As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation. It is not a place for politics. And yet, as was reported this week, Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff. Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt. This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members “suckers” and “losers” and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients. A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” This is a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself. If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude. And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America. I will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes, who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our beloved nation and our cherished freedoms. I mourn them and salute them. And I will never politicize them.
Those cannot be words straight from the mind of Kamala Harris. They sound like words written for Joe Biden to read off a teleprompter, replete with his oft-repeated claim that Trump said “suckers” and “losers” and “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” It's entirely political, including, of course, the assertion that it is not political.
Trump's visit to the cemetery was also political. It was a first move in a political game that Harris ought to have chosen not to play. But she couldn't get all her supporters to refrain from playing, and in the end, she jumped in. She made the obvious move, and it is an awful blunder. You knew it was a blunder — didn't you? (I hope you are at least that savvy) — but you just had to do it.
If only you'd had the sense and the restraint to delete most of the words. Let me help retrospectively and uselessly:
As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visitingArlington National Cemetery several times. Itis a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation.It is not a place for politics.And yet, as was reported this week, Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff. Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt. This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members “suckers” and “losers” and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients. A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” This is a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself. If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude. And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.I will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes, who made the ultimate sacrificeon behalf of our beloved nation and our cherished freedoms. I mourn them and salute them.AndI will never politicize them.
ADDED: I haven't spelled out why Harris's tweet is an awful blunder, but if you need more context click through to her tweet and scroll down to see the responses which are right there under hers. That's how Twitter works.
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238 comments:
1 – 200 of 238 Newer› Newest»the principle that the military dead should not be politicized
You mean how Biden and Harris met those same bodies at Andrews with media in tow, but Joe was so bored he kept looking at his watch?
Let me be clear. Harris has speech writers, but they are as dumb as her.
Now show the Biden Harris ad that was filmed at Arlington.
Leaving two instances of "politics" in the speech is probably politicizing. I'd edit even further.
Before the ultimate sacrifice sometimes comes the final countdown.
I weep for our nation.
So the grievance is that the families of the dead, literally forgotten by the Biden Administration, chose to call attention to their grievance by inviting Trump to the cemetery, instead of doing so at a nearby Ramada Inn conference room?
Last time I looked, the USSC was protecting the free speech rights of the Westboro Church to use military cemeteries to deprecate the sexuality and sacrifice of the military dead. Apparently, using the cemetery to honor the dead is verboten. Why?
Kamala Harris is a piece of shit and so is anyone who supports her.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/09/cnn_washington_em_post_em_a_modern_press_gang.html
Good post and take, Althouse.
Kamala Harris didn't write this. Her candidacy was fake (she won zero primaries). Her campaign is fake. Her interviews are faked by CNN (edited carefully to remove her word salads and stupid commentary), her Vice President is a fake American (he's actually Communist and his own brother is saying he's a danger to America). Her election will be faked. Her Presidency will be faked.
It's all fake. We are living under a false government and we should all revolt against it. Talk with your neighbors. Be prepared to take action.
Prize imbecile Kamala Harris should be doing everything within her power to end this story. Instead, she doubles down. The numerous Gold Star families she's angering with this would be well advised to denounce her in no uncertain terms. The Democrats are fueling a much more potent version of the Swift Boat campaign, and it's very much self-inflicted.
Well, of course, Harris is having her quiche and eating it, too...but, such is the nearly universal behavior of politicians. Enough (well-placed) criticism of Trump on this matter is emanating from other sources such that Harris could easily have said nothing, and the message would still have been widely received. Trump's disdain for soldiers--especially those have died in service?--is well known to all who are paying attention. Trump's supporter's typically aren't paying attention, but of those who may be, they will have made excuses for it, seeing it just as just one of a number of minor faults and flaws in an overall admirable man and absolutely needed POTUS.
Oh, and leave your cell phone tracking device at home.
What kind of psycho tankie is going to accuse Trump of disdain for servicemen after trying to stop him visiting Arlington? And no, Kamala Harris isn't having her cake and eating it: she's showing astonishing disrespect to the families of servicemen who died for the idiot Biden-Harris withdrawal.
Well...Donald Trump is TWO PIECES OF SHIT and so is anyone who supports him! Take that!
Stop fedposting, man. People can do a lot on their lonesome, and the more people you try to rope into it the more they will suspect you are a fed.
Shes a soul less demon who put those servicemen in their graves 'i was the last one to sign' on to the Capitulation
As of a few moments ago, that tweet has 52 million views, and 34,000 replies, which are overwhelmingly against her. I applaud the commitment to free speech because unlike YouTube which disables comments, people can read, think, and react. This country may still be going down but this is a hopeful sign.
Well, those servicemen died because of Bush/Cheney's needless and pointless decision to instigate our war against Afghanistan, as have all the servicemen who have died and been injured throughout the two decades of the futile endeavor. As for Trump's self-serving photo op at Arlington National Cemetery, the freaking Army has called him out on it, too.
If you need more context, it could be informative to watch the video responses posted by eight of the Gold Star families in question. I watched one. That was quite enough for me.
Let’s nip this in the bud… Harris is pieces of shit Infinity.
Kamala playing politics at Arlington
Just for you Cook. You are dumber than Kamala Harris.
Kamala knows that this is destroying her in the polls. We have also known that you and your communist friends are actually just enemies of freedom. You are just making it more obvious now.
