Sunday, January 25, 2009
Obama snubs Congressional Medal of Honor recipients?
Apparently, some have noted that Obama is the first President to snub the Salute to Heros Inaugural Ball since its inception.
I guess those guys just aren't on the President's radar.
I had noticed this last week, but I wasn't sure about the sourcing for the claim that every single president since Ike had honored these heroes with his presence during the inaugural balls. I'm still not sure, but if true, it's quite a gaffe. (I shouldn't be surprised, though, after Landstuhl.)
UPDATE: Convinced.
UPDATE II: See also this:
On a more positive note, although apparently recipients of the Medal of Honor didn't make the cut, Obama did manage to carve out some time with Mary J. Blige, Sting, and Shakira.
I predict we're going to have staff screwups galore that will make Bill Clinton's first year in office seem like a model of efficiency and competence, until they finally get some adult supervision in there. I don't think David Gergen will be riding to the rescue this time, though.
Splash, out
Jason
I guess those guys just aren't on the President's radar.
I had noticed this last week, but I wasn't sure about the sourcing for the claim that every single president since Ike had honored these heroes with his presence during the inaugural balls. I'm still not sure, but if true, it's quite a gaffe. (I shouldn't be surprised, though, after Landstuhl.)
UPDATE: Convinced.
UPDATE II: See also this:
"By tradition," Cheney told the heroes, "this is always the first event the president and vice president visit before we begin the round of inaugural balls, and that's for a very good reason."
It's "because of the enormous obligation and debt that we have to all of you who served in the U.S. military, veterans as well as the Medal of Honor recipients who are here tonight. On behalf of Lynne and myself, letme thank you for what you've done for all of us."
Bush echoed Cheney's support for the tradition. "It's right that it be that way," the president said. "It makes good sense to start here."
"The inaugural balls are a reflection of the wonderful freedoms we have in America — the free transfer of power that took place today," he noted. "This is a free land, however, it would not have been free necessarily withoutthe sacrifice of the men and women who have worn our uniform."
On a more positive note, although apparently recipients of the Medal of Honor didn't make the cut, Obama did manage to carve out some time with Mary J. Blige, Sting, and Shakira.
I predict we're going to have staff screwups galore that will make Bill Clinton's first year in office seem like a model of efficiency and competence, until they finally get some adult supervision in there. I don't think David Gergen will be riding to the rescue this time, though.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: culture, Obama, Politics, veterans
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