Obama leads from behind. I’m not sure the West Pointers would necessarily obey his orders.
Thanks Kate, I know President Bush pissed me off a few times, but he was a hell of a lot better President than Obama.
He stands before them and they see a community organizer with no leadership qualities or qualifications to be Commander in Chief. They see a anti Christian Muslim more interested in building a army of bureaucrats to remove the very foundation that West Point graduates swear to uphold with his continuing attack on freedom and the right to bear arms. By and large these are not the brainwashed, low information voters that put Obama into office. They have seen a empty chair in action for more than 5 years, and see no reason to cheer or give more than the most tepid show of respect. There is little respect and what little was shown is still more than the man deserved.
Obama is clearly nonplussed by the lack of applause. You can tell by his delivery that he anticipated a response to certain statements, because the pauses after those lines are a beat or two too long.
Obama quietly crosses out “thank you, please be seated …” from the beginning of his speech.
I was chagrined to see Bush using the term absolve when granting a release from punitive disciplinary sanctions. Earlier I had noted that amnesty falls within the military tradition, not absolution.
I had hoped to find a video of Reagan at West Point. I found a transcript. My how far we have fallen. The Reagan transcript fills me with a crushing sense of nostalgia and anomie.
Amnesty was not granted at the beginning of his speech. No need to curry favor up front. He held it off. Class, timing, sense of history, Reagan.
May God bless his soul. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=43865
From President Reagan’s speech:
(Fits today…)
———-
We’ve been through a period in which it seemed that we the people had forgotten that government is a convenience of, for, and by the people. And while we were busy with our own affairs, government began to grow beyond the consent of the governed. Its growth was nourished by an ever-larger share of the people’s earnings that it took by taxation which became more and more confiscatory. At the same time government neglected one of its prime responsibilities, national security, as it engaged more and more in social experimentation. Our margin of safety in an increasingly hostile world was allowed to diminish, and for a time it seemed that there was an erosion of respect for the honorable profession that you have chosen.
All of this has led to an economic crisis. Deficit spending, an almost trillion dollar debt resulted in runaway inflation, lowered productivity, and great unemployment. And the tools of your trade were given a very low priority.
Well, I’m happy to tell you that the people of America have recovered from what can only be called a temporary aberration. There is a spiritual revival going on in this country, a hunger on the part of the people to once again be proud of America-all that it is and all that it can be.
—————
Obama believes that he should be respected because he was elected. He does not understand that respect and loyalty are earned and because of that he has done nothing to earn either from the military.
George Bush, for all his faults, has always genuinely loved the troops and they know it. Can anyone imagine a retired Obama driving to a military base after a shooting to console the victims as Bush did after the Fort Hood psycho-Islamist-psychiatrist massacre?
What a stark contrast. You can tell one man loves his country and the other does not.
Rob Huck….I’m gutting myself. What a perfect line.
The “Teleprompter-In-Chief” is just useless. Is he not?
On the other hand, I love the HotAir pic they put up from time to time. With regard to President Bush they say, “Miss Me Yet?”
and Bush did this all with no fanfare, he just quietly went to console them.
Bush trained as a combat Pilot..Obama trained as a Butt Wipe
BC;
Thanks for the link. I followed Reagan from West Point to the Carter debates. Loved Reagan way back then and miss him now. As well intention as George Bush was I did not think him the thinker that Reagan was.
The USA needs another Reagan in the worst way. When many Canadians question the USA-Canada relationship the way they are today you know there is a serious problem. As a Canadian who’s grand parents came from the USA I say I do not trust Obama and consider him a threat to world peace on the same scale as Jimmy Carter or perhaps more so.
chutzpahticular, BC, CT
Thanks and I entirely agree! Wow, Obama pauses to induce a smattering of applause, Reagan is interrupted by ovation. Reagan, all about the Cadets, Obama, all about himself. He is also a complete ingrate. The contrast is so stark it’s shocking.
