Bush won't attend soldiers funerals.

[marvinbarcelona]

President Bush has not attended even one funeral of a soldier he sent to die in Iraq. With all the other things that the Bush administration is doing to the soldiers, will military personnel be voting Republican next time?

None attendence at funerals

[WomanOfHeart]

Bush is such a stupid, hypocritical, lying bastard! He's managed to piss off a lot of former and present military personnel. This is just one more point of contention with us.
I think it's incredibly disrespectful, rude and callous that he ignores those who have been injured or died for his fucking unjustified war. Sure, he puts on a good show by showing up on an aircraft carrier (and then calls everyone on board soldiers...DUH!) He shows up at military bases, under the guise of boosting morale, while trying to make nice-nice and show everyone "how much he cares." But, it's all just a fucking show, and he's too much of a moron to be even called a bad actor.
Crawl back under your rock, Bush! And the next time you're playing with your mind, make sure it doesn't get caught in the fucking zipper!

[ShyShy]

Good one, WOH Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Futile]

Bush is losing a lot of backing from some very powerful republicans. I am sure the Republican Party is kicking itself for allowing Bush to run uncontested.

His spending alone is making him hated among republicans. Some, like Rush Limbough, have enough influence to sway the election to their own favor. That is, if Bush had opposition...

[ShyShy]

That's the whole key point, the Republicans screwed up big time by pointing out the division in the Democratic party and yet, what do the Republicans have to offer except Bush? There's a lot forehead smacking going on there.

[killswitch1968]

Ummm not to sound like bush-fan-boy, but I wouldn't WANT him going to funerals. He's a PRESIDENT, I'm sure he has more important business to attend to.

[Namelessv1]

He sent these young men and women off to fight for their country. They trusted him to do what was right, and that the ultimate sacrifice they made actually meant something. The least he could do is show them some respect by attending their funerals.

[DragonSon]

I hate Bush with every fiber of my being....the day he can read a teleprompter correctly is the day the United States lands a Space Probe piloted by a blind chimpanzee in Rosie O'Donnells ass.

[Mr_007]

Nice news.

[NJK]

Originally posted by Mr_007
Nice news.

try to read the thread better Mr_007

it's not!!! nice news

[zootm]

Originally posted by Futile
Bush is losing a lot of backing from some very powerful republicans. I am sure the Republican Party is kicking itself for allowing Bush to run uncontested.

i doubt that. it's unlikely they would have won the presidential election with two candidates (correct me if i'm wrong in any way, i'm not hugely "up" on the states' political system).

[papadoc]

I commend Bush for not going to the soldiers funerals.
If he went, it would be all about him, and not the soldier who died.
The funeral would be turned into a media circus.
All the focus would be on Bush.
The cemetary would be nothing but motorcades, police,
Secret Service, and the press corp.
The families of the fallen soldier would be denied the quiet solitude
they deserve at a funeral.

Anyway, that article is nothing more than a partisan, political, hack job.
Not something I'd base my entire beliefs or conclusions on.

[Bob the Tomato]

It would have been nice to see President Clinton at my grandmother's funeral, since she was one of the best people I've ever known my entire life, but he didn't show up. Does that mean I should hate him with every fiber of my being for the rest of his life? No.

I agree with Papadoc. The funeral should be about the soldiers and their families. Bush's presence would only draw attention away from them. I'm sure he knows more about this than any of us, but he's still the President, and he has a LOT to do every single day. Most of us would go crazy trying to keep up with the President's daily agenda.

[fwgx]

But did Clinton send your granny to death? I expect not, and that's the difference.

[Bob the Tomato]

I still think it's better that Bush not go and just give a speech or send a letter, becasue his presence would attract a frenzy of media, and he would be required to give a speech, and the ceremony would turn into some sort of press conference. Plus the massive security entourage would only make things more complicated for those in mourning. The speaking should be left to the family members and the minister. It would just be wrong to have all the mess associated with the President's presence at a funeral.

[fwgx]

It's not required that he do anything for the media at all. He just needs some dicreet security, go to the funeral and leave that's all. Why is it assumed that he has to put on a party for the media whereever he goes? Just ban any media and shame the ones who ignore it, show who has more respect for the dead.

[spiderbaby1958]

Originally posted by killswitch1968
Ummm not to sound like bush-fan-boy, but I wouldn't WANT him going to funerals. He's a PRESIDENT, I'm sure he has more important business to attend to.

