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Obama Visits War Dead
In an unannounced midnight trip, President Obama visited Dover Air Force base in Delaware on Wednesday to meet a plane returning with war dead from Afghanistan. The 18 soldiers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents in the coffins on board were killed this week. October was the deadliest month for American forces since the war began in 2001 and Obama is weighing whether to deploy as many as 40,000 more troops requested by General Stanley McChrystal in an effort to turn back Taliban gains. According to the Washington Post, the president is looking at province-by-province intelligence assessments of the the country in order to determine a viable plan.




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red6golf
Shameless and disgusting? Why does this make him shameless and disgusting? How is he any different than any of the other politicians? I bet you voted for Bush didn't you? If you think you can do a better job, then you go run for office, until then, keep your mouth shut. Your internet post would "ring less hollow" if you grabbed your balls and tried to make a difference instead of posting a commentt on some obscure news webpage. You, sir, are shameless and disgusting not to mention a coward and socially inept.
mclaubr1
You have no shame. As a republican voter, I feel that it is about time that a president really honored our fallen heros. Bush and Chaney falsified reasons to get us into war, cost the lives of our young men and women and then HID behind a policy of not photographing the dead upom their return. This President showed great respect and takes the decision of war more seriously than the last bunch. Your vitriol is so unpatriotic. You stink!
theoPitt
You have no shame either, using this post to blame Bush yet again.
9/11 would have happened had Al Gore been President. Hillary Clinton would have been saying her husband's admin did not trus Saddam even if Gore had been President. Other intelligence agencies would have said that WMD's were most likely in Iraq had Gore been President.
That being said, I have absolutely no problem with Obama honoring these dead soldiers. He is CIC and should. Lets hope he backs their fellow up and gives them the tools they need.
mclaubr1
You miss the point. No one brought up 9/11. Bush and Cheney falsified reasons to go to war. We never went after the perpetrators of 9/11. This president showed greater respect for life than that bunch. Get your facts straight before you twist the truth. As always, you don't want to face the fact that Bush an d Cheney have ujnnecessarily spilled American blood and crippled our economy. To our presudent, I salute the courtesy you showed our victims of war.
leprechaun1230
mclaubr1... I could not agree more. Well said!!!
Lilli917
Thank you! I totally agree... It's time we honor our dead and face this as Americans.
Those families will never be the same again - I know because my family went through it.
diamondgirl
Mclaubr, have you been in a coma for the past 10 months? Obama is the President of the United States,. This is his war, he needs to deal with it, and I am sure he is sorry these troops were killed and he should be, we all are. But as commander in Chief, he needs to protect them, and he isn't, by delaying sending more troops he is leaving them in harm's way. Either send in more Mr. President or Bring them all home.
mclaubr1
As always, diamondgirl, your head is up your ... This inherited mess is not the point. It is that President Obama is showing the respect to our fallen victims of war that the previous GOP war mongorers took so cavelierly. He is giving quiet dignity to our war victims. For once, love your country enough to be proud of this dignitfied act. This president will do the right thing based on the best analysis of all aspects of this conflict. My hope is that he brings our troups home. Stayimg there only gives the GOP war machine something to hold over him. God Bless You, Mr. President. This republican thinks you are showing great wisdom and honor of our men and women in service to us all.
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mclaubr1
You hard-right bigots just hate the "mushy middle," the "RINOS" that you love to bash. I am unapologetic. I am still registered Republican and will vote AGAINST any hard-right candidate on the ballot. Get used to it. We support this president. YOU CONSERVS are inconsequential. Enjoy the fall. I plan on working towards building a better America. You idiots have made a mess of things. Get out of out of our way. God Bless our president and our troups.
newz4i
Wow, a FOXer complaining ... complaining AGAIN. (and again)
diamondgirl
mclaubr- How dare you question my love for this country... I am livid at the president for he lack of love for this country, he apologizes all over the world on behalf of the United States.. He has not helped people get JOBS, he is a socialist,. So do I love this country, more than you know, do I love Obama absolutely NOT. He is an opportunist, sucking the life out of middle class of this country with taxes and higher premiums in our health care... so go Blow it out you @ss and don't worry about my loyalty, worry about yours and Obama's motives...
