After waiting a day to "sleep on it", I'm come to the conclusion that President Barack Obama deserves my thanks.

I like most others have seen the film of him and officers saluting as six soldiers in camo uniforms carried coffins
from a plane in Dover Delaware to a hanger where their families could collect the remains of sons, husbands and brothers.

He looked strack. His standing at attention and perfect salute made me think he might have made a soldier himself.

The fact he accompanied his AG to give his respects to the three DEA agents and 15 soldiers after midnight, and spending
time with families of the fallen...well, it touched me...and BTW it also profoundly touched my wife. She didn't mention it
until this morning...asking if I had seen the film, since I had not mentioned it...musing on his reasons for the trip.

Then my Advocate newspaper came and I learned an additional fact about that pre-dawn visit: two of the dead
soldiers were from Louisiana. Sgt. Patrick Williamson, 24, of Broussard; and Pfc. Brian Bates, 20, of Grenta were on that plane.

Shizen, I'm starting to tear up again, so I'll stop...after saying:

Thank You Mr. President. Thank you.

I had a similar reaction...whenever I get just about ready to write President Obama off as a lost cause, he does something that leads me to delay the final decission awhile longer...

I was very moved myself...
I hope he will be motivated to do the right thing.

At least he got an eyeful of the REAL cost of this "War".

I (probably we) know folks that say it was purely a political photo-op.

But, I have to respond:

"I don't know what he was thinking, but it was the right place to be."

I am not an Obama lover by any means...
But I think I saw real emotion in his eyes.
It took courage to go there.

I found it "presidential".

I probably should have been thinking more of the soldiers first, but instead, watching his stance and salute made me think the same thing.


I am sorry for the loss to Louisiana, and to the US.

I don't think it was a publicity stunt (well everything a president does can be viewed that way) I think he was expressing his deepest concern for the most important thing a president has to decide and do. I don't want him to send more troops to Afghanistan, but at least I know he has been there on that tarmac when our countries soldiers come home in flag draped boxes. I know that he understands they were the apple of their parents eye, the older brother or younger sister or father and husband to someone who loved them with all their heart and will now miss them for the rest of their lives. It takes guts to face those realities, and for facing them, he has my respect and thanks.

What we need from Obama is a tentative statement of Foreign Policy against which to judge his actions and inactions...putting things into words is something he is especially good at. Development of a foreign policy doctrine
needs to be his highest priority...

Very courageous.

He's probably going to send more troops.

Bush43 and Bush41 and Reagan and Ford never once cared about anyone who died, nor did Jeb ever show one bit of caring for anyone who died.

The great Obama in private just did more than than any President since Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon (of course no one died while Jimmy Carter was on duty), and Richard Nixon tried his hardest to end the war Eisenhower started.

This is the second or third time you've said this. Can you be more specific? Can you back that statement up?

No one? Even assuming the exclusion of peace-time accidents and the like? No one? None? Nary? All living and breathing and accounted for?