Ms. Huffington describes it best:
I had read about Gates' speech at the Marine Corps Association's
annual dinner in Arlington when he broke down in tears during a
tribute to Major Douglas Zembiec. But it was only when I saw the clip
while taping the McLaughlin Group that I realized how significant and
deeply felt was Gates' display of emotion. Here is what he said, but
please watch the clip (the third story in the first segment):
"After the battle [of Fallujah, Zembiec] said that his Marines had
"fought like lions," and he was soon himself dubbed "the Lion of
Fallujah"... After returning from Iraq, Doug was promoted and given a
desk job at the Pentagon. He chafed at the assignment, volunteered to
deploy again, and was sent back to Iraq earlier this year. This time,
he would not return -- to his country or to his wife Pamela and his
one-year old daughter."
This war has been full of innumerable instances of both heroism and
tragedy but what is striking when you watch Gates speak is the raw
emotion he showed about this particular instance of both. By letting
his true feelings in the moment get the best of him, Gates broke with
the Bush policy of sanitizing the war.
Bush has been relentless about shielding Americans from the cost and
sacrifice of this war. Oh sure, he'll use the sacrifice of the fallen
as a political backdrop during a State of the Union speech or to
buttress his smears of any dissent as evidence of not "supporting the
troops." But from day one of this war he has tried to keep Americans
from coming face to face with the gruesome reality of this war.
That's why he refuses to go to the funerals of soldiers killed in
action. That's why for so long he refused to allow photographs of
caskets arriving on American soil. The president continues to believe
that by keeping his game face of smug what-me-worry optimism -- what
John McLaughlin called his "idillyc vision" of the war -- he can get
the public to buy into his fantasy of leading us to victory.
Nor is this attitude limited to public appearances. In an op-ed in the
New York Times, David Brooks recounted a recent meeting with the
president:
"Far from being beleaguered, Bush was assertive and good-humored.
While some in his administration may be looking for exit strategies,
he is unshakably committed to stabilizing Iraq... I left the
110-minute session thinking that far from being worn down by the past
few years, Bush seems empowered. His self-confidence is the most
remarkable feature of his presidency."
Brooks calls him "good-humored" -- most Americans would call him
deluded and determined not to let reality touch him the way it touched
Secretary Gates.
The best way the president can honor the heroism and sacrifice of
Major Zembiec -- and the other 3,631 American soldiers killed in this
war -- is to tell the truth to the American public.
Gate's emotional tribute isn't going to end this war, but it was
remarkable to finally see a high-level administration official "off
message" -- breaking with the party line and movingly acknowledge the
real costs of this war.
Thank you for your tribute to Major Zembiec, Secretary Gates, and for
not being "good humored" about this war.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
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