mclaubr1
Dimmie, you open your mouth and prove your ignorance every post. Your motives are more clear...you hate...you lather up...and you spew. People may think you are an idiot but you confirm it every time you post. Go to your W's $19 motivational event. Talk about stupidity. LOL
slmpirate
A related stor: "
"Defense Department begins paying for up to three family members to meet their fallen loved ones at Dover"
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/09/airforce_transfers_091309w/
tblunt
When you have an unscheduled death in the family, when you loose a younger brother, sister, son or daughter, when these people die way before they should have, you know how looking at that coffin for the first time just kills you inside...Shame on the "mission accomplished" crew for hiding the coffins...Shame on Bush, Cheney, Rove and all the rest of them...I don't agree with our President all the time but in this regard, its like he's turning on a light in a dark room.
RedJeep
Yep, Another shameless staged photo op for Soetoro. Sickening.
Garrison
Yeah, Repugs never did THAT!
kord81
Please stop responding to "dabeall", he/she is really sick in the head. Just like some other people who really hate their lives but don't know what to do.
nb-moe
Couldn't agrre more kord81!.....I think this is the third time I've said not to respond to him/her......you're only giving him what he wants. I'm not even sure he agrees with what he writes anymore (Nobody's that dumb) and he just writes stuff for annoyance purposes.
retired-army-1SG
I believe that we should respond ifor two reasons: 1) to show that the majority of people reject his hatefulmess; 2) to counteract the effects of his mentor, Mike Church has on these duped drones. Dear Leader President Chairman Maobama Chamberlain is what Church callsr the President.
Think of it a the Fairness Doctrine in print...
diamondgirl
Who do you think you are the White House, requesting other on here to not respond to Deabeall? Go to Iran that where people like you belong... Dictator
cbeenthere
Thanks retired-army-1SG-
Those shock jocks litter the airwaves. I hadn't heard of this one. Shows dabeall, a punk who declines to grow up, and puts yet another perspective on his unoriginal rants.
leprechaun1230
I admire President Obama for his trip to Delaware to respect our fallen Warriors. Nothing hits home more than watching casket after casket being unloaded from a plane. THIS is often the result of the difficult decisions a Commander in Chief has to make, when deciding to send our brave Soldiers into battle. Seeing our dead coming home makes that decision REAL, not abstract, counting heads as to who must now go into battle.
I am glad President Obama is taking this decision seriously, and being cautious in deciding how to proceed. My Son is in the Army. I would not want the President to decide to send him into harms way without thinking about it long and hard.
I pray for our Soldiers, my Son, and for our President who has to make the difficult decisions. God be with you all.
Downriver
Dabeall, You sir, are the disgusting one.
retired-army-1SG
And you sir, Dabeall are little more than a Mike Church zombie who can find nothing good about anything or anyone who doesn't fit into your political fundamentalist box. It is my understanding that there is a photographer there for every flight. The fact that this President was there to salute these fallen heroes is a good thing.
It's sad that you, and too many others, who listen to these hateful shock jocks will never be satisfied with this wonderful country. No one will ever be honest enough, have the level of integrity you demand, support the causes you support strongly enough, spend the money on the right causes, believe in the religion you believe in... I repeat that you sir are a political fundamentalist who is sure that you are chosen by God to be the voice crying in the wilderness.
To those of us who love this country and accept that we will never be perfect, but even in our imperfection we are damned good, your wilderness voice sounds more like a braying ass.
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Jinglebob
You're out number "Top," by about twenty million vets to one. But I will give Obama the benefit of the doubt. He could have made this a dog and pony show but did not. He is respectful it seems and doing the duty as a Comander-in-Chief so he gets my salute this time. Now what about those troops over in Hell?
slmpirate
1SG..
Speaking for myself as well as my three brothers who also served in VietNam. Well said...
AuntBarb
A sharp contrast between our former leadership, which not only didn't have the balls to be photographed next to those coffins, but worked mightily to keep any pictures of them out of the public eye.
