RPK (Quotes Politico) And Takes Barack Obama -- And Steve Beshear -- To Task.
On Obama, below is the press release:
FYI: See below for article regarding Obama’s decision to cancel a visit to U.S. troops in Germany, please see Politico’s Jonathan Martin’s post below.:
“Obama has time to get in a workout and give a speech to a crowd mostly comprised of Europeans, but can't be bothered to visit American troops wounded in action recovering at a military hospital.” Thought this was interesting post material – especially given the parallels with Beshear’s action today in regards to military personnel.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin
0708/Obama_cancels_troop_visit.html?showall
Obama cancels troop visit
By Jonathan Martin, Politico, July 24, 2008
Republicans are, smartly, seizing upon this report from Der Spiegel (which has become a must-read this week):
SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. "Barack Obama will not be coming to us," a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. "I don't know why." Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama.
The optics here are not good: Obama has time to get in a workout and give a speech to a crowd mostly comprised of Europeans, but can't be bothered to visit American troops wounded in action recovering at a military hospital.
Obama's explanation strikes at much of the criticism he's gotten from McCain and the GOP.
"The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign," explains spokesman Robert Gibbs.
This is a sticky wicket for Obama.
On the one hand, he's been criticized for the (laughable) contention that the trip is not related to the campaign. To clearly delineate those elements of the tour that are related to his role as a senator and those that are undeniably political would seem to be a way to respond to that critique and seperate church from state. Moreover, he's being doubly safe by avoiding the perception of campaigning in a military hospital and using wounded troops as props.
But then how many politicians include official stops in the course of a trip otherwise related to a campaign (think POTUS or a member of Congress doing fundraising and public business on the same day). Further, Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on this, the campaign-funded, part of his trek. If that was deemed ok, than are we to assume that each of his get-togethers with European leaders is political in nature?
Assuming their rationale was on the level and not just cover to give the candidate a breather, the easier move may have been to still visit Rammstein and Landstuhl but keep the press behind.
Not that I want my colleagues to have less access.
And below is Beshear's:
FYI. I wanted to make sure you saw this article.
Posted on Thu, Jul. 24, 2008
State decides to only lower flags for Kentucky-born soldiers
By Joe Biesk
Associated Press
FRANKFORT — Kentucky has started lowering flags to half-staff only for fallen soldiers from the Bluegrass State, upsetting veterans and lawmakers who say the policy dishonors tens of thousands of service members from other states stationed at installations such as Fort Campbell and Fort Knox.
Gov. Steve Beshear last month changed the old policy of lowering state and U.S. flags to half-staff from the announcement of any Kentucky-based soldier's death until his or her funeral. Now the flag will be lowered only for Kentucky natives, and only on the day they are buried.
Maj. Gen. Edward Tonini, Kentucky's adjutant general, said the previous policy made it impossible to tell who was being honored and led to lengthy stretches where flags were lowered for multiple people. Between April 1 and July 2, the state lowered flags for 26 soldiers, only four from Kentucky.
Ken Hart, state adjutant for the American Legion of Kentucky, which represents 33,000 veterans, called the new policy ridiculous.
”If they served in a military installation within the confines of Kentucky, let's acknowledge them then and pay them the respect that we should,“ he said.
Sen. Elizabeth Tori, a Republican whose district encompasses Fort Knox, said any soldier stationed in Kentucky should be honored by the state if they're killed in action. ”They were deployed from the state of Kentucky and gave their life,“ Tori said. ”The governor, as well as everyone in our nation, owes them a debt.“
Policies vary from state to state. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm caused controversy there two years ago by ordering state and U.S. flags flown at half-staff when soldiers died. Critics said the policy violated the U.S. Flag Code, which was intended to honor only high-ranking government and elected officials. At the time, governors in about a dozen other states had issued similar orders.
Tonini said an internal review found that Kentucky's old policy was among the nation's broadest. Michigan was the only other state to lower flags for such a long time.
Even so, state Rep. Tim Moore, who served in Afghanistan as a member of the Kentucky Air National Guard, said residents around Fort Knox consider soldiers part of their community.
