Sorry, I Expect Better

The Right Reverend Jeremiah Wright's anti-American rhetoric caused, as we all know, Presidential candidate Sen. Barrack Obama to deliver a speech distancing himself from the rhetoric, but not the reverend. Now, nearly a week later, polling data has been released stating that 7 out of 10 people who heard the speech have a favorable opinion of it. How that can possibly be is beyond my comprehension, but it does not surprise me. Today's general electorate is all about feeling good, not substance; the ultimate example of form over function. A careful reading of Sen. Obama's speech bears that out, but who has time for that with American Idol and Dancing with the Stars beginning anew?

I have heard Sen. Obama's speech called "the greatest speech on this issue in American political history," and a "stunning address." It was, indeed, an extraordinary speech, delivered beautifully, and that is what the candidate is banking on. My reading of the speech finds it to be all emotion, with no direct, substantive proposals for actual change. The senator made no reference to past behavior, nor explained specific policies he would implement. Worse yet, he does not seek to distance himself from Rev. Wright, but rather only to convince us that he does not agree with the reverend when it comes to the more 'inflammatory comments." Since Sen. Obama has repeatedly told anyone who will listen that Rev. Wright's church does remarkable, good, and heroic work in the community, we must presume he agrees with everything except the You Tube moments. We also are expected to accept the senator at his word that he never heard, nor heard of, the reverend's remarks. That they were an open secret in Chicago apparently escaped both the senator's exploratory committee and his opposition research team.

For me, that is where Sen. Obama's speech becomes disingenuous. I am used to politicians talking at length, while saying nothing, but to suggest that Rev. Wright's statements were unknown to him and his advisers just strikes me as purely false. I have reached the conclusion that we must either accept Sen. Obama when he says that he had no direct knowledge of the statements, or conversely, we must conclude that he lacked the courage to confront the reverend regarding them. Either way the senator is not ready to lead the nation. Considered through that prism, a reading of the speech just makes it sad. A sad recitation, made by a man who fully expected to receive no ill treatment at the hand's of the Fourth Estate. Granted, he was mostly right that the honorable men and women of the press would be so enamored of him that they would not seek to scratch the surface of his polished oratory. Unfortunately for Sen. Obama the internet is not a fluke, and everything everyone does and says is posted somewhere in all its gory infamy.

Another disturbing portion of Sen. Obama's facade is the notion of such a strenuous upbringing. He was raised by a single mother, but not in anything approximating destitute conditions. For the most part Sen. Obama was reared in Hawaii and attended prestigious schools, which eventually led him to acquire degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. In many ways he is the embodiment of the American dream. That is the most galling aspect for me. Nowhere else in the world could Sen. Obama even expect to reach the heights he has achieved, much less the one's he covets. For him to turn his back on that legacy angers me. For 20 years he ignored the anti-American rantings of a radical reverend. Sen. Obama admits that Rev. Wright was his spiritual advisor and one of his closest friends. Are we to believe that Rev. Wright said these inflammatory statements in public, but did not once reference them in private? That notion seems improbable, if not impossible, at best.

So, where does that leave us? It leaves me expecting more. I expect better from Rev. Wright, a Marine rifleman, and Navy Corpsman. I expect him to remember the oath he took. Dissent is patriotic. It is what our nations is founded upon, but to incite anti-American emotion is unacceptable. I expect my fellow Americans to challenge our government, but to repeatedly scream God Damn America! to state that the U.S. is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and affirm that 9/11 was nothing more than chickens coming home to roost is beyond the pale. It is the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded movie theater, and any good the reverend did is wiped from the slate because of it.

I also expect more from Sen. Obama. I expect him to embrace the country which gave him opportunities many of us desire. I expect him to wear the American flag lapel pin if he truly wishes to be the United State's public personification. I expect him to chastise and cut off the reverend for his actions. Remember what every one of our mother's said, "People judge you by the company you keep." It is not unfair to suggest that because if someone continues to associate with men of low caliber we can only expect that they approve of them; even if only tacitly. In the words of George Washington, "Associate yourself with men of quality if you esteem your own reputation, for it is better to be alone than in bad company." I also expect the senator to not reduce the reverend's statements to "controversial" or "fiery statements." I expect him to stand on the principle he espouses. I expect him to unabashedly love the country which has given him and his family so much. I expect him to differ on politics, but not the notion that the United States is the best country on Earth. And yes, I expect him to admit when he is wrong. Unfortunately for him he need not do any of those things. The race division he claims to abhor is exactly the wedge he wields. I, and many of my friends and family, proudly wore our nation's uniform so that the senator could be afforded the opportunity he now possesses. I guess it is simply too much to ask that he exhibit a little recognition of that.

A Woman Scorned

Under a cloudless, crystal clear sky, I had the distinct honor and pleasure to be at the christening of the New York (LPD 21) on 1 March, at Ingalls Shipyard outside New Orleans, LA. Her bow was made with 15,000 pounds of steel salvaged from Ground Zero. She is specifically tasked with fighting terrorism, and can carry various configurations of Special Ops forces, as well as her normal compliment of 800 Marines and their landing equipment. As soon as I saw her berthed dockside, festooned with signal pennants, I involuntarily held my breath and my heart began pounding. Being a soldier, I had never completely understood how my brothers and sisters in the Department of the Navy could get so attached to what I perceived as an inanimate object. I can assure you that New York is no inanimate object. She is the living embodiment of the sacrifice and courage exhibited by so many on 9/11.

There were, literally, thousands of people in attendance at the christening. The crowd ran the gamut from Department of Defense personnel, to sailors from the WWII battleship who shares the name New York, to ship builders, to veteran's organizations, to an assortment of New Yorkers. Amongst the New Yorkers were several 9/11 survivors and a half dozen firemen from FDNY. All the fire-fighters were at the WTC on 9/11, and I can tell you that watching them be so moved by the ship will stay with me forever. I sat next to a 23 year old Lt. Junior Grade, who is shepherding New York through her various stages of construction. His warmth, good humor and desire to answer questions made the experience more personal somehow. Before the formal ceremony of speakers, a short film was shown. It documented New York's ship builders meeting with 9/11 survivors at Ground Zero before her keel was laid. I can tell you that as the film rolled there was not a dry eye in the house, and later, when the National Anthem was performed, every spine was a little straighter and every salute was a little crisper.

I defy anyone to tell the firefighter pictured with me that the War on Terror is not worth fighting, and, yes, that includes the Al Qaeda magnet, Iraq. He, and the six men with him, were all at Ground Zero on 9/11. They witnessed terrorism close up and did not blink. These men, on both 9/11 and this past Saturday, exhibited everything that is best about the United States and Americans. New York is a stark reminder of 9/11 and she made me proud to be an American. It was as perfect a day as can be had
and I look forward to seeing New York commissioned next year in the harbor that bears her name. The saying goes that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and, with the motto of "Never Forget" New York will undoubtedly exact our revenge. Fair winds and following seas New York. May you get some vengeance for us all.