The day President Bush's tears spilled onto a Marine's face at Walter Reed

Dana Perino

 Editor's note: The following column is excerpted from Fox News anchor and political analyst Dana Perino's new book, "And the Good News Is... Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side" (Twelve, April 21, 2015).

President Bush visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Pictured is Sgt. David Gardner.

. . . "The hardest days were when President Bush went to visit the wounded or families of the fallen. If it was tough for me, you can only imagine what it was like for the families and for a president who knew that his decisions led his troops into battles where they fought valiantly but were severely injured or lost their lives.
"He regularly visited patients at Walter Reed military hospital near the White House. These stops were unannounced because of security concerns and hassles for the hospital staff that come with a full blown presidential visit."
. . .

"The president jumped up and rushed over to the side of the bed. He cupped the Marine’s face in his hands. They locked eyes, and after a couple of moments the president, without breaking eye contact, said to the military aide, “Read it again.”

"So we stood silently as the military aide presented the Marine with the award for a second time. The president had tears dripping from his eyes onto the Marine’s face. As the presentation ended, the president rested his forehead on the wounded warrior's for a moment."  . . .Read the full article.

Dana Perino currently serves as co-host of FOX News Channel's "The Five" (weekdays 5-6PM/ET). She previously served as Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. She is the author of the new book "And the Good News Is...: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side" (Twelve, April 21, 2015). Ms. Perino joined the network in 2009 as a contributor.

How a movie helped me understand sacrifice

 It’s often the most unexpected events that have the biggest impact

Legal Insurrection

"Memorial Day is always a bittersweet holiday for me. I enjoy having a day to partake in BBQ and beer (Texas BBQ though, not what Yanks call “BBQ”), while wearing my favorite, ratty, American flag t-shirt and watching war movies.

"As much as I love reflecting on this brilliant country a bunch of old dudes created a couple hundred years ago, there is a weight that lies heavy on my heart on days like Memorial Day. It’s the simple reminder that freedom is never free. Our freedom comes at inestimable price. More often than not, that debt is only satisfied with blood.

"When I was in high school “Saving Private Ryan” made its silver screen debut. Always a sucker for war movies, I went to see it on opening weekend. Completely unaware that what I was about to see would have a lasting impact, I sprung for cherry sours, a Coke slushy and found a seat.

"The first thirty minutes of the film were unlike anything I’d ever seen on screen and easily the most intense. At the time I was only vaguely familiar with the D-Day invasion. What I knew of D-Day I’d learned from 60s flicks like “The Longest Day.”

"Unlike the older World War II films where a bullet to the heart resulted in a theatrical fall sometimes accompanied by a bit of obviously fake blood and famous last words, “Saving Private Ryan” was the goriest movie I’d ever seen. A soldier reached down to pick up his arm that had been blown off and another lay on the ground, his guts strewn across the sand. The water was red with blood and soldier after soldier fell in similarly violent fashion, some never making it off the landing craft.

"When the movie was over, the crowd of tear-stained faces shuffled out in a heavy silence. For days I mulled what I’d seen — the pain, horror, and loss that nothing in this life can prepare you for. What was so obviously the terror of war was not what I had ever pictured as war. What I thought I knew about sacrifice and fairness was suddenly irrelevant and juvenile." . . .Full article...
Then there is this tribute from HBO's  The Pacific:

7 Heartbreaking Films of Military Valor

PJ Media   "Calling Memorial Day a “federal holiday” is a bit of a sacrilege. More than a day for big sales or a stretch at the beach, this is a time for remembrance.  Our freedoms are secured and preserved by those that serve. This is our day to honor their sacrifice—and our loss.  Over the years, Hollywood hasn’t been half-bad at recounting the nobility and the pain of war’s cost. These movies are particularly moving—unforgettable films where the sense of loss on the silver screen is just sometimes overwhelming." . . . Read more:

For the record, Michael Moore did NOT make any of these films.

UPDATE: Here is the world Mr. Moore inhabits:
PacSun Under Fire for Memorial Day Display Featuring Upside-Down Flag T-Shirt   "Angry customers have flooded the company’s social media pages to decry the “disrespectful” A$AP Worldwide T-Shirt, which was designed in collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky and features an upside-down flag on its front and the name “A$AP” and the number “06” on its back." . . .
"According to the New York Daily News, the PacSun Tanger Outlets store in Foley, Alabama, where the T-shirt was first noticed, has removed the item from its shelves. PacSun has not yet commented on the backlash, though USA Today reports that the company is expected to issue a statement on the T-shirt soon."

Remember this?

