Sometimes, liberals have unfairly fallen victim to the stereotype that they are snot nosed punks who hate the military. And sometimes they just bring it on themselves.
Last May, when Obama skipped the Memorial Day services at Arlington because he was vacationing in Chicago, like many Americans, I thought that it was inappropriate and somewhat disrespectful to our fallen soldiers. He did plan a visit to a smaller cemetery near Chicago (which visit, as I recall, mercifully rained out his speech), but as Commander in Chief, he ought to have attended the most prominent national ceremony, IMHO.
Tailgunner Joe Biden took his place at Arlington.
This time, it's Veteran's Day at Arlington, and Obama is AWOL again. Well, he did take a much needed vacation in Indonesia. I mean, how many days has it been since the last vacation? Double digits?
Vacation and vacant are from the same root word, are they not?
I don't know whether he feels his lack of gravitas to stand as the C-in-C of the armed forces or whether he just couldn't fit a teleprompter in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So, once again, Tailgunner Joe did the honors.
I was beginning to wonder if Obama had ever been to Arlington. Turns out he did. In November of 2009, he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. He stumbled through it at least once before, so we know it's at least possible.
I think part of his discomfort with the military is due in part to his historical illiteracy. Speaking of "the bomb" (singular) dropped on Pearl Harbor seemed to signify his disinterest with our country's past in general and its military specifically. His mispronunciation of the word "corps", something I learned back when my age was in single digits, speaks of an ignorance or at least a disinterest in all things military. And who can forget his Memorial Day speech in 2008, when he famously (or infamously) said:
"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes – and I see many of them in the audience here today – our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."
Perhaps Obama prefers to minimize his gaffes by appearing in smaller venues? I think he just wants to avoid the men and women of a martial culture that he is simply out of his depth to understand.
