Why did Obama take a late night flight to Dover AFB to salute dead soldiers and meet with their grieving family? This is a delicate one, you don't want to impugn the president for showing reverence and respect to those that have paid 'the ultimate price' - still, my scepticism stirs - because of the delay re Afhganistan, the recent rhetoric coming from the White House trying to suggest this delay serves the interests of the soldiers who will be asked to bear the burden - and most importantly because there's a photo of him saluting a coffin. This used to be illegal, but new Pentagon rules allow for the photographing of coffins if the grieving family oks it - which immediately gets an evil cynic like me wondering: since photographers accompanied the President they must have had ok from the one family that agreed before they left - so would he have gone without approval of the photo op from the family? If not and this was all about the photo op doesn't that seem to indicate that he's about to announce a decision that the military is unlikely to be thrilled by?
You could also say that he's trying to send a message to a liberal base that is about to be pissed off ie this decision is not made lightly. But I have trouble buying that - I think it's the other way around.
[are you suggesting that Obama is trying to circumvent the generals by going directly to the troops, essentially saying 'the brass don't agree with what I'm proposing, but it's in your best interests - I care about you'? Or are you suggesting that Obama is sending a message to voters who, if they see him at odds with the generals, may infer that he is weak and afraid of the consequences of difficult military decisions? One does not exclude the other]