Obama leads from behind. I’m not sure the West Pointers would necessarily obey his orders.
Thanks Kate, I know President Bush pissed me off a few times, but he was a hell of a lot better President than Obama.
He stands before them and they see a community organizer with no leadership qualities or qualifications to be Commander in Chief. They see a anti Christian Muslim more interested in building a army of bureaucrats to remove the very foundation that West Point graduates swear to uphold with his continuing attack on freedom and the right to bear arms. By and large these are not the brainwashed, low information voters that put Obama into office. They have seen a empty chair in action for more than 5 years, and see no reason to cheer or give more than the most tepid show of respect. There is little respect and what little was shown is still more than the man deserved.
Obama is clearly nonplussed by the lack of applause. You can tell by his delivery that he anticipated a response to certain statements, because the pauses after those lines are a beat or two too long.
Obama quietly crosses out “thank you, please be seated …” from the beginning of his speech.
I was chagrined to see Bush using the term absolve when granting a release from punitive disciplinary sanctions. Earlier I had noted that amnesty falls within the military tradition, not absolution.
I had hoped to find a video of Reagan at West Point. I found a transcript. My how far we have fallen. The Reagan transcript fills me with a crushing sense of nostalgia and anomie.
Amnesty was not granted at the beginning of his speech. No need to curry favor up front. He held it off. Class, timing, sense of history, Reagan.
May God bless his soul.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=43865
From President Reagan’s speech:
(Fits today…)
———-
We’ve been through a period in which it seemed that we the people had forgotten that government is a convenience of, for, and by the people. And while we were busy with our own affairs, government began to grow beyond the consent of the governed. Its growth was nourished by an ever-larger share of the people’s earnings that it took by taxation which became more and more confiscatory. At the same time government neglected one of its prime responsibilities, national security, as it engaged more and more in social experimentation. Our margin of safety in an increasingly hostile world was allowed to diminish, and for a time it seemed that there was an erosion of respect for the honorable profession that you have chosen.
All of this has led to an economic crisis. Deficit spending, an almost trillion dollar debt resulted in runaway inflation, lowered productivity, and great unemployment. And the tools of your trade were given a very low priority.
Well, I’m happy to tell you that the people of America have recovered from what can only be called a temporary aberration. There is a spiritual revival going on in this country, a hunger on the part of the people to once again be proud of America-all that it is and all that it can be.
—————
Obama believes that he should be respected because he was elected. He does not understand that respect and loyalty are earned and because of that he has done nothing to earn either from the military.
George Bush, for all his faults, has always genuinely loved the troops and they know it. Can anyone imagine a retired Obama driving to a military base after a shooting to console the victims as Bush did after the Fort Hood psycho-Islamist-psychiatrist massacre?
What a stark contrast. You can tell one man loves his country and the other does not.
Here’s Reagan:
http://youtu.be/DRgzCWRzoAo
Rob Huck….I’m gutting myself. What a perfect line.
The “Teleprompter-In-Chief” is just useless. Is he not?
On the other hand, I love the HotAir pic they put up from time to time. With regard to President Bush they say, “Miss Me Yet?”
and Bush did this all with no fanfare, he just quietly went to console them.
Bush trained as a combat Pilot..Obama trained as a Butt Wipe
BC;
Thanks for the link. I followed Reagan from West Point to the Carter debates. Loved Reagan way back then and miss him now. As well intention as George Bush was I did not think him the thinker that Reagan was.
The USA needs another Reagan in the worst way. When many Canadians question the USA-Canada relationship the way they are today you know there is a serious problem. As a Canadian who’s grand parents came from the USA I say I do not trust Obama and consider him a threat to world peace on the same scale as Jimmy Carter or perhaps more so.
chutzpahticular, BC, CT
Thanks and I entirely agree! Wow, Obama pauses to induce a smattering of applause, Reagan is interrupted by ovation. Reagan, all about the Cadets, Obama, all about himself. He is also a complete ingrate. The contrast is so stark it’s shocking.