Welcome American Thinkers
You may have noticed that it’s a little crowded in here today. That’s because our own Poetrooper linked to our discussion yesterday of the Semper Parasol thing over at American Thinker. So I thought I’d spread the love and return the favor. So click over and read “They’re Marines, Mr. President, Not Butlers“.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden
I’ve never been over to American Thinker before, and enjoyed checking it out.
I, too, think that the Marines handled a deplorable situation with great professionalism.
THEY have infinitely more class than the Chump in Chief.
Someone over there found what I had been looking for.
“According to Marine Corps regulation MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, a male Marine is not allowed to carry an umbrella while in uniform. There is no provision in the Marine Corps uniform regulation guidelines that allows a male Marine to carry an umbrella.”
“The Marine Corps Uniform Regulations, published by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, shall be binding on all Marines. No officer or official shall issue instructions which conflict with, alter, or amend any provision without the approval of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.”
What a narcissistic jackass!
Anybody know the preparatory command to deploy umbrellas?
@6 Extension Release
followed by Depress (verb)
My fav meme is the umbrella swapped for a sign that says
“Liar”.
I love this quote: “They’re Marines, not butlers.”
Readers should swamp the WH e-mail and switch board with complaints about the misuse of these two Marines. Actually it was probably five Marines (with three out of the photo) because I have never seen more than one Marine not accompanied by two road guards and someone to count cadence. These Marines are more than likely decorated combat veterans and this one event shows how little the Chump in Chief thinks about our brave service men and women. You would think someone would check the weather forecast before scheduling an outside event or at least put up a tent. What schmucks.
Two points…
1) If you’re going to have a press conference outside, check the weather beforehand.
2) If you need an umbrella, hold it yourself.
The word “scumbag” defined in one photo.
@7. Well, I am somewhat familiar with the umbrella drill. The correction Army command for it is, “Erect-SHUN!”
This is so overblown. Marines have been opening the doors there and fussing about things like umbrellas for decades. It’s one of the duties that are common to enlisted aides regardless of who is in the White House. Next time your CG comes by your Bn or Bde area, check out how much shit his driver and RTO have to do. It’s the same thing and it gets more servile and ridiculous the higher the rank.
@14 go hold an umbrella at arms length for a period of time no less than 4
minutes. opening a door or moving furniture is not the same.
@14 Just because it happens doesn’t make it right. What was done was WRONG, plain and simple. And the President should have better sense.
LOL – umbrella has got you smoked? Actually, yes it is the same. And it’s the same sort of thing enlisted aides have been doing for flag officers and civilian leaders for a long time. Obama is not the first to get this high life and is definitely not the last.
@16 Right or wrong, it wasn’t an issue for most folks when it was done for any other person. All this outrage now in only because it’s for Obama.
No, Tom, this outrage is for the repeated and often public demeaning of our Marines, Soldiers, and Sailors. The fact that it usually happens under the administration of presidents who have never worn a uniform is not an accident. Obama showed off his power over those Marines the way Higgins on Magnum PI used to order around his two Dobermans. And don’t think for a moment he didn’t know what he was doing. He’s been there long enough to have some grasp of proper etiquette.
@18. Okay, bud, go ahead and say it. You came close but didn’t quite get it out. Go ahead.
FOLLOW UP to CMT 20. Oh, and when you do, make sure you mention Jonn’s name.
Tom:
Bottom line up front: I agree. This is a silly waste of manpower. But, for us to say that this would have been as big of an issue if it were some other president under the umbrella? Sorry, I don’t buy it. I’ve been watching Marines do these menial tasks for different presidents on TV like everyone else for years. Never seen this kind of focus on it and never heard this kind of outrage. It’s driven by Obama’s lack of popularity.
Do I think it’s a waste? Yes, I do. The White House should hire their own doormen and butlers and allot their pay and benefits from their own staff budget. Of course the Marines have better things to do.
@19 Magnum P.I. was a good show. As for proper etiquette, he should have let the visiting Turkish prime minister get rained on? That would have been kind of rude, why not have your aides help out with an umbrella if they’re available.
@21 Why would I mention Jonn’s name?
The reason Obaomao needs to be under an umbrella, and not get wet by the rain in public:
“I’M MELTING! I’M MELTING! MY BEAUTIFUL WICKEDNESS IS MELTING! AAHHHH. . . . “
Well, I am truly disappointed there Tom. So, this is all about obama’s lack of popularity, huh? That’s it? No more? Gee, Benghazi isn’t enough. IRS targeting isn’t enough. Spying on reporters is not enough. Fast and Furious, not to mention gun-grabbing, not enough. We were all upset because we don’t like him. What the hell are you drinking?
Did Sippy relocate AND get a new IP address?