Trump worked with the Taliban against the wishes of the Afghan government to release 5000 Taliban fighters. In 2021 Trump left only 2, 500 troops in Afghanistan leaving our remaining military vulnerable. Blame for the deaths of these military members can be placed on Trump also. Trump famously says he doesn’t ever accept responsibility
The best responses to this are those of the Gold Star Families. Beat to the punch by Oso, but worth repeating.
Of course she won’t politicize them. She doesn’t think about them at all. She’s a political wreck.
The Goldstar families of the dead soldiers invited Trump. They also invited Kamala but got no response. A few are posting videos on X in response to this tweet ripping Kamala and her campaign.
Kamala prides herself being "the last one in the room" with Biden before the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Does anyone believe Kamala cares about those wasted lives? Can you imagine this dingbat as Commander in Chief?
She gets professionals to do the writing for her, and they are bad. Aside from wordiness and undercutting their own points, they make egregious errors like using "ultimate sacrifice" twice and "mourn" instead of "mourn for."
If Harris had laid a wreath there, there would be no political falderal.
Ray "Dixcus" Epps
stop fedposting
"The founders never intended for Americans to trust their government. Our entire Constitution was predicated on the notion that government was a necessary evil, to be restrained and minimized as much as possible." - United States Senator Rand Paul
I join with the best and brightest of the US Senate in urging Americans to reject their fake government and to be as prepared as George Washington, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin were to fight a war against it.
They were the original fedposters.
The conventional wisdom is that Europe stumbled into WW2. With Kamela and her team in power, the US will stumble into WW3.
Robert Cook hates Veterans and Soldiers just as much as Kamala Harris and Joe Biden do.
Trump is a better person than you Cook. You and Kamala and Joe pretend Trump is as bad as you are.
Most people see through your justifications. That is why you are triggered by this.
Let me be clear. Her speechwriters are as dumb as her.
Inga and Cook display the golden rule of Washington leadership: it's not a f**kup as long as you can find someone else to blame.
You are just a terrible human being who cannot be honest about anything.
Also 46 Americans were killed in action during the Trump presidency, 2017-2020, not 0 as he claims.
Wait a minute. I thought the Democrats were supposed to be boycotting Twitter/X. I’m so confused.
Notice that the Bush/Cheney clans support Biden/Harris now and Cook is all for the Ukraine War now. Because that is a good war.
Also nobody hates the DC Generals more than the average veteran. "The Army" is behind Trump. A small number of bureaucratic political installs in DC are with Harris.
Achilles, you’re a baaaaad person, so very baaaaad.
Link to an X thread of the Gold Star family members calling out Kamala for the X post being discussed.
A diverse group: 1) Herman Lopez, Father of Corporal Hunter Lopez, 2) Christy Shamblin, Mother-In-Law of Sergeant Nicole Gee, 3) Jim McCollum, Father of Lance Corporal Rylee McCullum, 4) Steve Nikoui, Father of Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui, 5) Coral Doolittle, Mother of Corporal Humberto A Sanchez, 6) Jaclyn Schmitz, Mother of Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, 7) Mark Schmitz, Father of Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz
Kamala picks VP running mate who has lied for years about seeing combat. That's not playing politics with war?
Is there anything more disrespectful of military dead and wounded than what Tim Walz has done for political gain? It's actually psychotic.
Gold star mom describes the difference between Kamala and Trump.
You are terrible people.
The leftwing lie machine turn anything into a TRUMP CRIME!
Russia Russia Soviet Inga shows up with the latest BS.
AS soon as the leftwing lie fizzles - the leftwing lie machine move to the next lie.
It’s been all over DC for years now that she’s a bad boss who chases off good staff.
Imagine Tampon Tim "Stolen Valor" Walz at and Arlington wreath ceremony.
Inga said...
In 2021 Trump left only 2, 500 troops in Afghanistan leaving our remaining military vulnerable.
Do you ever get dizzy from all that spinning? How did Trump prevent the Harris-Biden administration from increasing the number of troops if that was necessary? The Bagram Bug out was ordered almost a year after Trump left office. And talk about politicizing the military, the Bug Out was done on that schedule so that Biden could stand up on 9/11 and say he'd pulled us out of Afghanistan, after the same commanders steadfastly refused to complete Trump's similar orders.
Here you go.
The Harris campaign is really stupid and so are the people that support her.
Highly "credentialed" professionals. Experts....
The entire point of the LEFTWING-Democratic Trump-Hate Cult is to obscure what the left want to do to us - while getting everyone on board with hating Trump to maximum levels of Nazi-like hatred.
Each day there is a new controversy!
Russia Russia Inga reporting for duty.
“Washington, DC – Three Gold Star parents, who lost their loved ones in war, are responding to attacks on them levied by the Trump campaign, today.
In response to the ad, the Trump campaign released a statement saying that the group of parents were “shills” and the ad with their statements “vile.”
The Gold Star parents in the ad – Karen Meredith, John Fenton, and Melida Arredondo- released their own statement back, this afternoon, reading:
“For the Trump campaign to call us — Gold Star families — “shills,” in response to our anger over him calling our fallen family members “suckers” and “losers” just underscores the outright hate Donald Trump has for those who serve and those who’ve lost loves ones in war.”
“It is a dark day in America when the Republican party’s presumptive nominee, who never served himself and never had family who wore the uniform, sends attack dogs after Gold Star families in this way.
“But it should also underscore for the American people just how little respect Trump has for Troops, Veterans, Military families, the Fallen, and their survivors.
