Using Dead Soldiers as Props

Using Dead Soldiers as Props
Ben Shapiro
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

There's nothing more offensive to the memory of those who die while serving our country than using them as props for a nonassociated political cause. Yet that is precisely what both the Army and our president have done repeatedly since the terrorist massacre of 13 American troops at Fort Hood.

First, the Army. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the U.S. Army's top general, George Casey, appeared on "Meet the Press" to discuss the killing spree by radical Muslim and al-Qaida sympathizer Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Casey did not use the program as an opportunity to come clean about the Army's role in failing to monitor Hasan despite his obvious terrorist leanings. Instead, he used his appearance on "Meet the Press" to stump for "diversity" in the military.

"Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength," he said, reading aloud from the left's idiotic PC handbook. "And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse."

No, sir. The death of 13 American troops is far worse than the risk that our military will actually start weeding out potential terrorists. Casey stated, "I think we as an Army have to be broad enough to bring in people from all walks of life." "All walks of life" apparently includes terrorists. Casey's enabling and nonjudgmental "diversity" killed these troops as surely as Hasan's Islamism did. And Casey and his leftist rah-rah diversity supporters continue to turn a blind eye, blaming this attack on post-traumatic stress disorder, despite the total absence of any trauma; stress, despite the absence of any proven stress; poverty and the mockery of other soldiers, as though Hasan was a sort of Columbine-killer nouveau rather than an ideological murderer of the first order.

While Casey was busy using the bodies of the executed troops to stump for more diversity in the Army, so was President Obama. "We cannot fully know what leads a man to do such a thing," Casey explained, ridiculously overlooking the mountain of evidence showing just why Hasan did it. At the same time, Obama praised the Muslims who serve in the Army, stating, "They reflect the diversity that makes this America." A Muslim soldier with terrorist tendencies slaughters over a dozen patriotic American troops, and for President Obama, that's a lesson in the beauties of diversity rather than lack of proper oversight.

But President Obama wasn't done using the bodies of the troops to push forward his pathetic agenda. He did something even more retch-inducing: He used their still-warm corpses to stump for health care.

After Teddy Kennedy died, Obama had no problem propping him up in a perverse re-enactment of "Weekend at Bernie's" and wheeling him around to gain health care votes. But at least Teddy Kennedy was a liberal congressman who supported universal health care. These soldiers had nothing to do with the health care debate, but that didn't stop President Obama from using their remains to pressure congressmen into voting for his health care reform. Reported the Associated Press: "On Capitol Hill for a private meeting on health care, Obama opened his remarks by speaking about Fort Hood, participants said. He told lawmakers that the hardships members of the military make for the country 'is what sacrifice really is,' according to Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J., as opposed to 'casting a vote that might lose an election for you.'"

Yes, you read that correctly. President Obama actually used the sacrifice of our troops to push congressmen into supporting his health care bill. The word shameless does not do justice to the utter indecency of this appeal.

But then again, the word shameless does not do justice to our president, who has repeatedly used the bodies of our troops as cover for his radical left agenda. He flew to Dover Air Force Base to salute the coffins of returning troops in late October -- and he made sure the cameras were right there to capture it, breaking years of presidential precedent in order to provide cover for his tergiversation on Afghanistan. The photo-oped dead/wounded soldier routine is one of Obama's favorites. Back in July 2008, Obama cancelled a planned trip to visit wounded troops at Rammstein and Landstuhl U.S. military bases in Germany because, as MSNBC reported, Obama "could not bring any media. Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama's visit."

Dead soldiers are not props for Army diversity, props for health care reform or props for Obama's perennial campaigning. They are men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. Their memories should not be tarnished by cheap politicking by cheap and tawdry politicians.