Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Media, Military, Politics

Semper Latte: Cup Salute Seems To Generate More Attention Than Undeclared War In National Debate

1411505445739_wps_3_Americans_weren_t_amused_It is being called “Semper Latte” and, if this is the biggest scandal that President Barack Obama has to worry about, his Administration is safe. Various people are denouncing the President for saluting his Marine guard while holding a cup of tea or coffee. From CNN to the Daily Mail to ABC to the New York Daily News to the Washington Post to the New York Post to NBC to CBS to countless others, the salute is generating heated comments across the country. YouTube clips show the salute over and over along with multiple postings expressing outrage. My reaction is a bit different. The President has launched another declared war that his aides say could last “years.” However, there seem more debate over this tempest in a tea [cup] than the fact that we are bombing another nation.


The President did not put his styrofoam cup in his other hand while stepping out of Marine One — a breach of military regulations and decorum. He appears to have forgotten the salute as he multitasked with his cup while buttoning his jacket.

What truly amazes me is that the White House released the photo. No one saw the problem and actually viewed the picture as worthy of sending out on the web.

However, it is the relative attention given the issue that is mystifying. Many irate people over the salute are less aggrieved by the war just commenced on the sole authority of this President. Just as there is an appropriate way to salute a Marine, there is an appropriate way to send a Marine to war. The Constitution is quite clear about starting wars and there is far more at stake. We should be at least as aggrieved when our Constitution is being disrespected or ignored as we are the Marine guard this week. Just a thought.

287 thoughts on “Semper Latte: Cup Salute Seems To Generate More Attention Than Undeclared War In National Debate”

  1. Olly – I used to work for a printing company and you learn to read upside down and backwards. 🙂 It is a big help when you are sitting across from your boss.

  2. PTBS

    I would agree on the Bush 9/11 video but I cannot tell by the video quality. Anyway, if it is upside down, then I’m actually more impressed with his reading skills. I can’t read upside down without a lot of effort.

  3. Charlton,

    Just for grins…. How do you think such things get released….. But I will say that it’s not near as impressive as Bush reading a book to grade school children on 9-11….. But when you look at the title of the book, you notice it’s upside down…..

    1. Evidently the first one of these was of Boehner. But they made so many mistake it was easy to see it was photoshopped. This one, they took their time and corrected the mistakes they had made on the Boehner one.

  4. @ Charlton. Good eye. I never thought it was actual. NO one is that dumb. The photo shopper did a really good job on flipping the buttons on the jacket, though. Photoshopping is an art. So is propaganda 🙁

    Goes to show ….or shows to go…..you can’t take anything for granted. Trust but verify. Someone important said that some time ago (just kidding I know who) and it still is true. Even more so with our digital age and the era of manipulation.

  5. Here is the original White House photo of the President and First Lady. This is the full frame, not cropped and flipped. Note the Marine just visible behind the President’s elbow. Now notice the ribbons on his chest. In the cropped and blurred version of the photo, the Marine’s decorations are on the wrong side. I suppose the disinformation crowd forgot there are a few people with good eyesight and knowledge of which side the fruit salad is worn.

  6. Lloyd Boankfen (?)

    Harry Reid has 400+ bills passed in the House sitting on his desk. They are being ignored completely. Why should the House bother with more bills? When Obama wants something, he tells Reid and a Reid negotiates. Rather he calls Boehner terrible names, tells lies on the Senate floor, and eventually a bill gets passed. If Reid keeps the Senate it’s going to be an agonizing two years!

  7. As in marriage, it’s the little things. I think Obama took too long to start helping people. Christians murdered, historical religious sites destroyed, people driven out of their homes. I like a President who deplores this and acts! The military’s suggestions about leaving Iraq(including Panetta) shows lack of respect for people who have the experience. It was stupid to pull out of Iraq completely. But he lied about not getting assurances from Iraq about treatment of soldiers. That had been settled before he became President. Buttoning his jacket was so important, he couldn’t respect our military? It builds up. Benghazi, IRS, Obamacare, the constant lying to us. Have other Presidents lied, of course. But they didn’t everyday, as Obamacare. I took the picture of Bush a different way because I know his respect for our military. And talking with military, they love him. Picking Barney up because he had trouble with the stairs, he made that salute anyway. It was important, you saw that. Obama doesn’t care about anything but himself and loved ones. I didn’t like Johnson, I didn’t like Carter, I hate Obama for the damage he’s done this country!

  9. “bill mcwilliams
    Heading to AF1 after a visit to U.S. cannon fodder in S. Vietnam, LBJ was told he was walking towards the wrong plane. “That’s not your plane, Mr. President”. LBJ turned to the young soldier and said: “They’re ALL my planes, son”.”

    They’re all my slaves, son. They’re all my taxpayers, son. They’re all my welfare/food stamp/obamacare funders, son. They’re all my affirmative action employees, son. They’re all my quota contractors, son. They’re all my social services funders, son. They’re all my businesses and industries, son. They ALL love whom I command them to love, son.

    Collectivist/liberal/progressive/socialist democrat “dictators of the proletariat,” “they’re ALL mine, son,”

    ALL MINE!!!

  10. I was trying to be kind. 😉

    I finally saw the video of this “cup” salute and any claim that he had any sincere motives in rendering that *ahem* salute is purely partisan. When will people realize their intellectual honesty stock goes up when the stop defending obvious mistakes?

    This thread should have ended with perhaps one comment from each of us agreeing this was not his best display of respect for our troops; especially given recent “non-war” events.

  11. That has to be photo-shopped

    Not unless the photo shopper also changed the entire jacket which has the buttons on the right side as the man is looking down. This is a typical man’s jacket.

    http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=man%27s+jacket+buttons&id=45B3B1866FCACC24EF799B67CD37D4AF5ABF97EE&FORM=IQFRBA#view=detail&id=45B3B1866FCACC24EF799B67CD37D4AF5ABF97EE&selectedIndex=0

    The photo shopper also, IF the photo is flipped went to the trouble of putting the wedding rings on the image.

    Not to say it can’t be photo shopped, but who ever did it was masterful! I doubt that Obama and Michelle are both together that dumb as to use their left hand during the National Anthem. On the other hand…..yuck yuck…..maybe they are space aliens and that is where their hearts are actually located. (Joking….. for the humor impaired)

    1. Annie – thanks for the factcheck. Nice to know the White House staff knows right from left. 🙂

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