“Someone like that can never, ever sit in the Oval Office again.”
Oh come on now Gusty - Tampon Tim's lies about his service are just /// "grammatical errors"
Biden-Harris have done their utmost to memory hole the entire disgraceful episode of the Afghanistan bug out, never even mentioning the names of the sacred dead.
All we need to know is that Trump is a former President and Commander in Chief, and he was invited to attend by the gold star families.
Harris has taken a situation that vividly illustrated the Biden-Harris callous indifference and incompetence and has managed to make it infinitely worse.
Only committed TDS sufferers would be able to find anything to deplore in Trump's attendance. My only question is why were she and Biden NOT there?
He will never get over macho grande i mean Tuscany where he was stationed
I see everyone loves to elevate themselves and their political views by standing on a pile of corpses. Your all being craven ghouls.
“I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
Any of you typical lefty Biden-Harris apologists want to take a crack at actually answering this one? What actually was in it for the thirteen soldiers who died in our final capitulation to the Taliban? How did their deaths positively affect America?
Arlington National Cemetery is a solemn place, and it has a place in politics. It is a reminder that we honor the sacrifices of those that give their life for this country. As an added reminder, there is the Tomb of the Unknown Solider too as a memorial to those that gave their lives but whose remains cannot be certain. A reminder that we will dedicate to identifying them. Routinely, politicians have visited Arlington National Cemetery to lay a reef in memorial. There are videos of this all over the internet, including in Biden 2020 campaign ads.
Kamala doesn’t want the 13 that died while she was VP being remembered. She is upset they are being memorialized. There is no political advantage for her. The solution was simple. If you don’t want them to be remembered, then stop reminding people that they are there and others remembered them. Now she has failed and brought more attention to the memorial, and in a way that reminds us she didn’t care to remember the fallen as she should. She’s not even ready to be a VP, much less the Commander in Chief.
Old White Leftist Puppet and Authoritarian Speech-Crime a-hole - have a photo op.
Trump's visit would have been uneventful but for the confrontation by Biden's deep state toadies and the slobbering leftmedia. The whole exercise by them was to distract from Biden's cowardly withdrawal from Afghanistan and the resultant deaths. Every response should mention that.
Nice try, FBI. You'll have better luck on 4chan, or maybe Stormfront.
Benjamin Franklin maintained a network of information gathering and surveillance of his government's communications while generating propaganda and fueling discontent with its policies.
aka "fedposting"
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/benjamin-franklin-in-the-american-revolution/
'Furious': Veterans slam Trump team's altercation at Arlington National Cemetery
Donald Trump has no right to use our most hallowed ground for his political aims," Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army combat veteran, said Wednesday. "For a lot of us, and I'm not the only one, people are aptly furious."
"They see no issue bringing partisan politics there, even if it means getting into physical altercations with cemetery staff.," Eaton said in a statement to USA TODAY. "I truly cannot think of something more repugnant than starting a political fracas on land where Gold Star families mourn. Someone who would do that should never be Commander in Chief.”
USA Today
Perfect rewrite Althouse. Thank you!
Trump is a better person than you Cook.
I don't like Cook either, but let's not get crazy here...
"The Trump campaign said this past week that it would release video showing there was “no physical altercation” between its representatives and an official who tried to stop them from filming a campaign video at Arlington Cemetery.
As of today, no video has been released." ~ CBS News
I believe we’re on Day 6 of no video.
When you visit Arlington, you might not know exactly what you’re supposed to do when confronted by those rows of headstones, but you darn sure know what you’re not supposed to do. What has been missing from the news coverage was a willingness to quickly and decisively state what a grievous insult the whole debacle was to the dignity of Arlington.
Careful narciso ... you'll be accused of being noted non-FBI agent Ray Epps.
8/29/24 - How the media, led by Maggie Haberman and others smeared the wishes of Gold Star Families to manufacture a hit on Trump.
Not enough fuck you for the corrupt left. That includes YOU Inga. You F'ing liar.
"Harris has never spoken to any family member of the Abbey-Gate bombing. Trump was at Arlington at their request, as was his photographer. This is pretty gross.
These families have been ignored by the media, ignored by Harris, stood by while Biden checked his watch during the dignified transfer, only talked to them about his son, one father has been arrested for protesting Biden's SOTU and now here's Harris attempting to politicize and speak for them. Like I said, pretty gross."
Stephen L Miller
those servicemen died because of Bush/Cheney's needless and pointless decision to instigate our war against Afghanistan
2,996 Americans were unavailable for comment on this claim.
Barack Obama and Donald Trump are the most destructive forces in the history of our politics. Obama because of his efforts to destabilize our country. Trump because of his efforts to stop the destabilization.
I think the roots of this go a lot deeper. Almost the whole of the Democrat program, especially as influenced the "Progressive" Left, is a denial of positive qualities of the United States in the past or present. This inability to speak well of the country while acknowledging faults or short comings is notable and the Democrats try to disguise it by cheerleading for the military either prospectively (see Kamala's "most lethal military" campaign promise) or retrospectively. It also means they're quick to jump to charges of hypocrisy when any Republican takes a patriotic stance.
Video of Biden and Harris playing politics at Arlington National Cemetery
8/29/24 - How the media, led by Maggie Haberman and others smeared the wishes of Gold Star Families to manufacture a hit on Trump.