FYI: See below for article regarding Obama’s decision to cancel a visit to U.S. troops in Germany, please see Politico’s Jonathan Martin’s post below.:
“Obama has time to get in a workout and give a speech to a crowd mostly comprised of Europeans, but can't be bothered to visit American troops wounded in action recovering at a military hospital.” Thought this was interesting post material – especially given the parallels with Beshear’s action today in regards to military personnel.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin
0708/Obama_cancels_troop_visit.html?showall
Obama cancels troop visit
By Jonathan Martin, Politico, July 24, 2008
Republicans are, smartly, seizing upon this report from Der Spiegel (which has become a must-read this week):
SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. "Barack Obama will not be coming to us," a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. "I don't know why." Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama.
The optics here are not good: Obama has time to get in a workout and give a speech to a crowd mostly comprised of Europeans, but can't be bothered to visit American troops wounded in action recovering at a military hospital.
Obama's explanation strikes at much of the criticism he's gotten from McCain and the GOP.
"The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign," explains spokesman Robert Gibbs.
This is a sticky wicket for Obama.
On the one hand, he's been criticized for the (laughable) contention that the trip is not related to the campaign. To clearly delineate those elements of the tour that are related to his role as a senator and those that are undeniably political would seem to be a way to respond to that critique and seperate church from state. Moreover, he's being doubly safe by avoiding the perception of campaigning in a military hospital and using wounded troops as props.
But then how many politicians include official stops in the course of a trip otherwise related to a campaign (think POTUS or a member of Congress doing fundraising and public business on the same day). Further, Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on this, the campaign-funded, part of his trek. If that was deemed ok, than are we to assume that each of his get-togethers with European leaders is political in nature?
Assuming their rationale was on the level and not just cover to give the candidate a breather, the easier move may have been to still visit Rammstein and Landstuhl but keep the press behind.
Not that I want my colleagues to have less access.
And below is Beshear's:
FYI. I wanted to make sure you saw this article.
Posted on Thu, Jul. 24, 2008
State decides to only lower flags for Kentucky-born soldiers
By Joe Biesk
Associated Press
FRANKFORT — Kentucky has started lowering flags to half-staff only for fallen soldiers from the Bluegrass State, upsetting veterans and lawmakers who say the policy dishonors tens of thousands of service members from other states stationed at installations such as Fort Campbell and Fort Knox.
Gov. Steve Beshear last month changed the old policy of lowering state and U.S. flags to half-staff from the announcement of any Kentucky-based soldier's death until his or her funeral. Now the flag will be lowered only for Kentucky natives, and only on the day they are buried.
Maj. Gen. Edward Tonini, Kentucky's adjutant general, said the previous policy made it impossible to tell who was being honored and led to lengthy stretches where flags were lowered for multiple people. Between April 1 and July 2, the state lowered flags for 26 soldiers, only four from Kentucky.
Ken Hart, state adjutant for the American Legion of Kentucky, which represents 33,000 veterans, called the new policy ridiculous.
”If they served in a military installation within the confines of Kentucky, let's acknowledge them then and pay them the respect that we should,“ he said.
Sen. Elizabeth Tori, a Republican whose district encompasses Fort Knox, said any soldier stationed in Kentucky should be honored by the state if they're killed in action. ”They were deployed from the state of Kentucky and gave their life,“ Tori said. ”The governor, as well as everyone in our nation, owes them a debt.“
Policies vary from state to state. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm caused controversy there two years ago by ordering state and U.S. flags flown at half-staff when soldiers died. Critics said the policy violated the U.S. Flag Code, which was intended to honor only high-ranking government and elected officials. At the time, governors in about a dozen other states had issued similar orders.
Tonini said an internal review found that Kentucky's old policy was among the nation's broadest. Michigan was the only other state to lower flags for such a long time.
Even so, state Rep. Tim Moore, who served in Afghanistan as a member of the Kentucky Air National Guard, said residents around Fort Knox consider soldiers part of their community.
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 4:59 PM
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