I guess it would make it all too real if he were to actually see the results of his stupidity.

Sort of like how Rumsfeld wasn't signing letters of condolence, he had an automated signature sign for him.

These fools are pathetic!

He might make it to Ken Lay's funeral... he was a great soldier for the cause.

Hardly unprecedented. Nixon never went during Vietnam. LBJ attended a meager 2 and both he either knew personally or was son of a white house staffer. FDR appears to have attended few if any. Same with Ike, Truman and Kennedy...and all of these 20th century presidents (dem and pub alike) had occasion too.

Hardly unprecedented. Nixon never went during Vietnam. LBJ attended a meager 2 and both he either knew personally or was son of a white house staffer. FDR appears to have attended few if any. Same with Ike, Truman and Kennedy...and all of these 20th century presidents (dem and pub alike) had occasion too.

TMB, I don't think it's very nice of you to take the air out of a thread like that. Let me rev it back up. Bush Sucks!

Is it appropriate for the president to attend one fallen soldiers funeral and not all the others?

If you are in the press or a Bush hater you can't lose. First you say, Bush Sucks because he has never attended a single funeral of a fallen soldier, and then you list off all the related reasons why he sucks.

Second, if you he does attend a soldiers funeral it changes to photo op, draping himself in the flag, "mission accomplished" etc.

Bush could cure cancer and the headline the next day would be, "Bush Ignores Heart Attack Cure"

The truth is no President wants to give his detractors the images of himself with a dead soldier.

I guess it would make it all too real if he were to actually see the results of his stupidity.

Sort of like how Rumsfeld wasn't signing letters of condolence, he had an automated signature sign for him.

These fools are pathetic!

it's too far away from the election yet you idjut...

they didn't have a funeral for his sister Robin's death at age 3 from leukemia. I think Ma and Pa went golfing. Ya know, not wanting to dirty Bab's beautiful mind and all.
They have family issues here, so I don't hold it against him.

Is it appropriate for the president to attend one fallen soldiers funeral and not all the others?

I don't like Bush at all, he's done very little I think anyone could be proud of, but...

As bsdc says above, you can't attend one, without heading off to them all. It's not that he doesn't care, I think that he genuinely does, and he does mourn the loss of these soldiers' lives, but he can't go to just one, or pick one or something like that. Maybe he goes to see the coffins coming back and doesn't take media coverage for it or something like that? I don't like the guy, but to expect him to go to a funeral, or many for that matter, it's just not to be expected. As TMB said, this is not without precedent at all.

If Bush wanted the American people to think he was a caring man and truly felt the impact of every soldier's death he could attend a few of these funerals. I guess it's a PR kinda thing.

I think also that their refusal to allow the media to photograph the soldier's coffins is harsh. It shuts out the rest of the nation and leaves the affected families to grieve on their own. A cold hard way to say "thanks for sacrificing your kid's life for my war."

If Bush wanted the American people to think he was a caring man and truly felt the impact of every soldier's death he could attend a few of these funerals. I guess it's a PR kinda thing.

I think also that their refusal to allow the media to photograph the soldier's coffins is harsh. It shuts out the rest of the nation and leaves the affected families to grieve on their own. A cold hard way to say "thanks for sacrificing your kid's life for my war."

They aren't greiving on their own. Their privacy is being protected and they are allowed their grief in a family setting. By the same token, the President attending the funerals of these young people would simply turn it into a media circus and a political football as he was accused of playing politics with their sacrifice. He is doing the right thing.

I'm just saying that there are some people who would like to see a President that at least seems to care about the grief these families are subjected to. Especially considering this was a war of his choice.

I wouldnt care if bush came to my funeral. I would rather it just be my family.

Didn't start our involvement in the Viet Nam war, neither did LBJ. Though he did escalate it... a bit.....



Hardly unprecedented. Nixon never went during Vietnam. LBJ attended a meager 2 and both he either knew personally or was son of a white house staffer. FDR appears to have attended few if any. Same with Ike, Truman and Kennedy...and all of these 20th century presidents (dem and pub alike) had occasion too.

I'm just saying that there are some people who would like to see a President that at least seems to care about the grief these families are subjected to. Especially considering this was a war of his choice.

I wouldn't want the President at my funeral. It would turn a private family moment into a media circus. I would expect 95% of the press to show restraint and keep their distance but the remaining 5% that would shout questions or put a microphone in someones face. This is not counting the people that would arrive to protest the President or that asshat that would protest that the soldier died because of rampant homosexuality in the US. Then we would have to hear from Cindy Sheehan and why she thinks the President didn't attend her son's funeral.

I think most soldiers' funerals already are media circuses even without the President attending. Last weekend I attended the funeral of PFC Thomas Tucker along with Governor Kulongoski, the Westboro Baptist Church, P-FLAG, the Patriot Guard, and a few thousand of my closest fellow Oregonians. The funeral was held in the Deschutes County Expo Center. Media circus? Check.

I am as critical of Bush as anyone, but come on folks. Why not stick to the legit. gripes?

Didn't start our involvement in the Viet Nam war, neither did LBJ. Though he did escalate it... a bit.....

Irrelevant.

Hardly unprecedented. Nixon never went during Vietnam. LBJ attended a meager 2 and both he either knew personally or was son of a white house staffer. FDR appears to have attended few if any. Same with Ike, Truman and Kennedy...and all of these 20th century presidents (dem and pub alike) had occasion too.

Good point, but at least some presidents did attend funerals of fallen soldiers.

IMPO, it shows a callousness that should be examined.

Ya gotta admit, Rumsfeld's sending letters of condolence that were signed by a machine is quite cold.

Is it appropriate for the president to attend one fallen soldiers funeral and not all the others?

This is a valid question. Everyone knows Bush can't attend all the funerals. By attending one or two from each branch of service would make a nice statement. It would show he cares about the sacrifice the families are making for their nation..

Good point, but at least some presidents did attend funerals of fallen soldiers.

IMPO, it shows a callousness that should be examined.

Ya gotta admit, Rumsfeld's sending letters of condolence that were signed by a machine is quite cold.

When my Grandfather passed some years ago, he received a letter from President Clinton as a commoration of his service in WWII...but damn if the pres signed it himself. Still, it is a prized posession of mine...it is framed and sits next to my favorite picture of him wearing his Detroit Tigers hat listening to Ernie Harwell.

The invoked memories are not changed by signature et cachet...

This is a valid question. Everyone knows Bush can't attend all the funerals. By attending one or two from each branch of service would make a nice statement. It would show he cares about the sacrifice the families are making for their nation..


NO, it could set a precedent, and potentially create friction by evoking a favoritism atmosphere. He simply can't, and shouldn't go.

This is a valid question. Everyone knows Bush can't attend all the funerals. By attending one or two from each branch of service would make a nice statement. It would show he cares about the sacrifice the families are making for their nation..

BS. Then you would just accuse Bush of crying crocodile tears.

Come on man, Bush sucks for plenty of other reasons. Stick to those.

How so?

Irrelevant.

When my Grandfather passed some years ago, he received a letter from President Clinton as a commoration of his service in WWII...but damn if the pres signed it himself. Still, it is a prized posession of mine...it is framed and sits next to my favorite picture of him wearing his Detroit Tigers hat listening to Ernie Harwell.

The invoked memories are not changed by signature et cachet...

Apples and oranges.

A letter from Clinton commemorating your grandfather's WWII service doesn't begin to compare to the Sec of Def sending letters of condolence signed by a machine to fallen troops he sent to Iraq.

Nope, no comparison... Not one iota.