Re: Baghdad Bush

"sgdunn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> "Eric Neale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > "sgdunn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>  news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > > He and his audience know that military personnel risk court-martial if
> > > they criticize the President, decline to praise him when asked their
>  opinion
> > > of such an appearance, or fail to cheer for him. Presidents don't speak
>  to
> > > cheering troops because the troops like it. They speak to the troops
>  because
> > > doing so gaurantees them a polite, captive audience and because the news
> > > media cover it as if it were a gesture of goodwill to the troops.
> > >     Hillary Clinton did the same thing to some troops in Afghanistan.
> > > Punishing soldiers for cheering a Senator's a bit of a stretch under the
> > > UCMJ, but
> >
> > It's not a bit of a stretch.  It is unbelivable fiction.  You don't
> > really belive this propaganda do you?
>     It's not propaganda. The UCMJ prohibits soldiers from insulting the
> commander in chief.


You mean publicaly?  Insubordination should be punished.  If a soldier
is being interviewed and tells the meda "My commanding officer <rank>
<last name> is a stupid jerk." then of course there will be
consequeses even if the guy really is a jerk and he is the lowest
ranking leader of the smalest team.  Even worse would be to tell the
camera " <rank> <last name> made a mistake and should have . . .".
They don't have to like the President - they only have to follow
orders.  I know the soldiers called up for duty during the Berlin
Crisis bitched about the President.  The running joke at the time was
that they would always refer to one state by a new name - M'chusets
because they had sent their Arse to the White House.

You said they risk court-martial if they fail to praise him.  That is
propaganda.  What, do we have political officers watching our troops
so the president will know who wasn't cheering enough?  Who would
belive your claims?