Lets not forget the leftwing lie from PBS(D) liar Judy Woodruff(D)
PBS’ Judy Woodruff apologizes for falsely telling live audience Trump tried to talk Israel out of cease-fire deal
"Woodruff caught plenty of flak online for the comment — overwhelmingly from those who pointed out that the rumors she was citing were proven false days before she regurgitated them live on air."
Using lies and false rumors are STANDARD Operation Procedure for the corrupt democrat-left.
They were not there because the families rightly hold them responsible for the deaths of their loved ones.
With the exception of Vance, they're all hypocrites, but Harris is a pious hypocrite.
The MSM coverage this past week has left too many readers of Althouse with the impression that the whole thing might have been a bureaucratic mix-up, or some tedious violation of protocol. It focused on bland horse-race coverage so common during election season, rather than clearly stating what really took place: an egregious and willful violation of long-standing norms.
People don't like hypocrisy- this is why Harris' tweet was dumb.
Even worse was the cemetery staff were clearly ordered by someone in the Biden Administration to interfere with the event and it has backfired on these idiots.
Igna's hysteria tells us how important it is for Harris and her sheeple for her to escape the stain of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Lying Inga lies. Trump doesn’t claim 0 deaths. He claims he gave the military what they needed to stop deaths of US service members in Afghanistan. For over a year, there were no more deaths. No more deaths until Biden hastily withdrew and these 13 people lost their lives. This doesn’t include the Afghani family that Biden destroyed with a drone attack then lied, like Inga might do, that they were terrorists. Refugees trying to escape, murdered by Biden, and then called terrorists. Democrats have been lying and trying to hide the end of the Afghanistan war for 3 years. Now voters will remind them.
it's interesting WHAT politics are OKAY, and which aren't
Biden using Arlington Cem for a campaign commercial? AOKAY!
Trump being invited by family.. A FELONY!!!
Burning American Flags... AOKAY!!
Burning a Trans Pride Flag? A FELONY!!
Black armbands protesting the US.. AOKAY!!
Let's Go Brandon shirts? EXPELLED!!
https://jonathanturley.org/2024/08/30/federal-court-upholds-ban-on-lets-go-brandon-shirts-in-high-school/
In D.A. v. Tri County Area Schools. Judge Maloney rejects the free speech claim and rules that school officials can punish a student for wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” T-shirt.
The school ordered the removal of the clothing as obscene and in violation of the school code. However, other students are allowed to don political apparel supporting other political causes including “gay-pride-themed hoodies.”
See? Political Speech is AOKAY.. as Long As, it's Not Obscene..
And, Of Course; what makes something Obscene is that it is against the left
You want to know how badly this has backfired on Harris/Walz- just read Inga and Rich's comments above spinning furiously this morning.
Wreath…. Not reef.
Indeed
Joe made an campaign AD at Arlington Cemetery - but that's all cool.
Achilles, you seem to be devolving ever more rapidly into a 13-year-old having a bad time of puberty, based on your comments I see today. That aside, and more pertinent, I have NEVER supported the Ukraine War, insofar it has become (or always was) just another proxy US war against Russia, and I have never expressed support for any contribution of US planning, money, material, and soldiers for the Ukraine war. (If Ukraine wanted to wage war against Russia on their own, that's their own business.) You repeatedly fulminate over things you make up in your own head.
Listen to Tyler Vargas-Andrews interviewed on the Shawn Ryan Show, episode #68. It's a long form interview, but worth the time IMO. The guy is really something. It's heart-wrenching and inspiring to hear him tell his story.
The bombing at Abbey Gate, which took the lives of the service members in question, was entirely preventable. It was not prevented due to an almost unbelievable failure of leadership all the way up the chain of command. Tyler-Vargas describes this failure in detail step by step. He had the bomber in the sights of his sniper rifle for many hours. The bomber was a known terrorist, who had been in US custody at Bagram AFB until a couple of days before. When US forces abandoned the base, the Taliban released the bomber. He was identified by the Marines at Abbey Gate the day before the bombing, scouting the location with another known terrorist. On the day of the bombing, Marines watched as he patiently worked his way through the crowd to get close to the gate and to the Americans posted there. Vargas-Andrews and his fellow Marines had him in their sights the whole time. They repeatedly called for permission to shoot. Numerous officers in the chain of command came down to Vargas-Andrews' position and confirmed what the snipers were seeing, but not one would clear them to take the shot. Not one. Even their commanding officer told them he didn't have the authority and he didn't know who did. No one in the chain of command has been held accountable.
Highly recommend. Be warned, strong stuff.
"SRS is honored to present the story and view point from one of the Marines on the ground in Kabul, just days before the last U.S. Embassy fell–Tyler Vargas-Andrews. On August 26th, Vargas-Andrews was gravely wounded by a suicide bombing at the gates of Kabul's Airport, ultimately losing two limbs as a result of his injuries. This premeditated attack killed 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. Service Members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ-JXDoqsnc&list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk&index=80
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/68-tyler-vargas-andrews-marines-horrific-account-of/id1492492083?i=1000622908633
Lie eaters eat lies - and regurgitate lies. Happy authoritarian warriors and loyal apparatchiks for their leftist masters/Team D.
Here is then President Obama making a political speech at Arlington National Cemetery.
Leland - precisely. The corrupt lying lairs on the left do not care about the deaths caused directly by Biden's selfish poorly executed Afghanistan withdrawal. In their sad twisted minds - Biden wasn't even president. Loyalists(D) operate on delusion.
Rich - Where is the video proof of the leftwing lie?
