POTUS at Commissioning

[Deror]

Gentlemen,

I am a USMC officer candidate on a SNA contract. I'm commissioning in August, and was recently presented the opportunity to have President Obama swear me in. Problem is, I make Rush Limbaugh look like Nancy Pelosi. I have heard that the majority of the military is very conservative, so I am looking for input. 20/20 hindsight for those of you who lean right, would you have had Obama, Clinton, Carter sworn you in if you had the opportunity?

 

[mmx1]

I'm going to stay clear of this one.....

But FYI,
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/04/military_poll_advance_041110w/

 

[DanMa1156]

Regardless of your views on his policies, he's still your President and I think it'd be pretty neat to be sworn in by him.

 

[A4sForever]

You salute 'the Office' ... not the man. While 'men' come & go and ALL men have feet of clay, the Office of the President is there forever ...

It would be an honor to be sworn in by the President of the greatest country on the face of the earth. The same country you are going to serve & defend.

 

[Bevo16]

I think that you should have someone you respect swear you in.

I flew in a mentor of mine from my enlisted days to do the oath and had the (retired) AIRLANT Force CMC (who is a family friend) come in for first salute duty. I really treasure the pictures from that day, because they are full of people that I love and respect. If you don't like the guy, you don't want him in your commissioning photos.

 

[desertoasis]

President Bush came and spoke at our commencement ceremony two years ago. Did I disagree with a great deal of his policies while he was President? Yes. Did I still stand and cheer and sit politely when he spoke to us? You betcha. It was a tremendous honor to hear him speak, regardless of any personal political opinions I may have held. I know it's not exactly the same as being sworn in, but its in the same category.

No matter what you think of his politics or his positions, he is the freely elected leader of this nation and your (future) boss. It's just like saluting a higher rank, you are saluting the rank/office, not the person.

(Check it out A4s! We agreed on something else!!!)

 

[HAL Pilot]

When President Clinton visited my brother's town, his wife took their son to the airport to see him. President Clinton patted my then 5-year old nephew on the head when he greeted the crowd. When my sister-in-law told my brother this, my brother promptly pulled out the barber clippers, shaved his son's hair off and threw it in the trash........

Maybe their marriage has been so good because over the years my then-liberal Democratic sister-in-law now see the righteousness of my brother's actions as she bashes our current national leaders and consistently votes for the conservative Republican candidates.

He may be POTUS and CINC, but respecting the position doesn't mean you have to respect the person. If I didn't respect the person I wouldn't wanted him in my ceremony no matter what his positioin.

 

[RadicalDude]

I shook President Obama's hand as I was commissioned. Was and still is one of the greatest moments of my life.

 

[PhrogLoop]

for those of you who lean right, would you have had Obama, Clinton, Carter sworn you in if you had the opportunity?

Deror, PM me if you wanna hear what I did in this exact situation when I had the honor of being commissioned by one of the above.

 

[Deror]

Deror, PM me if you wanna hear what I did in this exact situation when I had the honor of being commissioned by one of the above.

Sir,

I am very interested in what you chose to do, but the website won't let me send a PM until I reach 50 posts.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I have heard that the majority of the military is very conservative, so I am looking for input.

But FYI,
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/04/military_poll_advance_041110w/

These career-oriented officers and mid-grade and senior enlisted members are still far more conservative than liberal, but they are less likely today to identify with the GOP, the survey shows.

So what was your point exactly?

Deror, PM me if you wanna hear what I did in this exact situation when I had the honor of being commissioned by one of the above.

I am very interested in what you chose to do, but the website won't let me send a PM until I reach 50 posts.

I think it's kinda funny that someone without 50 posts is advising someone without 50 posts to engage in a little PM exchange...

For what it's worth - I shook President Clinton's hand upon my commissioning. Did I respect the man? Not really, but I was finishing 4 years at USNA, getting commissioned, and he was the CinC. I've got that picture hanging up in my home office.

 

[Deror]

I just noticed that also. PhrogLoop, my email address is dselliott@liberty.edu if you wouldn't mind sharing your experience.

 

[mmx1]

So what was your point exactly?

Since when is the Military NCO's and field grade? There are far better polls than the Military Times, but it's fairly close to what's already known. You don't see the disconnect between "majority of the military is very conservative" and a small subset of officers and enlisted being "far more conservative than liberal"? The senior leadership has tended to lean conservative. The military as a whole, however, is all over the spectrum, and assuming ideological conformity would be a dangerous mistake.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Since when is the Military NCO's and field grade? There are far better polls than the Military Times, but it's fairly close to what's already known. You don't see the disconnect between "majority of the military is very conservative" and a small subset of officers and enlisted being "far more conservative than liberal"? The senior leadership has tended to lean conservative. The military as a whole, however, is all over the spectrum, and assuming ideological conformity would be a dangerous mistake.

Are you serious?

 

[Jim123]

To answer the question with another question, ask yourself which of the following will you tell your grandchildren?

-The President swore you in
-President Obama swore you in
-Barack Obama swore you in

(or insert any other name)


(On the lighter side, it just occurred to me that one could illustrate this question with a nifty venn diagram... hmm, maybe I'd better surf the Doc's Corner forum for ADD threads... what were we talking about again?)