Tom: the White House in fact has such staff.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_domestic_staff_people_are_currently_employed_at_the_White_House
And no, that’s not the “White House Staff”, which per the 2012 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff numbers 468 personnel and does not include any jobs such as cooks, maids, janitors, butlers, etc . . . .
http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/annual-records/2012
Tom,
And besides, if a Republitard President had done the same thing to a Marine soldier, having him/her hold an umbrella over their head during an outdoor press conference in the rain, I’m thinking SOME Libtard would have said something at the time. Or even brought it up now as a counter argument.
But, I could be wrong. There COULD be an instance, or a photo, showing a similar situation with a Republitard President. Please be a dear, dear, and find it for me. I’ll be right here waiting.
(chirp . . chirp . .)
Well, yeah. His lack of popularity is well-earned. Let’s make those things you mentioned the focus. Not some silly umbrella photo that depicts him treating his enlisted aides pretty much the same way that any other president or flag officer does. Doesn’t this whole umbrella thing seem kind of a goofy distraction? Especially in the face of the really serious stuff like IRS enforced bullying, ignoring attacks on consulates, etc.
@23 What, the man doesn’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain? It had BEEN raining for quite awhile before the conference. A word, a gesture, and the whole thing would have been moved indoors. And he’s falling over staffers. He didn’t need to use the Marines.
It does, however, make an impression on guests when you use the GOOD china. He does know that much.
Actually Tom, the umbrella would smoke most people, its called temporary muscle failure. It’s not the weight of the object, its the fact it has to be held at arms length for a then unknown amount of time.
A Marine is a trained, professional warrior, not a manservant.
B Woodman: here’s the closest I could find. Not a Marine holding the umbrella, though:
I think that might have been not long after Reagan had been released from the hospital after getting shot.
Hell, even Clinton held his own freaking umbrella.
As did this guy:
You have spent as much time on this issue as anyone, now, Tom–except perhaps me in responding to you. Want a different subject? Try a different thread. This one here is dedicated to thumping obama for misusing Marines.
OK! If you think he deliberately requested that Marines hold his umbrella and not some other civilian staff and that he deliberately kept his conference in the rain in order to show disdain for the services and cause his enlisted aides personal humiliation, I don’t know of anything that will convince you otherwise. I think it’s unlikely he meant any symbolism by it and I know for a fact that enlisted aides get worse abuse from flags routinely and no one thinks twice about it.
It’s funny how I’m the badguy here. I don’t think Obama is doing a very good job as President. I just don’t see a special problem with this umbrella thing.
The Queen of England holds her own bloody umbrella. And she literally is royalty, not just in her mind.
You’re not a bad guy, as far as I know, Tom. You are just grossly mistaken.
I Googled Bush+umbrella yesterday and the only photos I could find were an ass load of pictures with his umbrella inverted by the wind – you know, like he was incompetent because something happened to him that happens to millions of people every year. So, yeah, I’ve been waiting for Tom. I didn’t know his name, but I knew he was coming.
All-
While this umbrella thing is a definitive outrage, I’m as outraged by PBO’s comments as his action. When he mentiones ”Soldiers I have in Afghanistan” or ”People I have in other countries” (go listen to the audio) I begin to steam.
Fuckstick- YOU don’t have them there, THEIR COUNTRY does. They are not there serving YOU, jackass…
But it’s all about the *I*…
It is not as much Obama standing there with the Marines, it is the senior staff member who sent the Marines out there because they certainly didn’t come up with the idea on their lonesome. It is the freakin mindset and the lack of care by the Chump in Chief to simply reach over, take the umbrella and tell the Marine to get out of the rain. Safe to say the reaction from Jonn’s readers would be the same regardless who the president was. It has nothing to do with this guy being what he is, it has everything to do with this guy’s actions which speak louder than words. And for the record, “he did not have sex with that umbrella.”
One interesting photo of Bush 41 at a ceremony overseas and a senior looking soldier (not sure what nationality) holding an umbrella a bit awkwardly over Bush. Scroll down to the comments section.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/10-presidents-with-umbrellas
@35 – Tom, the real question is not about the umbrella, but about why the nitwit who is now president didn’t have enough effing common sense to take his press conference inside, instead of staying outside in the rain.
How hard is that to understand? Are you really so dense that you don’t get that part of it? Why would anyone with a brain cell working stay out in the falling rain for a press conference instead of saying “Let’s all go back inside”? this shows a complete lack of common sense, contempt for the Turkish Prime Minister, contempt for the press corps and complete disdain for the Marines assigned to the White House.
And no, the Marines are not his personal servants.
@35 – Tom, if you can’t understand why we are so upset set by just looking at the picture than you never will understand. Go read some stories about how empty chair is spying on the media, harassing and intimidating average Americans who disagree with him, and abandoning brave Americans to die so He can get plenty of rest before a big speech. We will stay here and be furious about a Marine corporal who got embarrassed on national TV by his supposed Commander in Chief.