Drudge ran a lead article from the Military Times‘ Brendon McGarry that warns the “O” that the troops are little bit concerned about him. Some of the comments are just “one-man’s opinion” type-stuff. You have to read down to see how the troops really feel about their new commander;
When asked who has their best interests at heart — Obama or President George W. Bush — a higher percentage of respondents picked Bush, though Bush has lost ground over time. About half of the respondents said Bush has their best interests at heart this year, the same percentage as last year but a decline from 69 percent in 2004.
Nearly one-third of respondents — including eight out of 10 black service members — said they are optimistic about their incoming boss.
Even some service members who voted against Obama — only 1 in 4 supported him over Sen. John McCain in a pre-election survey of Military Times subscribers —now express goodwill toward him as their new commander in chief.
I guess many of them consider his “air raiding civilians” comment and his failure to actually meet troops until it became politically expedient pretty much electioneering. The troops have always welcomed their new commander, until they have a reason to think otherwise of him.Clinton blew his goodwill between telling the military to jump on the gay grenade for him and not supporting the troops tactically engaged in Mogadishu in his first year. Jimmy Carter blew his the day after his inauguration when he gave amnesty to the pussies in Canada.
I wonder how long Obama can go without pissing off the troops.
In related news, the Associated Press announces that Obama is having a C-in-C military only ball at the National Building Museum for the troops. Rurik sent me the link with this comment;
I’m sure that Powell, Shinseki, McPeake and Clarke will be there. And probably Mr. Bipartisan McCain.
I wrote back that if there’s an open bar, it might be worthwhile to attend. But then I had second thoughts – Shinseki, McPeak and Clarke will keep all of the bartenders busy making their Shirley Temples and Virgin Marys.
Jonn wrote:
I wrote back that if there’s an open bar, it might be worthwhile to attend.
It be worth going if it had an open bar, if anything, just to get into some “let me tell you how I really feel” drunken, truth serum moments with Zero and his cast of “shirley temple” drinking Generals! 😈
I served when Dimmy Carter was in office and he tried to get us killed and when he succeeded in getting some captured (I had orders to Iran at the time) he abandoned them for 444 days. Reagan got em out, or they were released because the idiots in Iran knew what was coming. My recomendation is ‘if you are in, get out at the earliest possible time, with a good discharge. If you are thinking about enlisting, don’t. You may serve more than 444 days in some hell hole as a forgotten person. Hussein O sure won’t give a sh** about the American military. Think I’m wrong, hide and watch the comedy that gets people killed, real dead.
If Obama can learn to salute correctly he will be a step ahead of Clinton. Then he needs to sit down and eat dinner with the troops, not just stop by for a photo op while they are eating.
Scrapiron, WTF? I had the pleasure of serving with one of the hostages from that crisis when I was in Afghanistan, he was our initial State Department representative at the PRT. Now Scrapiron, why would you even consider saying such a thing as this? I have served for six years and will be serving for the entirety of the One’s administration. It will be a short four years.
Scrap you are way too cynical. When Obama takes the oath in two weeks I will follow his orders just like W’s. We serve the country, not the man in the White House. I may not like him or his politics, but the country deserves good soldiers regardless of who the CIC is.
I agree with Lucky that I hope it will be a short four years, but I hope to still be serving no matter who gets elected next.
I took an oath, and like it or not, he is my boss for at least four years. What is that line from CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE? “Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die…” I have a sacred duty to that oath that I took, I take it VERY, VERY seriously, which is why I get so freaking pissed at these IVAW fuckheads. As Dave said, he is the CINC, but we serve the Constitution and the people of the United States, and thats the way it will be, at least for me, good times, or bad it doesn’t matter. I will defend this Country and all it stands for from any and all enemies to it.
Its my job.
Dave and Lucky You guys remind me why I am proud I served and I sincerely thank you for your service to our country.Wheeler Capt.USMCR
Oh yeah, there are a lot of folks on the left who simply don’t get it. I swore that oath. So did my son, and my father, and my grandfather, et al.. My family came to this country before Jamestown. We’ve been here more than 400 years, and we’ve had folks in every generation serve in one capacity or another. Now, that, and about $5.00 will get me a cuppa Joe at the local Starbucks. I am NOT tooting my horn. What I am saying is that my ancestors got the same idea that i did, and my son, that there is something here in America worth risking your life to protect, to defend. It certainly ain’t any of the worthless politicians we’ve had.
