Did anyone in the Washington ruling party, from the president on down, notice that the remains of Navy pilot Capt. Michael “Scott” Speicher were found, positively identified and buried with military honors in Jacksonville last week?
If not, why not?
He’s not “just” another name in the pantheon of U.S. military war dead. Capt. Speicher was the first casualty of the first Gulf War.
Speicher was a lieutenant when he was shot down in 1991 on the first night of the Gulf War. He was 33.
It took 18 years of investigation, searches and a variety of tips, including those indicating he’d been taken prisoner and was alive. The plane wreckage was found; his body wasn’t.
Over those years, his “status” was changed several times: missing in action, killed, prisoner. The military had no answers but to be safe, Speicher received regular promotions. His current rank is captain.
For whatever reason, an Iraqi working with Marines recently said he knew some locals who remembered a plane crash and knew the pilot had been killed. Nomads buried the body.
Following the tip, the remains were found several days later and identified. For the first time, Speicher’s family, including his wife and children, had evidence about what happened to Scott. They finally were able to honor his courage, his life and his memory and lay him to rest with the military honors he deserves. He was finally home; not the way they wanted, but home – after 18 years, six months and 11 days, not that they were counting.
It’s too bad that the man who is president was too busy traveling across country, making speeches, defending his medical plan to take a few minutes to honor Capt. Speicher.
Yes, Barack Obama, it’s just too bad.
You had time to keep pitching your heavily criticized medical plan, to insult those who disagree and to rail against media coverage. In fact, you’ve been a busy fellow since taking office.
According to the Washington Times, you’ve hosted 15 town hall meetings, and you’re still at it. Your current trip mixes health plan politics and a family vacation with the wife and kids in Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.
The Times reported you appeared in more than 800 images on the White House Flickr photo stream, sent a video message to Iran, gave a major speech in Cairo (translated into 14 languages), hosted TV anchors in the White House and appeared on Jay Leno’s TV show.
There was time for the “Beer Summit,” a calculated “event” to cover the fact Obama made a really stupid mistake. (The Cambridge police had nothing to do with that!)
Plus there were trips to England, Rome, France, Germany, Mexico and those theater and dinner dates in New York, Paris and even Chicago – I’m losing count, but the message is clear: Everything comes before Obama making any public acknowledgment of our military whose lives are at risk daily.
Troop strength in Afghanistan is 68,000 with more requested. July was the deadliest month this year with 76 coalition troops killed. As of week ago, some 699 members of the U.S. military were killed there. Britain has lost 200.
Does the man who is president know that U.S. deaths last week included Army Staff Sgt. Tara J. Smith, 33; Army Spc. Matthew K.S. Swanson, 29; Army Sgt. Jerry R. Evans, Jr. 23; and Marine Lance Cpls. Dennis J. Burrow, 23, Javier Olvera, 20, and Patrick W. Schimmel, 21.
We’ll never know because Barack Obama hasn’t said a word about them, even as he simply will not shut up about his health plan.
Why are we in Afghanistan? What’s at stake? Who’s the “enemy?”
Is there a strategy? What’s our goal? Does it involve “winning?”
How does the man who is president define “winning?” He has an extensive vocabulary unless you’re talking about the war; at that point, his vocabulary is virtually nonexistent.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, told the Wall Street Journal that high casualties will continue for months or longer, the Taliban is being very aggressive and additional troops are needed for deployment to protect civilians.
The paper concluded the strategy is to safeguard Afghans rather than hunting down militants.
I ask again: Why are we there?
Oh, I forgot. Obama declared the “War on Terror” is over. (Who won?) We must not use the words “jihad,” “War on Terror” or “global war.”
He says we’re at war with al-Qaida – whatever that means.
At the very least it means we’ll be in that country a long time. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said defeating al-Qaida in Afghanistan will take “a few years.” Other military sources say upward of 12 years – perhaps longer.
It reminds me of Vietnam.
Obama wants $68 billion for next year, and the Washington Post says $2.5 billion more in nonmilitary spending is requested.
Despite that build-up, Obama is making serious defense cuts.
He wants funding for our homeland missile defense system cut in half, which would allow our only such defense to become obsolete.
In addition, according to Malcolm Wallop, former Wyoming senator and founder and chair of Frontiers of Freedom, the Obama budget stops installation of interceptor missiles in silos in California and Alaska, stops R&D funding for missile defense testing, eliminates funding for a Polish missile defense site and drastically cuts funding for Air Force refueling tankers.
Watching this, North Korea proceeds with nuclear development and missile testing as does Iran, and Russia brags about its nuclear capability.
They prepare and we cut.
Obama should read history and refresh himself on England’s Neville Chamberlain, whose policy was appeasement in dealing with Hitler. He was wrong. Think World War II.
Think Vietnam – a war with lost purpose run by politicians.
Why are we in Afghanistan? Who’s running the war?
Ask our novice president.
