I wrote a story, complete with an official statement from the American Legion’s media relations officer, that straightened out inconsistencies in the original story (which started in the conservative blogosphere) and then to secondly answer the question of why Vice President Biden went instead of President Obama. So, if you want the reality of the situation along with the most likely reason why Obama did not attend which was given to me by a source which asks to remain anonymous (and I’m honoring that request because it has to do with how the Secret Service assesses venues) then read the article I wrote.

Still find it disgusting that he missed what I consider to be one of the most important of all.

I agree with some things though I also believe the focus on them is overblown. The incidence of veteran’s being treated poorly is small though any is too much. The government put Walter Reed on the BRAC list and said they could not spend money to repair it. The building they were in was not owned by the Army and while it was in disrepair, it was not as bad as it was made out to be. Once the issue was brought to light the government sure freed up resources for a BRAC building.

Believe me when I tell you that no one prays for peace more than the members of the military because it is they who bear the burden of the alternative.

However, dismantling the military like Carter did or using it as a police force like Clinton did inspires people to attack us because they think we are weak. Force should be met with force, not police officers.

As for Gitmo, these people have been treated rather good and are in the best health they have ever been in. Bush wanted to release a bunch of them but no one will take them and we can’t release them to people who will mistreat them. Make no mistake, they are not good people but rather those who we could find no reason to keep.

I think the biggest mistake we made in that regard is not declaring them prisoners of war. Then we could hold them until the war ended and not have to worry about trials and all that crap.

I am worried that the government will release them in our country. How will it make you feel if some of them end up in your neighborhood and do something horrible to you or your wife? If they are released here Obama should have to keep them in the White House near his daughters. I bet if that is the stipulation they will stay at Gitmo until they die.

I was thinking of something else with regard to the CINC Ball and got my wires crossed. If I did not think I knew I would have looked it up. I was mistaken with regard to other things.

I believe Obama has little regard for the military. He is a Socialist and he would rather spend money on unconstitutional welfare programs and bailouts (not that all parties are not guilty of that). Yes, he said nice things but what president would do otherwise.

We will see how it plays out but in general, the lefties I have seen get worked up are vile to the troops.

And the post was about blowing off tradition though the hyperbole may have led it in another direction.

Once again, 10 balls…

Obama did not spend all night honoring himself, just 90% of it.

As for the VA health care system. It is run by the same government bureaucracy you want to run socialized health care. It will be no different.

Don’t kid yourself. This post is not about tradition, or MOH recipients. It’s too late to back up and claim that. This post is about you once again claiming liberals hate the troops and once again citing faulty evidence to prop up that theory.

Your simplistic, faulty frames about the military don’t fly with me.

I believe in an limited, intelligent use of military force and I’ve never believed the Iraq war would garner enough positive output to outweigh the negative.

I believe keeping the moral high ground on the issue of waging war and how we house and treat detainees is more important than feeling safer because we have more interrogation techniques available to us.

I believe wounded veterans should not have to come home and share hospital rooms with rats and roaches.

I believe veterans of wars should never be homeless and die in the streets because they can’t function in our society without adequate psychiatric care.

I believe the Pentagon should treat PTSD more like a serious war injury and not just a “secondary effect”.

I believe in protest but that radical asshole splinter group Christians celebrating the death of soldiers while their families bury their dead is one of the most despicable and cowardly forms of protest in existence.

I’m sure you’ll agree with me on some of these, others not so much. I understand your love and support of the military after a long career of service, but don’t dare continue to suggest I hate the military just because I haven’t served and I don’t support your jingoism.

However, liberals still hate the military. And tell me, how can Obama honor those in Iraq when he never supported them? He still fails to admit the surge worked.

He is a sham when it comes to the military because he is a Socialist who follows Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals.

But the fact remains, as was made clear by the post, he did not go to the MOH which was a 56 year tradition. He had time to go to 10 other balls only one of which was a military ball. That means 90% of what he attended was not. He could have skipped one of the others and gone to the MOH.

It is very simple to understand. He broke a tradition that he should not have.

Yes, by and large liberals hate the military and they like to decrease its spending and increase welfare. You are one of them.

So, once again, I stand corrected for my mistake. Lesson to everyone, liberals call a conservative’s mistake a lie and a liberals lies mistakes. Like when you lie about not paying taxes….

The Commander in Chief’s ball was created to honor the troops and was continued for a 2nd time by Obama. I know this, you know this, everybody here knows this. Stop with the lies.

2005:

or 2,000 veterans of the war on terror and their spouses and dates, the first Commander in Chief’s Ball was a major highlight of an inaugural President Bush dedicated to the service and sacrifice of America’s armed forces, especially those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

2009:

One of the newest of “official” balls, started in 2005 to honor those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, will include wounded warriors (Purple Heart recipients), families of fallen heroes, and spouses of deployed military, as well as a number of each branch’s highest-ranking officers — enlisted or otherwise — too. A satellite connection even made possible the attendance — if only from afar — selected members of the military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who spoke with both the vice president and president.

Adam, let me explain this to you. The Commander in Chief’s ball honors the Commander in Chief. Obama went to a ball that honored HIM. The military was there for him and the ball was not there to honor the military members. Of course he said nice things about the military. Only a moron would do differently and Obama is a lot of things but moron is not one.

The Medal of Honor Ball honors the military members that have received the medal. It does not honor the president as the CINC Ball does. He did not go to one honoring the MOH winners but went to one honoring himself.

It is a disgrace to ignore 56 years of history like that.

The point of the article was that he ignored the members of the military, not that he talked badly about them. He ignored them to go to a ball in his honor, just as I said.