After spending a few hours Monday morning observing Memorial Day, President Obama, the Commander in Chief, decided to hit the links and spend the rest of the day on the golf course. No word on whether or not he took a few moments to call the family of Pfc. John Johnson who was killed in Afghanistan on May 27. This was his seventieth round of golf since his inauguration.
Does it matter if the president chooses to play golf on Memorial Day, and for the second time in his presidency (he did so as well in 2009)? I think it does, and it displays extraordinarily bad judgment, not only by Obama himself but also by his advisers. His chief of staff for example should have firmly cautioned against it. President Obama is not just any American but Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces. The United States is currently engaged in a major war in Afghanistan with over 100,000 troops on the ground, and more than 1,500 have already laid down their lives for their country.
The least the president can do on Memorial Day is spend the whole daywith veterans and servicemen’s families while acknowledging their sacrifice. As Koffler points out above, President George W. Bush stopped playing golf out of respect for the families of Iraq War dead. This demonstrated not only good judgment but humility and respect for the men and women who keep America safe. It is little wonder that, as Gallup reveals in a new poll, US military personnel and veterans give Barack Obama lower marks for his job performance than members of the general public. The president’s actions smack of poor taste, as well a lack of empathy and support for the US military, hardly the kind of leadership the White House should be projecting at a time of war.
He spent more time golfing than he spent touring the devastated town of Joplin, Missouri.
Had President Bush spent Memorial Day golfing while our troops were in harm’s way, the press would have had a field day. With Obama all we get are crickets.
Via memeorandum
Tags: golf, Memorial Day, obama
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