I'm not upset with the president for honoring that soldier.

[joshcryer]

43. There are quite a number service members here who understand.

They would not appreciate the "prop" "gimmick" "faux patriotism" posts. One thing I've recognized is that most of those service members just stay out of it. Part of me feels they are pained by the disingenuous posturing for internet points, another part just tells me they don't feel like getting involved because they know those here who make such posts are ignorant.

Thanks for your post and your sincere and thoughtful reply.

Obama as Commander in Chief could have unilaterally left Iraq and Afghanistan in a heart beat, literally one order, but he said at his nomination speech that he would do so "responsibly." Has he been slow on the uptake? No question. Has he been "irresponsible?" I don't think I am convinced of that. He had two wars handed to him and he had to consider how to get us out of the respective quagmires as best as possible. Maybe his intel was off, maybe he had bad advisers (likely), but I think Obama, the person, did everything he could to as quickly as possible remove troops from the wars they were embedded in by the previous administration. And I think the entire thing was conditioned on responsibly ending those wars, without leaving behind the mess the previous administration put him in. He said he wanted to train Afghani troops, he'll probably leave office with those trainers still working in Afghanistan. Is this a bad idea? Probably. Is it him wanting to make the best of a shitty situation with responsibility in mind? Certainly.

One can be wrong yet still have the best of intentions. It's when people start shitting on potential intentions, like, perhaps one might with your intention to serve your country, when people show their true character. And that's what you're seeing here in this thread.