Yesterday, President Barack Obama stepped off Marine One and saluted a United States Marine while holding a coffee cup in his saluting hand. Folks on the right cued the outrage machine. Folks on the left cued up pictures of former President George W. Bush saluting with his right hand while holding his dog in his left. And maybe it's just the lethargy due to my seasonal allergies talking, but I couldn't work up much of a reaction.
First of all, I don't understand why anyone was shocked. Frankly, I don't comprehend why anyone was even mildly disturbed. This is a President who has demanded that a decorated Marine hold his umbrella. He has traded terrorists (for whom many American lives had already been exchanged) for a deserter and possible traitor. He equated a human life with an STD. He voted against the Born Alive Act (a law that requires medical care be given to babies “accidentally” born alive during abortion procedures). He allowed money to be spent during a financial crisis in order to keep veterans away from their own memorials. The fact that anyone assumed he would pick yesterday to begin showing respect for life and our men and women in uniform is what confounds me.
But what if it is more than simple disrespect? What if this was not only intentional, but part of a grand plan? We already know that this administration intends to drastically reduce the size of the military, and they would prefer to see as little money go toward taking care of soldiers as possible. Those goals would be far easier to meet if soldiers left of their own free will and potential new soldiers were reluctant to enlist. What better way to accomplish that end than to behave in exactly the manner this President has?
He has engaged the military – and the public – in multiple conflicts with no way to win any specific objectives. For soldiers who are trained to follow orders and get the job done, this kind of war is exceptionally damaging – both physically and mentally. Wars – or military actions – last longer, which increases the likelihood of multiple deployments and injuries. The lack of a clear objective fosters the notion that the military's job is to kill but not to ever gain ground. And for the public, watching what is supposed to be the greatest and strongest military on earth as they send more and more wounded home without any visible gains, is equally wearying.
He has repeatedly shown disrespect – and even barely contained contempt – to the men and women who have provided him with a nation of “little people” upon which to look down and who see to his safety day to day. Why would anyone who sees the way he treats soldiers choose to become one?
During the last great drawdown, under the Clinton Administration, many soldiers received medical discharges or were offered early retirement. Both of those things cost money, and do nothing to deter young people from enlisting to serve their country. President Barack Obama's actions have set the stage for the most inexpensive drawdown in history – but they have also created a situation in which we will be faced with multiple wars on multiple fronts, and we will have no trained soldiers and no one who wants to serve.