Marines Tell Obama To Buzz Off When Asked To Lower Standards

Viral Tater  Via Conservative Wisdom United.  Entire article quoted below.
"Well, it seems the Marines have drawn the ire of the Obama administration via the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dempsey.
"As reported by the Washington Times, “Two years ago, Army General Martin Dempsey, the nation’s top military officer, laid down an edict on the Obama administration’s plan to open direct land combat jobs to women: If women cannot meet a standard, senior commanders better have a good reason why it should not be lowered.
"Today, the “Dempsey rule” appears to have its first test case. The Marine Corps just finished research to see if female officers could successfully complete its rigorous Infantry Officer Course. The IOC diploma is a must to earn the designation of infantry officer. Of 29 women who tried, none graduated; only four made it through the first day’s combat endurance test.”

“Marine Corps public affairs said it did not have the data on which tasks proved the toughest for women. But one particularly demanding upper-body strength test is climbing a 25-foot rope with a backpack full of gear. A candidate who cannot crawl to the top fails the test. Traditionalists see the 0-29 performance as a call to arms by those inside the Pentagon who are determined to have significant numbers of women in the infantry. They are on the lookout for standards they believe are no longer relevant in today’s battlefield.”
“The pressure is on the services from the White House’s politically correct crowd vis-a-vis Obama’s Pentagon appointees, who will force the services to accept degraded standards,” said Robert Maginnis, a retired Army officer and author of the book “Deadly Consequences: How Cowards Are Pushing Women Into Combat.”
So will the U.S. Marine Corps be forced to justify why its IOC training is so hard? Will they have to go before the Sanhedrin of the Pharisees of political correctness and explain why anyone needs to be able to climb a rope with a full gear pack? Will the Commandant of the Marine Corps be called into General Dempsey’s office and be forced to explain every single standard of the Marine IOC and justify its existence? Will the Corps be forced to surrender its standards of excellence?
“General Dempsey laid down the law this way: “If we do decide that a particular standard is so high that a woman couldn’t make it, the burden is now on the service to come back and explain to the secretary, why is it that high? Does it really have to be that high?”
Am I making this stuff up? Sadly, no.
“Capt Maureen Krebs, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, said the ongoing review of standards is a double-check to make sure each one is specific to a particular job, is relevant to the operation and is “gender-neutral” — meaning each one must be the same for men and women. “We’re looking at all of our standards for the ground combat arms right now to ensure that they hit all three of those requirements,” she said.
There you have it folks, we are moving towards a military that is gender-neutral — the objective of social egalitarians. To them, the military is just like any occupation. Everyone should have equal outcomes and equality of access regardless of the mission. Anything else just isn’t fair.
What is not fair is that we have a bunch of absent-minded civilian ideologues who want a ground-breaking, historic moment. You can just bet there will be a female to pass Army Ranger School — and she will be on the cover of Time magazine, all over the mainstream media, and of course will get a Rose Garden ceremony. Recently I spoke to a young man, an Infantry officer, who was to attend Ranger school but was told there wasn’t an available slot. I wonder why?
ISIS is beheading Christians and driving civilians from Ramadi. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is questioning the standards for the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course.
Unbelievable.

 The fate of women captured by ISIS

 ISIS cruelty: Youngest and ‘prettiest virgins’ fetch higher prices 

 "After attacking a village, [the Islamic State] splits women from men and executes boys and men aged 14 and over. The women and mothers are separated; girls are stripped naked, tested for virginity and examined for breast size and prettiness. The youngest, and those considered the prettiest virgins fetch higher prices and are sent to Raqqa, the IS stronghold.

The woman who was burned alive for refusing to engage in an ‘extreme sex act.’ 

 “The brutalisation of women and girls is central to their ideology,”

Mike Ramirez on Memorial Day, 2015; a tribute from the Tunnel Wall

Mike Ramirez on Memorial Day, 2015; a tribute from the Tunnel Wall 

 

More commentary on the Duggar issue Updated

We know the family is supportive of Josh and one prays especially that they have done much to heal those whom he molested.

Josh Duggar and the left's schadenfreude      "In a statement, Duggar admitted wrongdoing and apologized.  He also resigned from his position at the Family Research Council.  As for the Duggar family’s television show, well, it may get canceled.

"Not surprisingly, the liberal media are having a field day with this story.  Remember: if you’re outspokenly conservative and desire to be in the public eye, you’d better be squeaky-clean.  The left will still despise you, but at least they can’t ruin you." . . . More...
Inside Edition seems to love this.

Update: The Liberal Demonization of Josh Duggar  "When it comes to sexual orientation, abortion, and childhood sexual exploration, the left demands to arbitrate the rules.  The problem for the rest of America is that if one dares express an opinion alien to the guidelines set forth by the left or risks imposing moral standards via a chosen lifestyle, liberals focus like a laser on obliterating the offender."
"That’s exactly what Josh Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting is living through right now. "
. . . 
 "Speaking of Arkansas, don’t the Duggars hail from the same state as a former president who, as far as we know, never fondled his alleged half-sister Sharon Lee Blythe but was accused by several women of rape, molestation, exposing himself, and preying upon White House interns? 