Thank the American voter for installing leadership that is more concerned with fighting the war in Afghanistan than with their image.
Some commentators here act like they just noticed those bodies coming into Dover. Wake up --- Americans have been coming home in coffins from Afghanistan and Iraq for almost a decade. President Obama has been aware all along, and is acknowledging it publicly, instead of avoiding it and hiding it from the American people.
That's one facet of the change I voted for last November. More to come, I hope.
diamondgirl
dabeall, you have a point, althought I didnt think of it, you have a point! Maybe just maybe if he had acted sooner in sending more troops to protect the people already there, they might not have been killed at all.
cbeenthere
What do you care about people getting killed, you care more about Sarah Palin, than the relative you claimed was killed in a robbery, you proved that in you own words, right here on TDB.
diamondgirl
cbeenther, I care more than you about people being killed, I am the one whose family member was killed two weeks ago and you didn't give a shit. You are the one who doesn't care about life, you care more about bashing palin or me. Pay attention to what really matters in life and it's not passing judgments on people you don't even know..
cbeenthere
I know you quite well from your posts dg., Pictures taken by Michelle or Gov't Run Media LOL.--- It doesn't take much to get a picture of you as you are blatant in your ravings against this administration.
unclelew
You're so right, diamond. Cheney and his vice president Bush had a mere seven years to hunt down Osama bin Laden and al Qaida. It's also Obama's fault that a request for more troops sat on Bush's desk for six months,
Incidentally, diamond, your English is appalling. I blame Obama for that, too.
diamondgirl
un & cb you are both too far left to even bother with, you have nothing but rage from the Bush days, and I agree with you, so this conversation is about both presidents. The difference is you don't see Obama as anything but your Messiah, well people he is so not the Holy One you think he is. So you come on here and god knows where else you go, spewing your slop all over people who don't agree with you, well guess what, we aren't moved or inspired buy you Democrat talking points.
We have our own opinions & enjoy expressing them, this way you know the real world does not agree with you bunch of LOOOOOOSERS..
LostPatriot
The USA is the beacon of human rights - a leader in helping people around the world!!! After 6 years of giving the Middle East a dose of USA freedom and democracy Middle East people experienced a 600% increase in birth defects, inadequate drinkable water, not enough electricity, and had much of its infra-structure blown to smithereens. This is not to mention that Iraq is probably the world's worst man made ecological disaster with enough depleted uranium to kill people for decades.
Also there remains an inexplicable difference between the hate monger (government) statistics and the Veteran's Administration figures (May 2007) which show "total U.S. Military Gulf War Deaths since Gulf War One: 73,846; Deaths amongst Deployed: 17,847; Deaths amongst Non-Deployed Veterans: 55,999. Total "Undiagnosed Illness" (UDX) claims: 14,874. Total number of disability claims filed: 1,620,906. Disability Claims amongst Deployed: 407,911 Disability Claims amongst Non-Deployed Veterans: 1,212,995. Thirty six percent of combat veterans have filed for disability money. "The official U.S. government numbers, as of October 25, 2007, of deaths due to the War in Iraq is 3,838 with 28,171 reported wounded as of 2007". This is not to omit the estimated one million Iraqi civilians killed with over 1 ½ million injuries caused by USA forces. So certainly the Middle East people must love the USA and its wonderful democracy. Adolph and Joseph would be very proud that Christian USA has accomplished the mission in Iraq.
speakingout101
hahahaha nice.
But to say that Afghanistan's infrastructure was blown to smithereens would be to suggest that it had one in the first place. We further destroyed a ruined country. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse BOOM!
http://rehthinkafghanistan.com
TJColatrella
Obama was there due to and for The DEA Agents, not just some dead soldiers...that come in all the time, that's why Holder was there too...
DEA Agents are highly valued individuals, unlike Troops who are expendable and cannon fodder for our corporate criminal culture..!
winston1
This visit was done in the dead of night, with the press following behind him and Gibbs giving out obama's agenda in advance, who are you kidding this is another photo-op. Obama was probably just returning from playing the18th hole and dropped by.