It is precisely because of the Constitution. Because it is that one great document, that codification of etheral ideas, that I and so many others joined up. A document that spells out that I and every other man jack are equal before the law. That there is no aristocracy. That kings and petty princes are forbidden here, and that a man’s worth is judged by his deeds, and not his words.
In the military I discovered the meritocracy that the left tries so hard to suppress. I found that colour is skin deep, and that a man’s heart pumps red blood, and bleeds the same, no matter his race, his religion, his name. I found the America that our forefathers knew, that the leftists try to hide and deny and decry. I found a nation that could not be divided up into groups of victims.
I saw LBJ and Nixon, and suffered through Carter and rejoiced in Reagan. I cried with my friends at the election of Clinton, and kept my peace with Bush. Now we have Obama, elected with most likely the first undeniable fraudulent election in our history, but he is still the president-elect. I hold my tongue, and remember my oath.
I swore then, and I keep my word today, to that greatest of documents, the Constitution, which set out what powers a government might have, and what it might not claim. I will honour that oath, and I will keep a close eye upon the new president and his minding of that same oath, which he shall swear before God and public.
The military proudly bears no allegiance to Pope, Prelate, President nor petty official. It stays the course, mindful of it’s honour and responsibilities. It will respect the office of the President, no matter who fills it, but that same man or woman should also be mindful of this: They might be the commander in chief, but the Constitution takes precedence over all things. You can screw with the military only so much. They will turn all four cheeks when needs be. But they will only suffer so much.
The old admonition bears repeating: Beware the Fury of the Legions. The sword of state has two edges, and cuts both ways. The president must always be mindful of not only WHO he is, but WHAT he represents.
AW1 Tim Well said!What was “undeniably fraudulent” about Obama’s 8,000,000+ victory?
There is a little matter of some 2 million donations via VISA gift cards that are basically untraceable. Someone on the Lightworker’s staff forgot to engage the locks that would prohibit donations through his website of untraceable gift cards. ZIt was all over the blogosphere, but somehow failed to make the mainstream media. Surprise surprise.
Thing is, you can buy a VISA gift card for any amount, and put whatever name you want to the ID section. Obama got literally tens of millions of dollars in untraceable donations and refused to remit them, or even to set them apart from his regular donation lists.
Anyone could go to WalMart and by ten or more $250.00 VISA gift cards and use them to make donations to Obama’s campaign, with no way to see if the donors were even citizens!
He milked the Chicago machine, and they put him in the White House. Now we have to live with it, because the press will never report on the problems of campaign donations.
Respects,
I agree with almost everything said above in comments, except that “Theirs is not to reason why, theirs is but to do or die” creates /horrific mistakes/. Yes, we recite the charge of the light brigade, but is anyone aware of what a serious piece of military screwup that was that could have been easily avoided if anyone HAD said “Hey, when you said ‘the guns’, did you mean ‘the captured guns’ or THE FUCKING RUSSIAN BATTERY?”
“Not though the soldier knew / Someone had blunder’d”
The Charge of the Light Brigade helps inspire IVAW philosophy, not contradict it.
Jonn’s filters are working very hard to make me stop using profanity. Jonn, remember your readership!
IVAW has a philosophy, other than welcoming deserters, AWOL’s, f**kups and people whose only mission seems to be to shit on people honorably serving? Who would have known?
Lol, I was quoting it to make a point AS, and not one in support of y’all. Trust me on that. Do you know what a better quote would be? Try the quote from Henry V, the speech prior to the battle of Agincourt. That would make IVAW the people at the end of the speech who wished that they were there with the Army, but never really were. POSERS
I know what your point was, Lucky, my point is that I take something else from the doomed Charge of the Light Brigade. Do you really think of them as something to be admired? When they lost almost 50 percent of their unit in ten minutes because people were too stubbornly loyal to question orders that made /no fucking sense/?
There are orders that should be questioned, and the kind that send people into battle to die purposelessly are very high up there.
As for the St. Crispin’s Day speech, many of the people you insult were in fact there, and it is you who dishonor their service. For he who sheds his blood with me this day SHALL BE MY BROTHER, be he never so vile, this day will gentle his condition.
Apparently you’re the one who has a hard time following that. For you, it’s okay to discount those that shed blood with you, as long as they don’t agree with the war. Or they’re a Democrat. Or they don’t like the President. You have completely missed the point of the Crispins Day speech.
Again with the failure of AS to pay attention to detail. Niiiice. Way to be an alleged NCO. My point was about IVAW members claiming to be something they are not, not the Brothers in Arms quote.