January 7, 2016
A commander-in-chief's crying has consequences
By Russ Vaughn
I've never subscribed to that ancient admonition that real men don't cry. I've witnessed men much harder and tougher than me shed tears under the stresses, frustrations, and personal losses of ground combat. But when those men relaxed their emotional defenses and allowed tears to flow, it was within the relative privacy of their fire teams or squads, among those who had shared their stresses and damned well knew the men crying were no weaklings. I can imagine the tears of frustration shed by those soldiers and sailors who wash out of elite programs like Ranger and SEAL training, especially those dismissed in the latter stages, after they've endured so much – not exactly the kind of people you'd be inclined to dismiss as crybabies except at your own peril.
But what I've never witnessed is a commanding officer going before a parade field of massed troops and wiping away tears as he discusses new regulations he is about to implement and the reasons that necessitate the changes. That, in effect, is what our commander-in-chief did recently in his speech about the new executive orders regarding gun control he is preparing to issue.
Obama didn't just emote before the troops; he emoted before all the troops and their leaders massed against us all around the globe. Can you imagine how the imams are reacting to that emotional display? How about Putin? Think he may be rethinking his options in Ukraine or the Baltic states?
And how about the Norks? Sure, I know it's a coincidence they detonated a nuclear weapon the same day as Obama's tearful speech, and I'm betting that now they're wishing they'd waited a day to take advantage of the propaganda potential with their own people: See how the weak American president cries like a child at our glorious demonstration of socialist military might.
Even our allies must be cringing with the knowledge that this emoting wuss is what they have to rely on for their own national security. For the leaders of Israel, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, South Korea, it's one thing to be assured that the most powerful military forces on the planet have your back, but when all that military might is in the hands of a leader who tears up announcing domestic policy changes, a shiver surely must go down your spine while viewing that video clip. Rewind it and watch it once more while remembering crossed red lines, unwise troop withdrawals, terrorist releases, and Iranian nuclear deals, and you'll probably be wondering where you put that number for Vladimir's personal line.
Imagine the delight among ISIS leaders watching their bête noire (no pun or racist reference intended) demonstrate that he is no Great Satan, but likely much more a mere Little Djinnie. It should have instant credibility and recruiting potential all across the region. They'll probably be running that tape in loops at Middle Eastern television stations for the next year or so, right after the excerpts of Obama's tearful gun control speech and followed by a reminder of Osama bin Laden's solid Arabian horse sense.
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