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.
Daniel – the question to be answered is: Did Obama serve in the military? Yes or no. I am slightly younger than you are and being in the reserve did not automatically protect you from combat, as you well know. Lots of reserve units were called up. Kerry got out early. I don’t hold that against him.
Hey, Paul C. Schulte,
You said way back in these comments that ‘Bush served. Obama hid.”.
Technically, you are right. Bush did serve, and Obama did avoid the draft.
Bush avoided combat by being related to the right people. His time in Alabama fulfilled his requirement, and unlike a lot of people, he did actually put on a uniform, rather than taking deferments to finish college or because of a boil on the ass.
I was born in 73, so my memory is a bit hazy, but Obama born in 61.
Not sure about the draft back then, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t draft children under the age of 12. And since the bloody, pointless, and political stunt of Vietnam, the US has not had a draft, so once again, I’m not sure where your ‘Obama hid’ fact comes from, but I doubt it comes from anything other than your hatred of the President.
If you want to hate the president, please continue to do so, just maybe not for him hiding out of the draft.
Unless you actually believe he did avoid the draft by being a kid.
If I recall correctly (at least in the USMC), if you’re not in uniform wearing your cover, you shouldn’t salute at all. The fact that Presidents’ salute while wearing civilian clothing just shows their ignorance of protocol.
I don’t have a direct Assad quote, but the NY Times reference backs up the point made by Darren Smith about “back channel diplomacy” with Syria viz anti-ISIS.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/middleeast/obama-syria-un-isis.html?_r=0
The reference also highlights the importance of distinguishing an act of war against a sovereign nation from a counter-terrorist action on a sovereign nation’s territory that does not target the sovereign.
Our anti-ISIS campaign is not anti-Syria. That said, note that arming ‘moderate’ anti-Assad forces (whom we hope are anti-ISIS), which targets the sovereign, has a new Congressional authorization.
While the War on Terror has legs in both areas, there is a distinction between war and counter-terrorism in US law and policy. Contra Professor Turley’s charge, Congress has not been remiss in its Constitutional duty viz the anti-ISIS airstrikes. Rather, Congress understands the distinction.
Don’t confuse “symbolism” for the “substance” (of what the symbol represents):
For example: Many Americans are appalled by desecrating the “symbol” of American government, like the American Flag.
The American flag actually represents the substance of American government – our constitutional “rule of law government” which is a constitutional democratic republic with checks & balances to counter-balance absolute power. An indepenent judiciary providing judicial review.
It’s ironic that after 9/11 we desecrated the “substance” but jump up and down over it’s “symbol”. We desecrated our Bill of Rights, constitutional rule of law, checks & balances and our independent judiciary – but those same politicians that destroyed it, use “flag-burning” as a political weapon. Flag burning is essentially non-existent, there is no mass movement desecrating American flags or any other symbol.
The Obama criticism is more of the same from those that desecrate James Madison and the Framer’s model of government.
Help, my very cogent response to Eric was eaten by the Evil Vortex of Hell. A little help, please. 🙂
Paul C. Schulte,
I’m confident that box has been checked for ISIS.
Obama’s anti-ISIS actions so far have been consistent with Public Law 107-40 (2001) and the AEDPA of 1996 (ie, Public Law 104-132).
Eric – I know that Holder and Obama are very sloppy when it comes to the law and the Constitution, (Holder is resigning BTW) btw I would think that they would have to make some kind of public declaration that ISIS/ISIL is a terrorist organization for the law to kick in. Hell, if not, you could be dropping bombs on the Girl Scouts.
Paul, I retrieved your comment at 11:21.
Darren – thanks.
Paul C. Schulte,
Neither “positive acts of terrorism” nor “credible threat” have been placed as limiting conditions by Congress on the President (Clinton, Bush, Obama) in countering international terrorism. AQ crossed that threshold with the 1993 WTC attack.
Eric – I think in this case he would have to declare them terrorists for this to go into effect.
We all humans and definitely we are not perfect (only God is perfect my friends). We don’t know what was going through his mind at that time and probably when he realized he had to salute… He just wasn’t ready…Unfortunately for the president he was holding a latte in his hands OMG! It’s a lot going on in our country … Instead of criticized him we should pray for our president and our troops so God can protect them and guide them… Remember our troops are the ones that risk their lives for our safety. Let’s pray together as one nation (no differences) for our troops and our president 😊 Thank you 😉
Darren Smith: “I wonder if the lack of declaring war allows the US to circumvent some treaty requirements of doing so, hence the police actions.”
I would go the other way. The lack of declaring war is because the wars have been linked to treaty, hence the police actions.
Paul C. Schulte,
It says “deter and prevent acts of international terrorism”.
The President is not restricted to reacting to ‘positive’ acts.
For prior Congressional position on the President and counter-terrorism, see also the AEDPA of 1996:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104publ132/html/PLAW-104publ132.htm
Again, the President is not restricted to reacting.
The AEDPA of 1996 followed the Presidential Decision Directive/NSC-39 of 1995 – “SUBJECT: U.S. Policy on Counterterrorism”:
http://fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd39.htm
The key to understanding our counter-terrorism is the same key to understanding the Iraq mission: Clinton administration, not Bush. While Bush carried them forward, the law and policy bases of our post-9/11 counter-terror and Iraq policies were established under Clinton – 9/11 was a catalytic event, but it was not the first catalytic event.
Eric – I agree the President can be pre-emptive, however I would think the would have to have a credible threat. So far there is no credible threat.
Charlton Stanley,
Based on a bit of googling, it appears that indeed the Naval branches (USN, USMC, USCG) and Army branches (USA, USAF) differ on saluting custom in respect to saluting without a cover.
Naval folks are taught not to salute without a cover, while we don’t make that distinction. The difference doesn’t usually manifest since military personnel, including soldiers, normally wear a cover outdoors.
Sometimes certain topics interest me. Lately, it has been the parasite/host relationship. Mice instinctively fear cats. The trigger for them is the smell of cat urine. But, when the parasitic toxoplasma infects them they no longer fear the smell of cat urine. The insidious, parasitic, toxoplasma uses the mice, a small host, to get to a larger host, the cat. So, somehow the evil genius parasite changes the flight/fight response in mice, making them easy prey for the cat. The cat ingests the mouse, and the parasite has a new host that it can gradually destroy. The host is always destroyed by the parasite unless actions are taken by the host to destroy the parasite first. Just interesting to me and hopefully of some use here. All you women of childbearing years know to avoid cats when pregnant because of this horrible parasite.
Olly,
Thanx, typo fixed. O-5. Probably should not try to write that late at night after a sixteen hour day.
To dovetail into Mr. Kucinich’s remarks I quoted above there is this observation of the following video and quote…
Obama Tells UN General Assembly ‘The Cause Of Empire Leads To The Graveyard’
http://news.firedoglake.com/2014/09/24/obama-tells-un-general-assembly-the-cause-of-empire-leads-to-the-graveyard/
The Real Reason We Are Bombing Syria
Dennis J. Kucinich
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-j-kucinich/syria-isis-war_b_5869964.html?1411508436
http://images.rapgenius.com/lbiiq2plu252rntwj428flrc.497x406x1.jpg
Raff,
Did you see the former exec at AIG are suing the government because they don’t feel the government gave them enough bailout money….in 2008…..
Karen S.,
We are still trying to make Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright stick, are we? By the way, what domestic terrorism charge was Bill Ayers convicted of? Also, you consistently claim that Obamacare is running up the costs of insurance and the facts do not support that claim.