Yep... like all those Republican fund-raisers he keeps attending...

The issue is that Bush wants happy, upbeat photo-ops, preferably with him flying in triumphantly on a jet like Hitler at the beginning of "The Triumph of the Will" Presidents have traiditionally appeared at some military funearls, it is a way of honoring the dead and an important part of the president's ceremonial function, but this president is obessed with controlling the news and information.

On September 13, 2001 when every plane in America was grounded, Saudi business associates of the Bush family-- including reltives of Osama Bin Laden, were permitted to fly out of the country, even though the FBI wanted to question them. That wold have been politcally embrassing for Bush-- and, back then, when the ruins of the WTC were still visible from space and the body parts were unrecovered, the fear of political embarassment is what really mattered to this president.

[papadoc]

It's an election year!
Everything Bush does comes under extreme scrutiny and coverage.
(or any other Presidential candidate for that matter)
Let's say Bush went.
All the left would be criticizing him for using a KIA funeral for a photo op,
and how tasteless it would be, to be using the poor family like that
for political reasons.
So in the left's eyes, nothing he does in this situation is right.
They blast him for not going, but they'd blast him if he went too.

[ShyShy]

Well, I've got a memorial service to attend to for a friend's old First Sargent in two weeks. He was killed in Iraq, fuzzy on the details. His wife recieved a "letter" from some general in DC, which wasn't even personally signed, it was stamped. For me, I'd at least personally sign each and every single one of those letters. Bush asked us to trust him on this, now, he needs to back it up.

[Xerxes]

At a military funeral, i do believe IS customary for a military person of equal rank as the deceased to present a card from the defnese dept, which represents the president.

At my Grandfather's funeral in Arlington, a sobbing military lieutennant (who never knew my grandfather) gave us a card that was signed by President clinton.

As it is, the President is not usually expected to do much more than that- and it is his personal discretion to do more - usually for an extraordinary occasion. A famous example was President Lincoln personally writing a letter to a mother who lost all 6 sons in the civil war.

Papadoc's responses here have all been first class- very well thought out.

[ShyShy]

Sorry(well, not too sorry) for my posts. I'm just tied too closely to the military personally, it's one of the few subjects guranteed to get a rise out of me

[papadoc]

Thanks Xerxes

[killswitch1968]

Originally posted by spiderbaby1958
Yep... like all those Republican fund-raisers he keeps attending...

I'm not saying this is a wise expenditure of time either. It's probably even worse then attending the funeral. Both are bad. If you want to criticize him then criticize him on these silly stunts he does do then silly stunts he DOESN'T do.

[DragonSon]

You also have to consider this..With every day, more and more soldiers are killed, which means more and more funerals. If Bush only attended one funeral, he'd get scruntinized for attending one soldier's but not the other 200 soldiers killed in service. He'd spend all his time attending funerals and not attempting to end this war. Granted I hate Bush, but his reasoning in this is a good call in some ways.

[fwgx]

I think you've stumbled upon the solution there DragonSon. Make Bush go to every single funeral and console the family of every single soldier killed and explain why their childs life was worth taking. I think that might put an end to things pretty soon. At about three funerals a day * 3 months = 90 funerals, at least 20 distraught people at each = 1800 people asking for explanations why their relative, love and friend needed to die for him. I think that might make him change his mind.

[killswitch1968]

Originally posted by Phily Baby
I think that might make him change his mind.

Change his mind about what? He already moved into Iraq when they had no WMDs. That mistake has already been made. Unless you think there should be a complete and total pull out from Iraq. What do you think would happen in that case?

Bush does make a point though. It's clear to see by this board alone that the attackers are doing exactly what they wanted to do: Cause unrest amoung the American public to eventually lose the political support of the citizens.

[marvinbarcelona]

Originally posted by killswitch1968
...Bush does make a point though. It's clear to see by this board alone that the attackers are doing exactly what they wanted to do: Cause unrest amoung the American public to eventually lose the political support of the citizens.

Not wanting to take this off-topic, but I had to respond to killswitch1968.

The point of democracy is that you have an opinion and you argue your corner. Just because US & UK goverments have sent soldiers into battle doesn't mean that democratic debate and alternative opinions must stop...that's not democracy, thats a dictatorship.