I hope obama is finally seeing the tradgedy and the lives lost, that's been going on far too long and make's a decision. Best decision pull all troops out, eight years is a long war.
connie47
Do you ever, ever (a) read the article you're bitching about or (b) get some actual facts before you attack your keyboard, spittle flying? Don't bother to answer. We all know the answer is a resounding NO.
Quote from the article: "The White House kept Obama's plans off his schedule, informing a small group of traveling reporters in advance on condition of secrecy."
MaliciousDisorder
If you blow up the picture you'll see the teleprompter.
Garrison
I'm glad Barack has the good sense to use a teleprompter.
At least he is coherent, unlike that stumbling, bumbling drunk who ran to Mommy with his tail between his legs.
MaliciousDisorder
oh, u mean the transparent coke head, right ?
winston1
connie47 SHUTUP! "Miss know it all" Do you have to critique every thing I write and for that matter everybody else. Go do some research
connie47
winnie,
When you post something based on facts, I will leave you alone. When you tell the truth, I will leave you alone. What you posted was a lie. You put the bullseye on your own back.
bobj72
"wince"; OBVIOUSLY "connie47" HAS done the research necessary to "Slap You Down!" It seems apparent that's what's Raising Your Ire, isn't it???
diamondgirl
That may be the case but someone took the pictures, do you think it was Michelle?
Or the Government Run Media???LOL
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n--Y--genomegkBaddchild
No, you freakin douchebag. The press wasn't allowed so that the fallen soldiers wouldn't be used as props and photo-ops..... like the desperate photo-op above.
winston1
connie47 You don't even have to read the article just think like a narcissistic person as obama is, and this is what you get. Something like this is private, did he need the press and camera's there and where was he when all the other bodies came home in the past?
Today he could have released a statement that he was at Dover Air Force Base last night, I see no need to use dead soldier's as a photo-op.
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n--Y--genomegkslmpirate
Winston1,
Um... maybe you didnt know, but for as long as I can remember, these flights coming into Dover carrying our fallen warriors have always arrived at night.
SandiB
Winston1
Go back and read the article. If it was the dead of night it was VERY DARK dumbass.
Yeah, he stopped on his way from returning from playing the 18th hole. YOU"VE GOT TO BE KIDDING !!!!! LOL LOL LOL
He isn't "finally seeing the tragedy and the lives lost, Winston, the parents opened the coffin and Obama was able to see what was left of their son. The parents wanted the press to see OUR PRESIDENT doing what HE FEELS is the right thing to do. GOD BLESS BARACK. :) As for you, Winston, I suggest you quit reading in-between-the-lines or get your eyes checked. Nothing in the article talked about "Golfing" either. Go ahead and add anything your little heart desires. As for those of us who can read and retain what we have read we "know" you to be absolutely wrong on this one. LOL LOL
Frenchmanaz
Hey Dbeall, you sir are shameless and disgusting and I have much worse to offer you but will not stoop to your level.
There is a time and place to disagree with YOUR POTUS. When he is honoring the greatest sacrifice one can make for their country is NOT the time.
Let us be clear about one thing you baboon, unlike your leader Bush, who never had the guts to so publicly honor the troops, for the EXACT reason that it would bring the press and remind the country that there are very real consequences to war, this President says it's time for the rest of America to see. Up to this point it has been nothing but numbers on a screen, statistics.
A tear came to my eye when I saw this picture, not because I cherished Obama's decision but because seeing the casket caused my heart to break. Obama was the last thing to catch my eye. To me, in this picture my President, as my representative was offering me the opportunity to honor the fallen.
This kind of attention is exactly what is needed to remind both the President and the people of the REAL cost of these wars. This at the exact time when so many right wingers are demanding more of our children be sent off to an unwinable war. A President CANNOT evaluate the true cost of war sitting in the comfort of the oval office, so Obama decided, in the midst of evaluating his most important decision, to have reality scream into his eyes personally. To feel the heartache. This visit that only a neo conservative could see as a PR stunt, WILL effect his decision and I am elated that he chose to do this now.