"Yet many of Josh’s critics adore America’s infamous saxophone-playing pervert, because letting someone like Bill get away with using a cigar as a sex toy must somehow subdue the sex-induced self-reproach liberals apparently feel. 

"For Josh, admitting his indiscretions and actually changing his behavior underscores the message that although our weak carnal natures tend toward wanton depravity, and despite attesting faith in Christ, no one is exempt from the need for God’s forgiveness. 

"Secular liberals can’t have that!" . . .

In reality, for the left, Josh Duggar’s greatest offense wasn’t molestation; it was showing remorse after the fact, which imposed unwelcome conviction on a segment of society that is often guilty of worse.

 Left publishes fake quotes supposedly from Josh's supporters

. . . There’s no sign that Ted Cruz actually said anything publicly about Josh Duggar.

"There are also memes with fake quotes from Michele Bachman, Sarah Palin, the Duggar parents (who definitely did not say “if you follow our advice on family values, you too can be the proud parents of a sexual predator”), and Josh. There are also memes claiming that Josh is getting a new show called 19 Victims And Counting co-starring the cast of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

UPDATE: Jessa Duggar's father-in-law has spoken out in support of Josh Duggar and his parents amid calls for the sacking of the police chief who released the molestation report that exposed the TLC reality star.

 . . . "'He has to the present day attested to the reality of his repentance and faith by living above reproach. 

" 'In their efforts to salvage the wreckage that these transgressions brought, and bring healing to all involved, Jim Bob and Michelle are to be commended.

"'It pains me to see that they are now having to relive the nightmare that had been laid to rest well over a decade ago with Josh’s repentance and reformation, but I feel compelled to bring some context and reason to the bloodletting that many are engaging in and to come to the aid of our dear friends and family.' " . . .

ISIS rises, the economy falters, and Obama’s legacy falls apart

"Unavoidable when one is totally unprepared for the job."  Lucianne

NY Post

 

. . . "Obama manufactured what Rhodes called an opportunity by pursuing a deal with Iran and dangling all kinds of carrots in front of the mullahs.

"And why? Because he wants a foreign-policy legacy to match the size and scope of his key legacy in domestic policy.

"And who can blame him? After the failure of the Arab Spring, the collapse of Libya, the failure to act on his self-imposed “red line” in Syria, Russia’s seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and the terrifying rise and forward march of ISIS, the only unmitigated positive on his foreign-policy spreadsheet remains the killing of Osama bin Laden.
 . . .
"If you answer these questions in the affirmative, then you are likely to be the sort of person who’s kept your 2008 Obama “Hope” poster on your wall and your 2012 Obama bumper sticker on your car.
"Alas for America and the world, a poster and a bumper sticker do not a legacy make."

Bob Woodward: Bush Didn’t Lie About Iraq & Obama Blew It (VIDEO)

You can make a persuasive argument there was a mistake. But there is a kinda line going on that Bush and the other people lied about this. I spent 18 months looking at how Bush decided to invade Iraq. Lots of mistakes, but it was Bush telling George Tenet the CIA director, don’t let anyone stretch the case on WMD. He was the one who was skeptical. If you try to summarize why we went into Iraq, it was momentum. The war plan kept getting better and easier, and finally at the end, people were saying, ‘Hey, look, it will only take a week or two.’ Early on it looked like it was going to take a year or 18 months, so Bush pulled the trigger. A mistake certainly can be argued, and there is an abundance of evidence. But there was no lie in this that I could find…

 More ... 

Remember Obama's "Office of the President-Elect" Seal?

 "I recall from a few months ago that there was much concern in the conservative blogosphere over the Obama campaign seal.  I understood what the campaign was trying to do – they wanted the people to get used to the idea that Obama could be president.  Of course, The Weekly Standard opined that this seal was somehow a misappropriation of the seal of the President of the United States, and thus, a violation of 18 USC Sec. 713.  In actuality, it was simply a stylized seal.
 The same cannot be said for the seal of the “Office of the President Elect”, pictured in the image [at right]:
. . . 
" Looking at that seal, and the logo present on the change.gov non-government web site, it is clear that the seal presented is actually the Great Seal of the United States."

Good Riddance to Letterman

He knew that the media would not care if he was funny, only that he carried forward its agenda. If he didn’t, it would call him a sellout and a hack. If he did, it would pretend to laugh at all his jokes.
Most of all he realized that politically correct comedy needs an edgy façade to mask its cowardice.

Daniel Greenfield    "David Letterman’s departure isn’t the end of an era. The era of late night talk shows ended a while back. In Johnny Carson’s final week in the nineties, he played to an audience of twenty million. Lately, Letterman has been lucky to get 2 million. His final shows have played to around 5 million viewers.

