it.
CI, he also “mistakenly” said his father served in WWII. http://youtu.be/Fv4jnlkxOaw
There he is, in his own words. Now, it may have been the desire to claim something that isn’t true, or it may be that his teleprompter was mis-spoken.
Oh, as for the “faces of the soldiers who greeted Obama in Afghanistan this month, black and Latino and white”, it looked just like one of Baracka’s campaign stops, heavy on the female/minority persuasion, the caucasian males, not so much. But, that was just the impression I took from the video I saw.
Obama’s father “fought” in World War II? WTF? http://en.wikipedia.org wiki/East_African_Campaign_%28World_War_II%29
Kenya was out of the war in November of 1941!
Hacks brother is a plumber. You guys (and girls) know me from this site. ergo, you are fully qualified to provide plumbing advice.
I grew up in a university town. ALL of my friends parents were associated with it- professors, students, administrators. I grew up immersed in the ‘culture’. Ergo, I am fully qualified to lead a university.
What’s Harvard’s number???
Hey, Wolf – do you need a referance from a newly minted expert plumber, by way of having a virtual frinedship with Hack’s brother?
Since it’s Harvard, perhaps should call myself an engineer instead? Yeah. Thought about doing that and have known quite a few over the years. Oh, oh, oh, my uncle was a real engineer AND worked for the Navy (civilian) during WWII. And, and, and one worked for the FAA. That one was paraplegic, so this referance might be golden.
(And a lawyer friend is convinced I look exactly like his grandmother, who was full blooded Cherokee.)
Stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once, too.
Commenter No. 4 found the logic !!
“and you can almost feel” —
?? not quite .
Actual spelling of Washington Post genius’ name: Moron-ass.
Brilliant humor, Mr. Lilyea.
And the next Medal of Honor nomination goes to military connected BHO for making the gutsy call to take out the FBI’s #1 most wanted man, thus creating peace between the Taliban and the US and paving the way for no more war, terror, or hatred in the world! National Gumdrops and Sunshine Day will now formally be recognized on 1 May. In 5…4…3…2…
The latest internet fad is Six Degrees Of Barrack Obama. Unfortunately, you lose the game if you can connect him to the radical left, which is usually accomplished in one to two links.
That WAPO article is certainly “Moronish”.
Obama ate dog, which is practically the same as going through SERE training.