More importantly Dabeall, you can't even curb your hate and stupidity long enough to realize how much this will mean to those who have lost. Up until just this night, despite all of the fancy rhetoric by the right AND left about " supporting our troops " THIS was the one thing left undone. Up to this point all of the families of the fallen have felt hidden away from the public eye, when what they have wanted to do was to scream " LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE GIVEN TO THIS COUNTRY, LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE LOST ". Bush made them hide and I am proud that Obama has chosen to clean this disgusting stain on our history.
There was a poster from the UK on HuffPost who explained that since the very beginning BBC, on every single scheduled return of lost war hero's, has stopped it's daily transmission to run live coverage of their returning fallen hero's. Maybe this is why the people of the UK do NOT want to send anymore of their children to these wars, one that was unecessary and one that was incompetently mismanaged by YOUR leader Debeall.
Dabeall, frankly I am so incensed by your lack of decorum that I wish you would just pack up and fly off to some island where all of your degenerate far right losers could live in your version of paradise because If you can't keep your disgusting trap shut regarding such a solemn event then you simply don't deserve to reside here.
I hope you rot in hell !
connie47
Thanks for saying what needed to be said.
Llplo99
To your last sentence, I second that! Dabeall, dirtball, deadbeat...whoever the hell he is, is just disgusting.
cvillekid
Frenchmanaz, thank you. After yesterday's post where dabeall criticized the First Lady's looks, I didn't think he could sink any lower, but he managed to do it today.
unclelew
There is no depths to which dabeall and diamondgirl cannot sink.
kord81
Seriously Frenchmanaz, your long response isn't worth it for dabeall. Like I said, that person is really sick and needs assistance. He/she probably hates his/her life and can't think straight.
cvillekid
kord, I agree regarding dabeall. But I think many of the rest of us benefit from what Frenchmanaz wrote. It needed to be said--the importance of our President, in the name of the nation, acknowledging and honoring our soldiers' ultimate sacrifice--and French did it brilliantly.
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n--Y--genomegkamanda07070
Again Frenchmanaz, thank you for your voice of reason, compassion, common sense and eloquence.
suzannewynn
Well said!!! I second your entire thought and dabeall is a pig and likes to show it repeatedly...
slmpirate
Well stated French....But a waste of keystrokes..
nb-moe
He will rot in hell....we know that. Although what you say towrds dabeall is true, he's loving your repsonse. We know that because with each attempt to silence his conjecture, it breads more and more stupidity. I say we all start ignoring his ignorance.
JohnnyAces
You saved me a lot of time trying to post a similar response. I actually felt ill after reading posts from dumbeall and a few others this morning. My sanity is starting to return. Thank you.
cbeenthere
Thank you Frenchmanaz.
hfb1053
To all the hateful posters: Your remarks are more a reflection of yourself than of the President. It's the world you see thru your eyes; so if you think it's all lies and crap and photo ops and teleprompters then it is all lies and crap, etc. The one thing you're missing is the respect due the very people that made your opinion free to speak. You might consider ripping the President on another post and be respectful of the dead soldiers he is honoring.
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n--Y--genomegkamanda07070
As usual, dabeall has exhibited his/her total lack of class, decorum, sense, compassion and intelligence.
He/she is mentally ill and should be ignored (although I loved Frenchmanaz response).
connie47
Yuck. I think I'll go take a bath.
unclelew
You're one of the few people around who can fart through their mouths. Well done.
diamondgirl
hey conni I thought I smelled somthing...LOL
SFGiants
dc: you did smell something...your nose is too close to your own ass.
Redhead5050
Yes, indeed. Your post is exactly right on. As a daughter of a vet, a sister of a vet, a wife of a vet, the mother of a vet and the grandmother of two soldiers serving overseas now I applaud your great understanding of what it means to serve this country.
SandiB
Frenchmanaz
Very well said. Put the dumb kid where he needs to be. He needs to go to READING 101 CLASS. I hear you can take it in Afghanistan via computer. Go for it Dabeall. We won't Miss You :)
wadeandscout
NO, BUSH did not go and made photos of the flag draped coffins OFF LIMITS so they could NOT be used for politics. Obama could have gone and not taken the press, imagine what that would have done for the families. But he did take the press. WHY?