I think Achilles about covered it with the link to the post of the parents and relatives of those lost in the utter incompetence of that withdrawal. Really, a withdrawal is a longer process. This was a pullout.
The Left thought they had a 'gotcha' moment with Trump acting Presidential, while Joe Biden was being photographed in a lounge chair at the beach, and Kamala was giving a talk on using Tabasco sauce in one of her recipes. Maggie Haberman, not surprisingly from the NY Times, saw an opening. She saw that photographs are not to be taken among some of the cemetery markers and...as the Left is wont to do, saw this as a jailable offense on Trump's part. And the Left media took over from there, as did every leftist talking head on X.
Until the Gold Star Families started speaking up about it all. To this day, neither Joe nor Kamala has called the family members to apologize for their massive f*** up. Joe remains on the beach. Kamala continues to be on the run from random, un-previewed questions.
In the end, we can have an actual leader, or a kindergarten teacher mentality leading our nation. You're all adults. Choose wisely.
The types of people in charge of Harris are the same people who steal luggage at airports to satisfy their fetishes.
“Trump has drawn criticism after posting a video of the ceremony to TikTok, along with a narration criticizing the Biden administration for the withdrawal, despite a federal law prohibiting "partisan political activities" at military memorial services. Critics say the video was inappropriate and disrespectful to the more than 400,000 service members buried at the cemetery.
Gold Star mother named Karen Meredith rebuked former President Donald Trump for posting a video of a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery this week.
Meredith, whose son First Lieutenant Kenneth Ballard was killed in Iraq in 2004 and was laid to rest in Section 60 of the cemetery, responded to Trump's video in an interview with Forbes published on Friday.
She said the "most important thing" about ceremonies in Section 60, which is largely reserved for soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, is that there is "no politicization involved at all, ever."
"You can go, you can take pictures. My family takes plenty of pictures when we go visit my son on the anniversary, but you cannot use it for political purposes," she said.
The ceremony itself "was fine," she said, but she took issue with videos from the ceremony being used in the post to social media.
"It makes me sick. I've been distraught all week," she said.“
It's fake political theater all around, starting with the gold star families. Trump went along, and then there's the fake outrage from the left.
You don't want Trump there because he's not commander in chief. Arlington is a military culture thing. If you start doing political stuff there with fallen soldiers as props, nobody will want to be buried there. Flag etiquette and military honors and so forth are part of military mindset, trained and designed to make everybody a useful part of a team and not an individual, not what you want in civilian culture.
The gold star families don't understand that either.
The right response from the left should have been "I'm sorry for your loss but we don't do political shows there."
Iman - the leftists at these compromised "media" outlets are all liars. They just do not care. Agreed it was a non-apology.
You support Harris. You support the war in Ukraine. And you support the same people Bush and Cheney support.
Deal with it. You are just being dishonest about it.
“As I said, this was not based on my original reporting; I was referring to reports I had read, in Axios and Reuters, about former President Trump having spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister,”
That was no apology. Neither axios or Reuters had reported that Trump had asked that of Netanyahu and Woodruff had spun the alleged conversation out of the fantasy in her head. She totally made that up. It was a fucking lie.
Trump did not visit Arlington on the first or second anniversaries of the service members deaths. But then it wasn't an election year.
The Trump campaign’s response to the most recent incident reflects Trump’s characteristic flouting of political norms, including those regarding veterans and military service that many consider sacrosanct.
At this point, I think we can replace characteristic flouting of political norms with disdain or contempt for political norms.
I really am glad that Inga is still fighting this.
I hope democrats keep fighting this. They are just really stupid people.
Disagree. Trump is a former president - and Tulsi used to be in the military herself.
Tulsi's speech was nothing but pure authentic respect for the military.
The left are just uncaring lying liars who lie - with their war machine. their desperate vitriol and Bullshit. The left stand on the backs of those who died - and lie.
Where?
Trump is a former president. Why don't you get back to blowing your Tampon Tim blow up doll.
Um, no. Norm was always sitting.
With so many strategists on the canal’s payroll we always see them attacking Trump at every opportunity, real or created, and from multiple angles. It is a negative consequence of unlimited leftie money…
As seen on "X"
"Harris will send your kid to war ignore it if they get killed then whine about someone else laying the wreath to remember them."
This is how you really know this backfiring on Democrats.
"Political norms."
You mean like having a primary election?
canal cabal- fuck the new format
The Truth - from Ben Shapiro:
"Ben Shapiro
@benshapiro
You [Kamala Harris(D)] bragged that you were the "last person in the room" on Joe Biden's Afghanistan debacle. Which means you [Kamala Harris(D)] are responsible for 13 dead American soldiers. Your boss checked his watch as their bodies came home. You disgraced America by getting those soldiers murdered through your cowardice and incompetence. Spare me your crocodile tears over the president who actually went to pay them homage."
Trump is posting video messages from Goldstar families, Harris is posting about Tabasco sauce
The families of the fallen deeply appreciated Trump's visit. Why don't you tell them about your norms, Rich. Explain your norms to this guy:
https://x.com/i/status/1830031005908156925
You want to know how badly this has backfired on Harris/Walz- just read Inga and Rich's comments above spinning furiously this morning.
It is pretty obvious that the DNC quickly distributed their talking points to the faithful party members. You know, people who cannot and will not think for themselves.
