Why Bush Stays Away (Krauthammer)

[underpants]

Why Bush Stays Away
During wartime, a President cannot take on the role of Mourner in Chief

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031208-552146,00.html

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

Monday, Dec. 08, 2003
President Bush's secret visit to Baghdad dramatized his commitment to the war and the troops. But it has not put to rest criticism that he has been unwilling to pay the proper respect to those who fought and died. "It's absolutely appropriate to be honoring our soldiers overseas in battle on a day like Thanksgiving," said Chris Lehane, a top adviser to presidential candidate Wesley Clark. But that's not sufficient. "It is more important to honor them every day," including "to appropriately honor the heroes coming back in caskets."

When 19 Italians were killed in Nasiriyah, they returned home to a dramatic public ceremony attended by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. If Italy, why not America?
Because Italy is not America. The U.S. is carrying the fight at the epicenter of the war, the Sunni triangle. Italy is not. Loss for Italy has been (thus far) but a single event. American losses are daily, constant.

To be fair to the fallen, the President would have to be at Dover nearly every day. Why this soldier, why this patrol, why the crew of this shot-down helicopter and not another?

Bush's critics charge he is avoiding any public identification with the returning dead so as not to jeopardize his re-election. It is a scurrilous charge, and demonstrably false. Do the following thought experiment: imagine the election is not a year from now but was held a week ago. The President is re-elected. He is a lame duck and will never run for office again. Is there any doubt that he would continue precisely the same policy of not making public shows of grief?

No doubt whatsoever.

[Racenut20]

1. Well that is just so much bull shi* !!!!!!!

Doesn't explain the censure of the press showing caskets or funerals. I see it on the local news channel in TampaBay, but not on the National or cable networks.

[aquart]

2. No doubt in my mind either.

A man who doesn't give a flying meadow muffin how many men he's killed, ain't gonna get a heart just because he's elected.

[cliss]

3. Charles Krauthammer

is a syndicated columnist. He is also a member of the PNAC (Project for the New American Century). His signature is on several of their documents.

I tend to discount (or ignore, rather) anything he writes.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Simple solution for honoring the dead

Attend the funeral of the first and last!

[mistertrickster]

5. Yeah, this guy never saw an Israeli bulldozer he didn't love

I like his "thought-experiment." Even if George Bush weren't running for office, he wouldn't do anything different. Right, because he's an arrogant plick, so what?

Let's do another "thought-experiement." Let's imagine that we hadn't fought this idiotic war and all those young Americans are still alive and home with their families on Thanksgiving.

[mistertrickster]

6. Here's the e-letter I fired off

So Charles Krauthammer believes that Mr. Bush is showing steely resolve by not attending funerals of killed servicemen. That doesn't explain why Bush refuses to allow cameras on the base at Dover to show the returning caskets. The writer asked us to engage in a "thought experiment"--how would Bush behave if he weren't running for re-election? I have a better one--how would the families feel if their dead serviceman were alive and having Thanksgiving dinner at home like the Bushs' and the Krauthammers'? How would we feel as a nation if we weren't 100 billion dollars and 450 lives poorer for fighting this war?

XXXX XXXXXX
Wichita, Kansas

***********************
I've never cracked TIME so I'm not holding my breath . . .

On edit--their e-mail address is

[librechik]

7. tripe, tripe, tripe

and shame on TIME for allowing this rattler to coil in its upper levels. He is a lying neo con traitor.

However, looks like we struck a nerve! All the harpies are out defending the Dauphin! Keep on bangin those alarm bells, dems!

[Virginian]

8. But he visited with the families of the British Dead,

Why not the families of the American dead?

[maha]

9. Photo of Reagan with caskets of dead marines returning from Lebanon

[maha]

10. Photo of Clinton at U.S.S. Cole Memorial Service

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Is W the only pResident

that has not attended at least one memorial or funeral for those who have fallen during his command?

I certainly don't expect any president to attend every funeral, but I do expect them to attend at least a few of the big ones. Of course W is too busy fundraising to bother his beautiful mind with such things.

[OldCurmudgeon]

12. See for yourself

Here's a link to History News Network, where this question is asked and partly answered. It looks like the information for presidents prior to LBJ isn't very complete.

In brief, it looks like the recent "dishonor roll" for funeral stay-aways includes Nixon and (probably) Bush I.