Blogs For Victory

From Political Punch:

President-elect Obama stopped by the Marine Corps base in Hawaii Kaneche Bay where servicemen and -women were eating Christmas dinner in Kailua Thursday evening.

“Just wanted to say hi, hey guys,” Obama said as he walked into the Anderson dining hall which was decked out in Christmas decorations.

The diners represented seven military units — Marine and Navy — some of whom were joined by their families for Christmas dinner.

As Obama entered the room, it was absent of the regular fanfare of cheering and clapping. The diners were polite, staying seated at their respective tables and waited for the president-elect to come to them to stand up.

Obama, dressed casually in a blue polo shirt and dark khaki trousers, worked his way around the room — table by table — and took pictures with the service members. He slapped them on the back at times, shook hands, and signed some autographs.

“Hey guys, Merry Christmas,” The president-elect said as he walked from table to table.

To be clear about this – once he’s sworn in, if Obama gives an order, it will be “yes, sir!”, without hesitation from these magnificent men and women. They know the drill – they serve the nation, not the man and an order from the President is an order from the United States of America. But it is important that Obama start to build a relationship of trust between himself and the men and women he will lead.

It is not at all helpful to Obama that he’s called our effort in Iraq a mistake and advocated a cut and run – a lot of the men and women in the armed forces have served in Iraq and/or know people who have, and some of them have lost friends over there…no soldier wants to hear his commander saying that his friends died for a mistake and that we should have lost the war. Say what you will about President Bush, but the military loves him – he’s done good by them and stuck by them when the political chips were down. In an institution with an ingrained memory of political betrayal in Vietnam, President Bush’s steadfast support has been reciprocated with a devotion above and beyond the call of duty. Both incoming Obama and outgoing Bush will get the “yes, sir” expected of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines – but there will be an element of trust lacking when Obama gives his orders.

Come what may, Obama must bridge this gap – and I give him a thumbs up in his visiting the troops. Can’t break down the barriers unless you, well, break them down. These men and women want to serve to the best of their ability, and they want a leader they can depend on – Obama has to prove himself that sort of person. Once he does, there is no task he can set our military which will prove impossible as long as there is political backing for it. Bill Clinton’s stock in the US military never really recovered from his cut and run from Somalia – and I hope that Obama has laid that lesson to heart.