Because he wants to fool you into thinking he cares while he plays games with the lives of every soldier in country waiting on reinforcements. He is putting off his decision about Afghanistan until after health care gets passed.
DISGRACEFUL. I have to wonder how he felt standing there with that in his heart.
LutfiUSMC
Its really a shame that we have closed minds , and as a Marine who served my country, its refreshing to have an adult and intelligence, and caring in the white house especially after the last 8 years , so Mr. President I'm very proud of you and I have supported you and continue to support even thought I'm not a democrat , but please make sure we do it right in Afghanistan, and Iraq, its always easy to complain, but hard to do the right thing,
Housebird
LutfiUSMC
but please make sure we do it right in Afghanistan, and Iraq, its always easy to complain, but hard to do the right thing,
**********************************************************
The right thing was not to invade and kill men women and children and destroy both countries.
Spreading and and contaminating the World with US Depleted Uranium and more.
The only right thing is to bring "our killers" home ASAP.
.
theoPitt
"our killers" protect your freedom of speech, bird-brain.
cbeenthere
You would be spouting the way you do, irregardless, pitt.
Housebird
theoPitt
"our killers" protect your freedom of speech,
********************************************************
The Joseph neocon Lieberman " War Cry" that "dumb" Americans bought.
" Kill them over there before they come over here and kill ALL of us"
Now there are over 1.3 Million Dead Iraqis and who knows how many others.
Pretty soon we will have exceeded the 2 Million Vietnamese dead
There must be a better way to protect the USA than a "War on Islam".
The Holy Christian "Crusade" authorized by God him/her/it and G.W. Bush.
http://militaryproject.org/
.
Housebird
theoPitt
"our killers" protect your freedom of speech,
************************
The Joseph neocon Lieberman War Cry that gets 1.3 Million dead Iraqis ??
"kill them over there before they come over here and kill ALL of us."
Its only Muslims and we have a Holy Christian Crusade for the Liebermans.
The Holy American Christian Empire's war machine killed 2 Million Vietnamese
As per usual Muslim death figures NEVER mentioned in the American MSM. .
Americans a 75 % Holy Christian Population "gung ho" to KILL ??????
What does this say about the American Psyche ??????????????
Perhaps its a Judeo/Christian Crusade after the AIPAC and President Emanuel's neocons
http://militaryproject.org/
.
.
cvillekid
For those of you who are new here, what Housebird means is "The Jew Joseph Lieberman."
deathbychocolate
This is a wonderful change from the Bush years, and I am so thankful for it! Remember when photos of soldiers' caskets were verboten during Bush's term? The twirp would never have paid the dead soldiers any honor--yet he started the war that killed them. On false pretenses, too.
Oh, well, Cheney got richer. That makes it all right in Bush's mind.
jda1973
What a moving image. As the naysayers at Fox complain about it taking too long for the pres. to make a decision, maybe they should have gone with him last nite, stood there while the dead are taken off a plane, and visit with the families...maybe then we would hear a different tone. As far as the press coming along, its a damned if you do moment, had he not taken the press, they would complain about that. I feel that we should be hearing from Obama soon about yet anohter troop surge in A-stan. and one more thing....fuck the cheneys!
jomama
Don't doubt for a second either Obama's or Bush's sincere concern and sympathy for those involved in the war, but this really does look like a photo-op, which takes away from the perceived sincerity.
zerbit
You knuckle-dragging righties are right on time. Huffing and puffing in outrage towards a man that truly cares for those he leads and doesn't hide our war dead like they are something we should be ashamed of. Knotheads...
theoPitt
You kool-aid drinking lefties never let an opportunity pass to bash Bush.
Bush cared about our troops. So does Obama. They may disagree on how to handle the terrorists (diplomacy vs. force) but I think they both care about our troops and look(ed) for the best solution.
JohnnyAces
"knuckle-dragging righties" "kool-aid drinking lefties"
You guys crack me up.
