I don't know what to think (political)

[rgraham666]

I found this over at another forum I frequent.

I'm wondering what other people think of it.

I have no comment .

 

[oggbashan]

It couldn't happen in the UK.

We don't award Purple Hearts, or their equivalent, to anyone, no matter how badly wounded.

Og

 

[carsonshepherd]

They're his Purple Hearts to do with as he chooses, but George Bush knows good and well he doesn't deserve it. I hope he's ashamed. I hope it eats at him when he thinks of all the Americans dying in this war.

 

[cloudy]

They're his Purple Hearts to do with as he chooses, but George Bush knows good and well he doesn't deserve it. I hope he's ashamed. I hope it eats at him when he thinks of all the Americans dying in this war.

Indeed.

 

[mikey2much]

A hopeless hope indeed

Looking for anything like decency in this president is like expecting your dog to have a conversation with you on politics.

It just ain't gonna happen. He has been bought and paid for so long ago that I doubt that he can remember when he had a thought on his own.
MHO.
mikey

 

[Athena_e19]

I would love to know exactly which politician in the U.S. isn't bought and paid for a million times over?

Every time I hear of any activism on the part of any politician (not rhetoric or constituent courting) I look at their campaign finance log and find a reason for action/inaction/honesty/dishonesty.

The problem is in a two party system where both parties have the same puppet masters.

"Let's give Dick Cheney a medal. How about the Silver Star. He shot somebody right? Probably courageous of him." -Bush

"The world is going to burn! Global warming and climate change will wipe humanity from existence in a short period of time. Faster than anyone can predict! Am I doing my part? You bet. I live climate neutral."- Al Gore

"Every girl in Texas needs to be vaccinated against cervical cancer. And I don't care what my conservative constituency thinks. Because I'm being paid well." -Perry

I'm buying a submarine and moving to the bottom of the ocean and letting a coral reef grow over my head. Maybe I'll be safe there.

 

[oggbashan]

...
I'm buying a submarine and moving to the bottom of the ocean and letting a coral reef grow over my head. Maybe I'll be safe there.

No. Coral reefs are dying because of changes in their environment. Getting a coral reef to grow is unlikely.

Og

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

It figures.

The guy who offered the medal is retired military living around Ft. Hood, Texas, and has poor judgement

The guy who accepted the medal is a draft-dodger from Crawford, Texas, and has no pride.

That said, in the humble opinion of a guy with one PH, it was in bad taste for Thomas to offer one to this President and in even worst taste for Bush to accept. The mind boggles at how the O'Reilly - Limbaugh types would have reacted if the President in question was Bill Clinton.

Just FWIW, the article is wrong about the act being unprecedented. After President Reagan was shot, a similar gesture was made to him. While even that was a stretch, it did seem a bit more plausable, at least to me. The President, though a civilian, is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and Reagan had been shot.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Emperor_Nero]

I think that GWB accepting this was truely the definition of obscene.

But here's another point to consider -- would there be a value to a guided tour of the White House from the President himself?

According to Title 18 of the United States Code, section 704 (signed by GWB himself on Dec. 20, 2006):
(a) In General. - Whoever knowingly wears, purchases, attempts to purchase, solicits for purchase, mails, ships, imports, exports, produces blank certificates of receipt, manufactures, or sells, attempts to sell, advertises for sale, trades, barters or exchanges for anything of value any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, or the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration or medal, or any colorable imitation thereof, except when authorized under regulations made pursuant to law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(d) Other Medals - If a decoration or medal involved in an offense under subsection (a) or (b) is a Distinguished Service Cross awarded under Section 3742 of Title 10, an Air Force Cross awarded under Section 8742 of Title 10, a Navy Cross awarded under section 6242 of Title 10, a Silver Star awarded under Section 3746, 6244, or 8746 of Title 10, or a Purple Heart awarded under Section 1129 of Title 10, or any replacement or duplicate medal as authorized by statute, in lieu of the punishment provided in that subsection, the offender shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both."

So if I read this law correctly (and I'm no lawyer), if there is a value to a privately guided White House tour or if the govt. paid for any portion of the trip, GWB broke his own law and should be fined and or imprisoned.

Who wants to send the note to Drudge and all the other politico boards???

 

[oggbashan]

I think it would be very difficult for any president, of whatever party, to refuse to accept.

The offer was sincere, if misguided. The donor wanted to honour the President. Refusal would have hurt the veteran's feelings.

I don't think that the offer and the acceptance indicate anything except that the President treated a Vietnam veteran with respect and consideration.

Og

 

[cantdog]

Go, og.

Yeah, the prexy was in a cleft stick. No good way out. I think he chose the good path. Assuming he thought it through, or even had someone else think it through on his behalf.

 

[Emperor_Nero]

I think it would be very difficult for any president, of whatever party, to refuse to accept.

The offer was sincere, if misguided. The donor wanted to honour the President. Refusal would have hurt the veteran's feelings.

I don't think that the offer and the acceptance indicate anything except that the President treated a Vietnam veteran with respect and consideration.

Og

Og, I agree with you to a point. If the President had simply accepted the initial offer of the medal and sent the veteran a thank you note with his heartfelt gratitude, that would be treating the Vietnam veteran with respect and consideration.

Instead, the President saw this as a media opportunity. He has the vet come to the White House to do it in person, in front of, I am sure, loads of cameras. He has it mentioned to the press (hence the story) to create the image of himself as someone who others see as wounded by the slings and arrows of fighting this war instead of the pampered, National Guard "serving" Vietnam dodger that he is. That is what is obscene.

It is obscene that he is trying to exploit this misguided generocity for his own benefit and, in doing so, may have broken laws he signed into effect less than six months ago.

 

[pcremington]

I agree

I agree with oggbashan.

Regardless of viewpoints there isn't a way to gracefully decline a selfless offer given with such sincerity.

 

[S-Des]

So if I read this law correctly (and I'm no lawyer), if there is a value to a privately guided White House tour or if the govt. paid for any portion of the trip, GWB broke his own law and should be fined and or imprisoned.

Who wants to send the note to Drudge and all the other politico boards???

Would he go to Gitmo for that? There probably wasn't a polite way to turn it down, but it is a silly gesture. My dad broke his ankle in Korea and didn't get a purple heart (took years to heal). It's supposed to be something with intense meaning.

BTW, great point on Clinton. He was so hated by the right, I have to believe it would be wall to wall talk for weeks. I think it's sad that Bush made it into a media event, considering the feelings of so many families. Then again, I don't know how he could have done it differently. *shrug*

 

[Kev H]

He could have began with the honest truth, for starters: "I'm not worthy..."

Honesty is on the opposite side of the spectrum from politicians, though, so I only make this as a "wouldn't it be nice if the world worked like this" statement.

 

[Tom Collins]

They're his Purple Hearts to do with as he chooses, but George Bush knows good and well he doesn't deserve it. I hope he's ashamed. I hope it eats at him when he thinks of all the Americans dying in this war.

First, he's got to be capable of the intricacies of actual thought processing, and then he's got to figure out how to find his shriveled up emotional center and rehydrate it. I really don't see either happening.

 

[cantdog]

I agree with oggbashan.

Regardless of viewpoints there isn't a way to gracefully decline a selfless offer given with such sincerity.

I would still have tried. "You know that you really are not legally supposed to transfer the medals?" But when this did not work, one would have to accept the inevitable. Where he fucks up is to publicize it.

 

[elsol]

The man bled for his country. not once but three times. I don't give a shit if he wipes his ass with the things.

 

[jomar]

I like to think it was a jab at Bush (though I know it wasn't).