President Obama Pays Respects to Fallen Troops at Dover Air Force Base

The President did not bring reporters with him -- reporters have had clearance to photograph arrivals at Dover since the start of the year. I believe the photos are an opt-in thing for the family at each arrival; that's why we only have photos from one family that night. They'd already made their call, before the President's schedule was confirmed.

Be as sour as you want about policies or random grudges, but Obama is right to actually face the consequences of current policy and pay respects to the fallen. And the families get to make the call regarding photos.

Not everything fits into some grand, PR-tastic conspiracy. Sometimes it's just a case of a President wanting to pay his respects with as little fanfare as possible. And judging from the quality of the tape/images and the early hour, he went out of his way to prevent a "photo op" feel.

A Soldier here. If the president really cares he would have left the cameras and reporters behind.

So all you arm chair generals have figured it all out on your own. Bush did listen to his advisors as is Obama the needs were or are being meet and we troops are gratful. We depend on our elected leaders to make good decisions all the generals in both wars are and have requested support and these things do not just happen over night. None you have a clue as what it's like over here we don't argue over which president is right all we care about is getting the job done and coming home. I hope Obama make the right call I hope he can stand up to his party as Bush did finish the job and not cut and run as other democrats have before him.

God Bless America

Condolences to the families of the fallen.

Bush visited hundreds of families without the paparazzi in honor of the fallen.17 of 18 families declined President Obama's most generous offer to use their families' pain as a photo op.I didn't agree with everything that Bush did by any means-but Obama royally screwed up with this press stunt. Get him out of office!

Mike/Bruce: "If you do not like President Obama that's fine, but do not dishonor the memory of these fallen heros by making the gesture trivial."

President Obama made the gesture trivial by making a photo-op out of a situation where he is supposed to be honoring our fallen soldiers. The timing of said photo-op adds further suspicion to his motives. In addition, one's preference for Mr. Obama has nothing to do with the honor of our fallen soldiers. Your conceit knows no bounds.

I'm pretty sure anyone who think going to a Military funeral is a photo op, but you do not grasp the courage it takes to understand that you are one responsible for their deaths. The most dignified and honorable thing any President can do is acknowledge that fact in person and up to this point no other President stayed up that late. If you do not like President Obama that's fine, but do not dishonor the memory of these fallen heroes by making the gesture trivial.

The salute of President Obama lookss far better than that of his Generals - it is excellent salute. Memorials are great post PR goodwill. God blesses.

Whoaaa! You're pretty smart, Beavis: "Cheney told a gathering at the National Press Club in June of this year that Saddam Hussein had no ties to al Qaeda . . ."

That's completely un-true and a perfect illustration of why you liberals can never get the facts right. Thanks for another "teachable moment." Here's what Cheney really said:

"there was a relationship between al Qaeda and Iraq that stretched back 10 years. It's not something I made up. ... We know for a fact that Saddam Hussein was a sponsor -- a state sponsor -- of terror. It's not my judgment. That was the judgment of our [intelligence community] and State Department."

"There clearly was a relationship. It's been testified to. The evidence is overwhelming."

"It goes back to the early '90s. It involves a whole series of contacts, high-level contacts with Osama bin Laden and Iraqi intelligence officials."

Whoaaa! You're pretty smart, Beavis, just because there's no hard evidence Iraq cooperated on the 9/11 attacks, doesn't mean they didn't. It has already been established through multiple credible sources that Iraq cooperated with and supported al-Qaeda, the group responsible for 9/11, several years prior to the attacks. Most reasonable Americans don't require a smoking gun (or mushroom cloud) to know that Iraq and their al-Qaeda cooperators were threats that would have been irresponsible to ignore -- especially post-9/11.

Anonymous: "you all were expecting a great cleansing only to find more of the same"

Anonymous: "I notice you haven't denied it. I don't think anyone could -- not even liberals."

Whoaaa! You're pretty smart, Beavis: "If someone doesn't deny it gots to be trew."

If someone doesn't deny something, that means they either agree or they don't have the facts to back up their contrary position. My guess is that you fall into the latter category.

Again, you don't deny Obama failed to keep his campaign promises to reform self-described Bush administration ills. So, you weren't expecting a great cleansing from Obama? That's certainly not the platform he ran on. The liberal memory is short indeed. Face it, Obama's a lame duck his first year -- another first for Obama. Frankly, I don't care if you admit it or not, the reasonable people of this nation will admit it to everyone come 2010 and 2012. See ya then!

vote em all out.

I'm pretty sure anyone who think going to a Military funeral is a photo op, but you do not grasp the courage it takes to understand that you are one responsible for their deaths. The most diginfied and honorable thing any President can do is acknowledge that fact in person and up to this point no other President stayed up that late. If you do not like President Obama that's fine, but do not dishonor the memory of these fallen heros by making the gesture trivial.

This was the most blatant phony photo op so far. This is the one thing he's done that is completely transparent. Pathetic.
Meanwhile he leaves more soldiers there hanging by a thread.

"The fact is that it has been relatively stable since the Bush administration realized success there."
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More nonsense. Bush's attack killed tens of thousands of Iraqis and maimed tens of thousands more. The attack destroyed huge amounts of infrastructure and the country has been plagued by more killings, bombings and deaths since the attack. Many people have gone without electricity, proper sewage facilities, water, food and so on.

As the recent bombings demonstrated the country is still in turmoil.

Your definition of 'success' is a sad one indeed.

"don't lie and act like I haven't provided evidence to back up my claims because I have."
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You provided no evidence Iraq supported al Qaeda, and no evidence Iraq was involved in 9/11.

You also provided no evidence weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.

Sorry, I can read.

Visualize Whirled Peas: "For the people who don't particularly like propaganda disguised as good news based on false data from artificially promoting sales through government programs paid for by those of us who actually pay taxes."

Exactly, the growth isn't real when it's just the government redistributing the wealth. Any dufus can spend other people's money. Real growth happens when the private sector creates products, services, and jobs, not when the government spends the private sector's money.

tierra: "The United States totally destabilized that country and it continues to this day as evidenced by the massive bombings and death within the past week."

Yeah, it was rock-solid under Saddam. Please.

The fact is that it has been relatively stable since the Bush administration realized success there. Whether Obama can hold on to that success, remains to be seen.

tierra: "Bush and Cheney 'let it (Afghanistan) slide'."

While it's true that the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq competed for troops, since we've realized success in Iraq the competition for troops between the two is no longer a problem. Now, there is no excuse for Obama to not fully address Afghanistan, yet he continues to let it slide. The war he claims is the war of "necessity" he let's slide. Scary stuff!

I can copy and paste too! Big deal.

"since we've realized success in Iraq"
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There has been no 'success' in Iraq. The United States totally destabilized that country and it continues to this day as evidenced by the massive bombings and death within the past week.