If, however, you're saying that the American people would change their minds about this war and begin to question its legality if the facts were layed before them and this would be a bad thing, then you are asking that the American people be denied their right to know what is being done in their name...once again, that is not democracy, that is a dictatorship.

Some people believe that democracy extends only to those who do not question American policy in anyway. I believe in the old saying that has been sorely mis-quoted by generations of Americans;

"My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right!"

Carl Schurz, 1829-1906, Americam soldier and politician

The words in bold always seem to get missed out when this is quoted, I wonder why?

[fwgx]

Originally posted by killswitch1968
Change his mind about what? He already moved into Iraq when they had no WMDs. That mistake has already been made. Unless you think there should be a complete and total pull out from Iraq. What do you think would happen in that case?

Bush does make a point though. It's clear to see by this board alone that the attackers are doing exactly what they wanted to do: Cause unrest amoung the American public to eventually lose the political support of the citizens.

My post was more ironic than anything. Perhaps he's scheduled for attending these funerals between games of connect 4 and puppet shows, though I don't know.

[killswitch1968]

Originally posted by marvinbarcelona

The point of democracy is that you have an opinion and you argue your corner. Just because US & UK goverments have sent soldiers into battle doesn't mean that democratic debate and alternative opinions must stop...that's not democracy, thats a dictatorship.

If, however, you're saying that the American people would change their minds about this war and begin to question its legality if the facts were layed before them and this would be a bad thing, then you are asking that the American people be denied their right to know what is being done in their name...once again, that is not democracy, that is a dictatorship.

Some people believe that democracy extends only to those who do not question American policy in anyway.

Not to be rude, but I have no idea how this relates to my post. Quite simply:
Given the US's grave mistake of entering the war without international sponsorship, what should their next course of action be?
Finger wagging and I-told-you-so are all well and good, but what should they do NOW? Reminds me of this article.

[Cyrax9]

Originally posted by WomanOfHeart
Bush is such a stupid, hypocritical, lying bastard! He's managed to piss off a lot of former and present military personnel. This is just one more point of contention with us.
I think it's incredibly disrespectful, rude and callous that he ignores those who have been injured or died for his fucking unjustified war. Sure, he puts on a good show by showing up on an aircraft carrier (and then calls everyone on board soldiers...DUH!) He shows up at military bases, under the guise of boosting morale, while trying to make nice-nice and show everyone "how much he cares." But, it's all just a fucking show, and he's too much of a moron to be even called a bad actor.
Crawl back under your rock, Bush! And the next time you're playing with your mind, make sure it doesn't get caught in the fucking zipper!

I couldn't have put it better myself WomanOfHeart.

I have two buddies in the armed services, one is an infantryman, and one is a Marine, or at least a Marine Cadet. The one in the Army though, he sent a letter to his friends online back in the USA who were close to him (He was an admin at a Video Gaming website) and he even mentioned "I'm sitting in Iraq, a theoretical hotspot, and the only 'heat' around here is the heat from my tent. We have not seen combat, the area is quiet, why are we not doing anything while our fellow comrades are dying?"

He wasn't pleased with the current military as you can see, and he served under Clinton as well as Bush. I've yet to see this man do one thing right, the Patriot Act II, the "Random Screenings" which, were at first simply disabling a cart that was used to take an elderly person through the airport, the fact that he went to war on false information. This all aggravates me. I'm not saying leave Iraq, but I'm also saying lying about service time and being a poser in a Bomber Jacket is not the way to run a country! I think he could at least attend the funerals of several soldiars as most war-time presidents have done, and not atending any funerals is just wrong, how would he feel if it was hs daughters who had been KIA in Iraq? That's what really aggravates me more than anything, this man seems to want to just continuously kill our soldiars and never send any condolances, the "War on Terror" was a lame plug to say "War on the Taliban rebel's" and thanks to BUsh's obsessio wit Iraq, the aliban is now bck in control of Afgahnistan.

[beckel]

You post this as if you are SURPRISED! Why to fuck would an arrogant bastardly fool such as govener bush attent someones funeral?! I mean sure if he gets some contracts and $$$ outta it he probably would, but shit as we all know bush is full of crap, the ONLY reason he would attend a funeral would be to make himself look good. Do you really think he gives a shit? He wussed out when he was drafted, everyone knows hes a pussy. He's just trying to finaly win his daddys war, now he finaly has...or has he? BAH!