A former President of the United States cannot accept an invitation issued by the parents of the fallen to lay a wreath at graves in Arlington? It hardly matters that it makes him look good — it was a two day story with more than two months to go in the election.
By allowing herself to be goaded (by her own side!) Kamala Harris reminds us that she claims to have supported Joe Biden in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Mikhail Gorbachev showed — years before! — that it was possible to exit Afghanistan in an orderly fashion. But Democrats aren’t good at learning, are they?
Also bad because (1) Joe Biden had used that same section of Arlington for a commercial of his own, and (2) yes, it really is true that when the caskets were brought back to Dover AFB that Biden was caught, repeatedly!, looking st his watch. It was noticed by the grieving families and was also caught on tape.
A Gold Star Family member who lost a family member after Joe Biden+Kamala administration disaster pull-out in Afghanistan.
Leftist liars - ignore and do not care.
Shit-libs crying about norms is galling.
Violation of political norms is the whole point of supporting Trump.
It feels like Harris is losing momentum.
That's the problem. The reefs are dying and we're not laying enough of them to make up for it.
Trump was invited this year, not before. See, he appears when he is invited, and doesn't when he's not. You can make the connection, but you won't because shit-libs are just around to drop their leftist turds and squawk shit.
What Trump knows that Kamala's team doesn't: every time "Abby Gate" is mentioned, Trump wins.
Leland - your links are not clickable. at least for me.
The real stupidity will be if Harris tries this line of attack during the debate.
"It takes a special level of sociopathy for Kamala Harris to get on her high horse and wag her finger about respecting Arlington National Cemetery when the people she’s lecturing were there because *she* got people killed.
The moral vapidity of DC perfectly illustrated."
Bonchie
Again - you links are not click-able. They look clickable - but are not clickable.
Besides the current issue about it, I'm curious about the bigger issue of Arlington being considered not political. My assumption is that it was political from its very beginning and onward. War and people dying in war is political. Our military is not supposed to express politics but every politician expresses their politics through positions on war and military issues.
Politicians at cemeteries isn't new. Sheesh one of the most famous speeches in Ameican history (a very short speech indeed) was the Gettysburg Address, dedicating a cemetery filled with war dead. Lincoln at the time was in a fierce political season about whether to continue the Civil War. His speech there was a huge political moment.
Maybe it's just a Republican thing but I'll bet we have examples of politicians of various parties being political at veteran cemeteries in other places. Normandy for example...
Absence is also sometimes political. And it seems that politics is always best nullified when there is a shared unity at times of importance. But when only one side shows up, an absence is making it political as much as a presence.
Miss Manners on the ANC…
@ Inga:
". . . despite a federal law prohibiting 'partisan political activities' at military memorial services. "
What are you claiming constituted the partisan political activity on Trump's part? Laying a wreath?
not -click-able
No. There was nothing wrong with the wreath laying. It was the grinning thumbs up pictures next to the gravestones in Section 60. The name of the deceased military member on the gravestone next to the one he was posing next to was in the pictures without that family’s permission.
Even your "fixed" version comes off as naked politicization. The best thing to have done would have been to not start the argument.
Only the corrupt liar left would consider a loving authentic speech given by Democrat Tulsi Gabbard - who served in the Iraq war - and a former President who laid a wreath on the anniversary of the botched-Biden Afghanistan withdraw - where OUR US military families were unnecessarily killed - as 'ILLEGAL'.
The left want Trump is jail or dead. Why? because they are vile corrupt a-holes.
No place for politics? You cant fight in here this is the war room
No place for politics? You cant fight in here this is the war room
Political activity there is never appropriate, and under the law, only cemetery staffers and approved photographers are permitted to film or take pictures there.
Trump was gifted the to opportunity to visit and show respect for the family and their dead. But the Trump campaign saw an opportunity to exploit this invitation and took full advantage of it. There are some lines you just don’t cross, but Trump has never understood that and still doesn’t.
Giving a thumbs up and a smile over a dead soldiers grave is truly one of the lowest things he's ever done, and that list is long.
You've morphed your story, Inga.
Russia Russia under every bed Inga.
That.
Go away Dixcus. Fed or not, no one is buying what you are selling.
https://x.com/Jewtastic/status/1830107901538812289
Who knows if it's backfiring on Democrats or not. The question is will this cause more people to join up either cause? I guess the other question is will this issue affect the turnout percentage of either side base? That's if you view this from a non-emotional structural standpoint, lil
USMC veteran and Gold Star widow has a few words about the Arlington incident.
"Oh, Kamala, what have you done? In a move that was scummy even for her, Kamala Harris had the audacity to attack Donald Trump for appearing at the memorial for service members who died at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan. And, by extension, she attacked the Gold Star families who invited him to be there."
"just read Inga and Rich's comments"
I'll pass on that offer, thanks.
And this is why they try to keep Kamala from saying anything off script (not unlike Biden.) I presume Obama's people are handling Kamala like they handled Biden. Worked for them with Biden...
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
"I haven't spelled out why Harris's tweet is an awful blunder, but if you need more context click through to her tweet and scroll down to see the responses which are right there under hers. That's how Twitter works."
Speaking of how Twitter works, when I click the link I can see it, but I can't see any comments. I'm guessing I need a Twitter account for that?
"You support Harris. You support the war in Ukraine. And you support the same people Bush and Cheney support. Deal with it. You are just being dishonest about it."