"Late night talk shows still exist, but their intended audience mainly watches viral clips from them the next day. The average age of Letterman’s audience is 54. CBS hopes that the equally smarmy Stephen Colbert will be able to bring his younger audience demo with him, but even Jimmy Fallon couldn’t bring down the average age demo all that much. Colbert will shave a few years off and then spend his time getting old and stale. Even before then, the networks will collapse and take his new job with it."
. . .
 "Like the leftovers of the media, Letterman’s job had become a comfortable sinecure. He said all the right things about how awful Republicans were, even if no one was paying attention, and in return his colleagues in the media avoided asking too many uncomfortable questions about his sexual harassment, the resulting manufactured blackmail incident and the toxic environment behind the curtain."
. . .
" Letterman survived his lean years by fawning over Democrats. He could be counted on to pitch softball questions to Hillary Clinton or ridicule every objection to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Now he is being replaced by Stephen Colbert who embodies Letterman’s sole virtue of mocking Republicans. Colbert exists entirely in the negative space occupied by Letterman’s humorless sneering." . . .

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.

 Catholic League: Glad to see David Letterman depart airwaves   . . . " 'Letterman's gall is limitless. Consider his obsession ridiculing predatory priests. Yet he is an admitted predator – he preyed on his female staffers," the Catholic League stated.
"The 68-year-old Lettterman – who has admitted he engaged in affairs with adult, female staffers in 2009 – has ridiculed the Catholic church for instances when clergy sexually molested youngsters. Other comedians have also skewered the church in the wake of the sex scandal." . . .

Mr Obama approved of Letterman mightily.      

"David Letterman cheerfully discussed his highs and lows with reporters covering his farewell to TV. In recent years, David survived an adulterous sex scandal involving several women staffers and he was given the Kennedy Center Award in Washington. The Kennedys also saluted him for his comedy."  Comedian Argus Hamilton

Letterman: I’m Being Forced Out Because I Gave $75K to the Clinton Foundation
Video at the link

Race, Age, and Gender Trump Experience for 2016

NRO

 

"This rumor raises two important questions with no clear answers, but both issues will have serious impact on our nation’s future. 

"Talk of Castro topping Hillary’s veep list generates the first question: “How much experience is really needed to be president of the United States?” — keeping in mind that the vice president’s main duty is to be ready to assume the presidency if the awful-awful were to happen. 

" Second: “Why is our nation so obsessed with the identity politics of candidates’ race, gender, age and heritage?” 

"Let’s start by attempting to answer the latter question as it applies to a potential Clinton–Castro ticket." . . . Read more at:

While Hillary Slept: Wasn’t Awake For President’s Briefing On Benghazi

Weasel Zippers   "Great commercial, 2008, we need someone who knows the military, tested and ready to lead:"

"Reality 2012. Here’s what we got in reaction to Benghazi:"

..

ISIS stages massive victory parade in Ramada with mostly US vehicles. No air strike!

Adina Kutnicki

 INHERENTLY, HUSSEIN Obama is “sitting on his hands” re ISIS’s onslaught and it is not for nothing!

 

..

. . . "INTRINSICALLY, this anti-American strategy ensures that ISIS will catapult from strength to strength. Assuredly, they are unimpeded due to a dearth of U.S. hyper-power. Not only that, but they are winning via a treasure trove of American weaponry lifted from the battlefield – with upwards of 52 155mm M198 howitzers back in 2014 – and enumerable more platforms since then!

"IS it not treasonous to abandon the epicenter of the west’s struggle to global hegemonic Islamic monsters?". . .



Report: ISIS Executes Hundreds In Palmyra 
 "This is what ‘degrading’ looks like…
Via Reuters:

Islamic State fighters have executed at least 400 people in Palmyra since capturing the ancient Syrian city four days ago, Syrian state media said on Sunday. . . .

 Keep reading…

“The administration is sounding like Baghdad Bob”

Legal Insurrection

 

 . . . "Krauthammer isn’t alone in this view.
" This editorial from the New York Post echoes the sentiment:"

In ISIS fight, Team Obama puts spinning ahead of winning

If Baghdad Bob and Hillary Clinton had a love child, he’d probably be hard at work for the Obama administration, denying the importance of ISIS’s gains in Iraq.

Bob was Saddam Hussein’

s mouthpiece during the 2003 liberation of Iraq. As coalition forces advanced on the capital, he kept insisting, “All is well.”

Hillary, meanwhile, evaded questions about the assault on the US consulate in Benghazi with the infamous line, “What difference at this point does it make?”

Team Obama combines the two tactics.

The loss of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, is a distinct sign that President Obama’s anti-ISIS strategy is failing. And all the efforts, from the president on down, to pretend otherwise won’t make it so.