Bush: I Quit Playing Golf to Show Proper Respect for Dead of War

I know what he means, but it's inartfully phrased and of course the unhinged left is seizing on it.

US President George W. Bush said in an interview out Tuesday that he quit playing golf in 2003 out of respect for the families of US soldiers killed in the conflict in Iraq, now in its sixth year.

"I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal," he said in an interview for Yahoo! News and Politico magazine.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them."

The US president traced his decision to the August 19, 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed the world body's top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

"I remember when de Mello, who was at the UN, got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life. And I was playing golf -- I think I was in central Texas -- and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it's just not worth it anymore to do," said Bush.

Certainly Bush's sacrifice lacks the gravity of what our soldiers sacrifice. But that's the nature of gestures, after all. You can name your kid after the doctor who saved your life, but that's hardly full and fair repayment of a debt, either.

I guess I would ask this of the left: What, precisely, have they given up in solidarity with our troops? Why are these special obligations only imposed vindictively on their political opponents and never themselves? They all claim to be in favor of "fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan;" what symbolic gestures have they themselves made in support of our troops?

Apart from writing snarky blog posts and issuing Important Action Alerts and Pretty Vicious Rants, I'm having trouble remembering any lefty doing anything at all to support our troops. Oh yeah, except to agitate for defunding them.

Personally, I'm making no real tangible gestures of support myself. Then again, I'm not shrieking for others to give stuff up for Peace Lent.

posted by Ace at 12:14 PM

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