Obama's Dishonorable Gaffe

I hate to play the "imagine if Sarah Palin had said this" game because quite frankly, she never would. But what the heck...

Imagine if Governor Palin were responsible for the following:

During his remarks to troops at Fort Drum today, the President was reminiscing about the times he has spent with the US Army's 10th Mountain Division, when he got something wrong.

"Throughout my service, first as a senator and then as a presidential candidate and then as a President, I’ve always run into you guys. And for some reason it’s always in some rough spots.

First time I saw 10th Mountain Division, you guys were in southern Iraq. When I went back to visit Afghanistan, you guys were the first ones there. I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn’t receiving it posthumously."

The problem is, Jared Monti was killed in action in Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, September 17, 2009. President Obama handed the framed medal to his parents, Paul and Janet Monti. He and the First Lady comforted them in the Oval Office following the ceremony.

Let me be clear... What Obama did here was more than a gaffe, it was a disgrace. What he did was to forget the grieving parents of Jared Monti, an American Hero. He seems to have compartmentalized his memory of Jared Monti into the 'pander to the military' section of his brain, and forgot the rest. Once again, Obama proves to be an out of touch commander-in-chief, focused only on himself.

As of this time, I have only seen the story on CBN's website, the rest of the media has been totally silent about this gaffe. Although, if you type "Obama Misspeaks" into the search on Yahoo News, you will be able access a story about Paul Revere. Go ahead. It will remind you how desperate the media was to pin some mistake on Governor Palin, even though she didn't make one. The media still continues to suggest that the governor misspoke that day in New Hampshire, even though local historians have backed up her remarks. If, for some reason you needed anymore evidence to prove that the media is totally corrupt, here you go.

Perhaps on the next leg of the governor's bus tour (after jury duty, of course), some journalist can ask Governor Palin who Sal Guinta is. At that point, you would see how a real leader honors America's brave heroes.

Last May, Governor Palin delivered a powerful speech to the Tribute to the Troops benefit, at Colorado Christian University. Speaking on Sgt. Guinta she said:

Let me give you another example of victory, among thousands of examples that we can think of in our military – an example of the heroism over the years. One of Colorado’s newest residents is Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta, and he’s a new resident in Fort Collins. He’s the first living service member from the Afghanistan or Iraq conflicts to receive the Medal of Honor. He was a rifle team leader in Afghanistan; and on October 25, 2007, his unit was ambushed shortly after nightfall. Sgt. Giunta described it: "There were more bullets in the air than stars in the sky. A wall of bullets at everyone at the same time with one crack and then a million cracks… They were close – as close as I’ve ever seen.” But the sergeant kept his cool and relied on his training. He fought off the insurgents and rescued several members of his unit, including an injured soldier who was being carried off by the Taliban. Giunta’s squad leader later praised him saying, "We were outnumbered. You stopped the fight. You stopped them from taking a soldier.”

When he was notified that he was being recommended for the Medal of Honor, Sgt. Giunta was humble. He said, “If I’m a hero, every man that stands around with me, every woman who is in the military, everyone who goes into the unknown is a hero.”

Why do these American heroes go into the unknown? G. K. Chesteron once wrote that “the true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” They fight because they love America and they love the ideals that America represents. What America stands for is liberty, and justice, and equality, and the empowerment of the individual.

Unlike the current occupant of the White House, Governor Palin has the capacity to think about more than herself. She honors our troops and having had a son serve in Iraq, appreciates the sacrifices their families make. Our troops and their families deserve a president who respects them and understands what they go through for this nation.

As I said in the opening, there is no way Governor Palin would have committed the sort of blunder that President Obama did on Thursday, while speaking to the troops. But if she did, no doubt it would be a top story today.