Hahahaha! I revise my previous comment about your . Rather than devolving into a 13-year-old having a bad time of puberty, you seem to be devolving into an infant with a dirty diaper that needs changing. I DO support Harris, but ONLY because she is NOT TRUMP. I don't support her for her. This will be the first time in over 30 years I will vote for a non-Green Party candidate, and that is ONLY because I must take those difficult existential choices to try to block Trump from turning the White House once again into his baby's nursery, (and the nation his potty). I do NOT support US involvement in the Ukraine/Russian war, as I said. Your stamping your feet and insisting I do support it shows, again, only that you are an infant. Your non-sequitur about me supporting "the people who Bush and Cheney support" has me somewhat puzzled. Who are you talking about? Should I infer you did not support the criminal wars (and the war crimes) of war criminals Bush and Cheney when they were in power? I find it passing impossible that you did NOT vote for B/C...twice! But...surprise me!
Setting aside the immediate nonsense by the Harris supporters, the unspoken truth is that Abbey Gate is the direct result of having lawyers in the chain of command. Had the legalese nonsense not been embedded in the decision making tree, this would not have happened.
When your on X click on the actual statement and then you’ll see the replies.
Isn't it funny how quickly the left moved on from the "absolute moral authority" of Cindy Sheehan to what we have today, the partisan mockery of Gold Star parents by desperate democrats. You have to laugh at the idea Obama's "A team" is helping the Harris campaign after you see their tone deaf response to this campaign nightmare.
Can Rich and Inga and Cook please take time to drop one little comment explaining why it's OK for Harris and Biden and Obama and any number of other Democrats to do the very same thing in Arlington, and in fact make their photographs and video clips into professionally-produced campaign advertisements, but when Trump does much less it's somehow a disgraceful insult and crime?
No offence Rich but the media repeatedly lies about everything Trump says and does. Its to the point I almost automatically believe Trump is right and we will see the entire "altercation" was a fabrication. Not that it matters to you and your ilk. You'll just move on to the next lie. Its pretty predictable at this point.
LOL
This hoax is dying faster than the "feeding goldfish" hoax early in the Trump admin...as it should.
But we can see the Obama crowd has debilitating blind spots when it comes to the military that is now hampering Harris. This whole debacle was easily avoidable by sending a representative to the ceremony rather than blowing it off. It was political malpractice to ignore the Gold Star families and turn this into a 1 week news cycle instead of just letting it go and taking the "L".
Russia collusion lunatic and Stolen Valor fangirl Inga vs 13 Gold Star familis!
Game over Inga-bot.
The only Gold Star folks who count are - the Trump_hate-Cult leftist D-team ones.
Leland - for some reason your blue-links are not clickable.
There's a significant assumption on our host's part. Can a coherent sentence from the mind of Kamala Harris? Yes this was a stupid tweet--and probably written by one of the Obama sponsored mandarin caste that actually run our government. We can elect Ms. Harris and nothing will change. Just like Joe she will be a puppet figurehead out there. The mandarin caste will continue as before. That's part of the problem with Trump and why he is hated so. He didn't particularly bow down to the mandarins. He did not overcome them, but he put up a reasonably good fight. That's why they have been doing and are doing all they can to prevent a rematch.
"If only you'd had the sense and the restraint to delete most of the words."
Or, as we say on the interwebs, STFU.
"It's different when WE do it, because [reasons]." I'm pretty sure there's a Leftist macro for that.
Thank you, Eva. It doesn't work for me. I'm guessing I need a Twitter acct.
You mean this one?
https://youtu.be/9AjtQqpq89g?si=qbsSh2j0ffo9MOIg
https://youtu.be/slQ6vNNtODI?si=KI_IY4vTz8n1LhFu
“The Left thought they had a 'gotcha' moment with Trump acting Presidential, while Joe Biden was being photographed in a lounge chair at the beach, and Kamala was giving a talk on using Tabasco sauce in one of her recipes. Maggie Haberman, not surprisingly from the NY Times, saw an opening. She saw that photographs are not to be taken among some of the cemetery markers and...as the Left is wont to do, saw this as a jailable offense on Trump's part. And the Left media took over from there, as did every leftist talking head on X.”
Exactly. They thought that they had a gotcha. But their response was a major own goal. It’s almost like the Harris Walz campaign is being run by recent college grads, with no conception of the role of the military in our society and country. None. This attitude is the reason given by foreign war veteran Lt Col. Tulsi Gabbord, former Dem Congresswoman and candidate for President, for coming out for Trump and campaigning with him. Biden/Harris completely screwed up our withdrawal from Afghanistan, seemingly on purpose,
Keep in mind that this was not the first time that Trump had met with these families. Part of the job of the Commander in Chief is to comfort the families of those who fall as a result of their orders. Trump, no longer President, did this for these families, even though he hadn’t been the one who gave the orders that they died for. And Biden/Harris, who were responsible, did not. And then tried to gain political advantage for Trump doing so illegally (when he had been invited), for doing their duty, not his.
I think that this fiasco, on the part of the Harris/Walz campaign, is going to cost them significant votes from veterans and their families. Not Inga, or Walz, of course, but possibly millions of others.
"Political norms" has surpassed patriotism as the last refuge of choice for scoundrels in Washington these days.
I support being READY and WILLING to revolt and make war on our own government, if that is what is necessary to preserve our fundamental liberties. That's not just legal, but morally praiseworthy and the duty of every American.
The actual revolution will have to wait for the preference cascade. You'll know it when you see it.
