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Obama takes swipe at Bush in Memorial Day message
By: Chris Stirewalt
Political Editor
05/23/09 2:00 PM EDT
In his weekly radio address, President Obama took time to commend American fighting forces and to explain how his defense, veterans and even economic programs (which he continues to call the "New Foundation") are part of serving the armed forces.
It might have been superior for the president to have offered only a patriotic message and a word of thanks and remembrance for the fallen soldiers, but that's debatable.
What seems wholly out of place, though, is the president's swipe at his predecessor, George W. Bush, and others:
"Our fighting men and women – and the military families who love them – embody what is best in America. And we have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us.
And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we, as a nation, have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve. That is a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear – and all who have worn – the proud uniform of our country."
That is the president's lead in to talking about his military requisitioning plans, veterans' funding and his economic program. It's how Obama often sets things up -- create a straw man opponent to his policies and then attack.
It gets little notice, but even to this day Bush makes calls on wounded veterans at military hospitals, corresponds with families of fallen servicemembers and gives his own money to veterans charities. In office, Bush hugely increased funding for veterans programs and worked relentlessly to improve the lot of ordinary troops.
Bush gets hit pretty hard for the shabby state of things at Walter Reed Hospital that was exposed during his term, but the servicemebers I've talked to know that Bush loves them and takes their well being seriously. You may feel that Bush is undeserving of that respect because he initiated the Iraq war, but in terms of his respect for and treatment of the men and women in uniform, he is sincere.
President Obama may come to have a similar rapport with the military, but he won't help that by trying to advance his agenda as an alternative to the mistakes made "in recent years."
The Memorial Day weekend message should have been an easy opportunity for the president to talk about the sacrifices and heroism of the current members of the military and how it is part of a 235-year tradition of gallantry and sacrifice. Someonein the White House press office needs to get off the political grind.
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