Hmmmm, I wonder why it's so difficult to have an intelligent dialogue about anything these days. Perhaps it's the naming calling?
hfb1053
johnny - I'm pretty much burned by the name calling, etc., as you are. When I first started posting on TDB, I did the same thing because I was new and that seemed to be the way it was. But now, I'm seeing it with different eyes; nothing is really discussed. It's just a forum to insult people with different views and see who can top who with the newest, coolest insult. Many of the posters that were here when I started posting have also stopped and I'm wondering if they did so because it's all just gotten so vicious and hateful.
And this post has really bothered me; these are the men and women that lost their lives defending our rights and stopping the terrorists from coming back into our country and trying to do another WTC again and the majority of the posters are name calling and insulting. The respect for the dead seems to be lost in their tirades.
sophia5
I'm with the liberals on this one.
Although I'm not crazy about some of this President's
policies, and I did vote for him,
I believe THIS PRESIDENT
ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT HUMAN LIFE,
and that's why he's not rushing Afghanistan.
It seemed Bush and Cheney preferred to HIDE those coffin photos,
perhaps to them lost life
was a matter of collateral damage or numbers?
In a war about oil and contracts (Halliburton)?
Beware the Military Industrial Complex.
milkyrakes
As I've said before, it's not the dead f-ers that will change public opinion.
The dead are dead.
It is the guys coming home in wheelchairs or brain damaged that will shape public opinion.
It is now clear that the US military morons are incapable of anything except creating misery, for themselves and everyone else.
Bug out of Pakistan. Bug out of Afghanistan. Bug out of Iraq. Bug out of Gitmo.
The US military morons are capable of destroying nations, including our own USofA.
But the US military morons have nothing to offer as far as nation building.
Opium/Heroin production in Afghanistan has doubled since the arrival of the US military morons.
Removing the US military morons from Afghanistan will cripple the heroin trade.
Ankhorite
Whoa. Our military are not morons. Ninety-nine percent of them are decent people trying to raise the money to get an education, or to support their families, being given indecent orders by the POLICY morons who surrounded George Bush: Cheney, Wolfowitz, and a bunch of other chickenhawks who used their faux-"toughness" in Afghanistan, Iraq, and torture chambers to make them feel like they'd regained the manhood they lost when they all ran away when asked to serve in the Vietnam War.
Don't do this. Don't attack the grunts. Their lives are abominably hard -- and sometimes, abominably short as well -- and they are not responsible for the appalling orders they have been given.
flyoverland
The death of soldiers should not be used for political gain on either side. Lay off.
cbl99201
Once again, Obama does the right thing.
kscr14
cnn has the video of this very sad moment in time. Every American needs to see this and understand the toll that this war will take on our men and women.
DrToketee
I'd like Obama go visit the 18 families and explain to them in private EXACTLY WHAT was the purpose for their dying in Afganistan. This act would actually take some courage.
thefulishbastid
Mebbe he could take Bush and Cheney they would know
whipmawhopma
The POTUS showing respect for or otherwise honoring our war dead is an important part of the machine of state, especially in his role as commander-in-chief, since these soldiers died following what were ultimately his orders.
The POTUS doing this is pure ritual just as draping the coffins with American flags is ritual, but since people respond to ritual on an emotional level, and emotion seems to be what we mostly are, having the POTUS be seen to do this publicly is necessary, not optional. It has to be seen by the people.
On posts for other articles I have seen comments about Obama not caring about the lives of our troops. I am pretty sure that none of those posters have any idea what is running through Obama's mind on this topic, or what his actual feelings on the matter of our war dead are.
For all we know, and there's plenty that we don't know, Obama may have known one of these soldiers or knows that soldier's parents, or siblings, and so forth.
Or maybe Obama went there to remind himself of the awful price of exercising American military power, something to be considered as he implements his revised policy on Afghanistan.
In the context of this article I urge the anti-Obama posters to shut up and show some respect for the war dead if nothing else. There is a time and place to lambast the current POTUS, and this isn't one of them.
Thank you.
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