A wise man once told me, when you just can't take it any more and want to start shooting the traitors and tyrants, go ahead and pick up your gun and walk out onto your porch. Look up the street, then look down the street. If you're the only one standing on your porch with a gun, go back inside and put the gun back in the safe.
Inga, the dullard, is as incompetent a spokesperson for Kamala as the candidate, herself.
Disappearing.
Again - Only Trump-Hating Cultist Gold Star voices count.
& Only democrats can use Arlington Cemetery for their ads.
It's the law!
A 2020 ad showed Biden at Arlington National Cemetery. The footage or photo was taken in 2010 when he was vice president, so it was an official visit, but putting it into an ad could well be seen as "politicizing" the war dead, all the more so when coupled with Biden's repetition of the "suckers and losers" canard.
Bill Clinton's staffers played up his "cross of stones" moment on the beach at Normandy. I could be wrong, but I think it was also in a campaign ad. Donald Trump was invited by the families involved and went to Arlington as a guest. If he didn't behave properly there, that can be an issue, but "politicizing" the war dead has long been common.
Any time a president or other elected official appears at Arlington for annual remembrance ceremonies, it's political. If they chose not to attend such events, they'd be skewered for it. Biden and Kamala also were invited to this smaller observance. The reason they refused to honor their invitations is that they were scared shitless of what the families would have said to their faces.
Harris participated in the withdrawal plans (didn't she say she was the last person in the room with Joe?), and it was a deadly debacle.
Everything else is secondary.
Those who rest at Arlington did not die to defend the so called "norms" of Washington politicians. They died to defend the values enshrined in Constitution and to defend those who would suffer if those values were lost or abandoned. Harris and her puppet masters assail those values every single day.
"Norms" means whatever they say it means. They would love to replace the Constitution with their "Norms."
"...and I will never politicize them."
Spoiler: you just did. Idiot.
"No offence Rich but the media repeatedly lies about everything Trump says and does. Its to the point I almost automatically believe Trump is right and we will see the entire "altercation" was a fabrication. "
I'm ALMOST there. But I'm 100% in my belief that if there is no recording, the comments attributed to Trump as a gotcha are assuredly BS.
So any photograph that includes an identifiable gravestone, taken without the permission of the interred person's family, constitutes "partisan political activity"? Seems like a stretch.
History begins anew every single day with these people.
I saw that Polifact says that the photo of Biden at Arlington, that the Biden campaign used in one of their ads, doesn't count because the photo was not specifically taken for campaign purposes. Even though the photo was used in a Biden campaign ad, Polifact rated the claim that Biden "did a campaign ad at Arlington" as Mostly False. Gotta love Polifact and their splitting hairs to keep Democrats from looking bad. (I wonder how long they had to look to find one quote that phrased it that exact way.)
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/aug/30/tweets/heres-how-a-biden-ad-that-featured-arlington-natio/
If this were anybody but Trump, it would be a non-story. Good job by the media and Democrats (but I repeat myself) for drawing attention to Biden and Harris' responsibility for our disgraceful exit from Afghanistan. Well done, a$$holes.
It's a new day in Dem world. All those "Question Authority" bumper stickers will have to be replaced with "Respect Political Norms."
"[U]nder the law, only cemetery staffers and approved photographers are permitted to film or take pictures there."
If true, that law strikes me as unconstitutional. Are you saying that if the NYT was there for a wreath-laying cemetery, and JD Vance showed up for it in jeans and a tee shirt, the NYT photographer could be prosecuted for snapping a picture of him and publishing it?
I am have the impression that trolling this site is the only attention that Inga gets in her life.
Rich is obviously a DNC employee. He is completely incapable of making arguments that engage thoughtful minds, like most of today's Democrat party.
USA should build skyscraper tiered tomb to house all forgotten soldiers!
all soldiers who die in wars that are always political
After Hillary lost- the collective left realized that they needed to make it illegal to run against their right to power.
"Harris participated in the withdrawal plans (didn't she say she was the last person in the room with Joe?), and it was a deadly debacle."
Turning "Elect me this time and I'll put an end to failures like the ones I enabled when I was elected last time" into a campaign ad is going to be a challenge, I'm thinking.
so who stuck out foot to trip them?
don't the dead deserve tampons too?
This is some of your best work, Althouse.
trying to figure out which actions official capacity vs non
asking for CJ Roberts to file under Critical Wreath Theory
An interesting Article from an out of print gaming magazine:
1936: What If?, Historically, the French refrained from intervening to block Hitler's 1936 remilitarization of the Rhineland. Their cabinet made that decision based on a report from the Finance Ministry stating the cost of such a move would force them to take the franc off the gold standard and let it float. When the US and British governments, along with those two nations' banking industries, declined to extend the line of credit that would've been needed in order to head off such a potentially panic-inducing economic development, the French decided they couldn't afford to act. The alternative outcome examined here, then, is based on the idea the French either got the loan they needed, or perhaps simply decided the Nazi regime in Germany represented too large a threat to the future of their own republic for it to be allowed to go on unchecked.
The full article goes on to say that Hitler would have been disposed, but there was great concern that the Communists would take over.
"Um, no. Norm was always sitting."
and never let another hold his beer! gotta give him that!
So. Robert. You're voting for more war?
so why not shoot and 'apologize' later?
= falling on live grenade to save comrades!
For Igna's enlightment even though it won't sink in https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vVoWEFoQcZU
'Arlington is a military culture thing'
a hard try at maintaining fantasy that military are defending country
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