Patterico's Pontifications

12/29/2014

President Obama: Putting Our Military Men And Women First

Filed under: General — Dana @ 12:53 pm



[guest post by Dana]

self·ish[ sélfish ]
looking after own desires: concerned with your own interests, needs, and wishes while ignoring those of others
demonstrating selfishness: showing that personal needs and wishes are thought to be more important than those of other people.

Natalie Heimel and her fiancé, Edward Mallue Jr., a pair of captains in the Army, were walking from their wedding rehearsal on Saturday at the 16th tee box at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course in Hawaii when they were informed they’d have to move their wedding, scheduled for the next day.

President Barack Obama wanted to play through.

It was the second time that day that the couple heard from the nation’s commander in chief, whose affinity for golf has, at times, caused political headaches for the White House. Stationed in Hawaii and knowing the president spends his Christmas holiday on the islands, they invited him to their ceremony on a lark. They had received a letter earlier on Saturday saying Obama regretted he couldn’t come and wishing them happiness on their wedding day.

“It was kind of ironic they got the letter from them and then, within hours, they were told they had to be moved due to him,” Jamie McCarthy, Mallue’s sister, said in an interview. “It was emotional, especially for her—she’s the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned.”

The wedding ended up being re-located to a lovely spot with an ocean view. The article states that it was unclear if the White House knew in advance of the wedding arrangements. Given that securing a venue for a wedding is the first thing anyone planning a wedding does, this had to have been on the books for some time. And while it’s possible that the White House may not have known about it in advance, would that have even mattered? The obvious fact of the matter is, the president could have postponed his golf game. He also could have used the opportunity to generate some good P.R. “Look, how could I have insisted on keeping to my plans in light of two people not only committed to selflessly serving their country, but also wanting to make their public commitment to one another. What could be more important than that?” Instead, what the president showed us is, if the president wants to golf, then by god, the president is going to golf.

–Dana

Update: Per elissa:

These “little people” were both West Point grads. The presidential golfing foresome [sic] included White House staffers Mike Brush and Joe Paulsen and friend Bobby Titcomb. Brush and Paulsen are responsible for planning and coordinating the president’s travel itinerary. Heck of a job, guys.

Here.

92 Responses to “President Obama: Putting Our Military Men And Women First”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  2. I’ve dubbed Zaphod, for his total self absorbtion

    narciso (ee1f88)

  3. the american president is a self-important whore with extremely hypertrophied entitlement issues

    this won’t really change with hillary or jebbie jiggles

    so best get used to it

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  4. Obola wasn’t about to allow their white privilege to keep him from playing golf.

    how dare they schedule a wedding at the same time he’s on vacation?

    redc1c4 (b340a6)

  5. Odoublebogey must not have wanted a son like Captain Edward Mallue Jr,

    mg (31009b)

  6. The people who run the golf course and the bride and groom work for the Commander in Chief. Nobody in the food chain has the balls to tell the Emperor he has no clothes.

    Embarrassed Golfer (66faaf)

  7. Probably one more bit of news that the President learned from reading the newspapers. Doesn’t anyone tell him anything?

    tyree (8e4cdd)

  8. Lame duck = not having to care about things like this.

    norcal (66d19d)

  9. President Putz’ schedule will not be altered, for anyone.

    askeptic (efcf22)

  10. “Stationed in Hawaii and knowing the president spends his Christmas holiday on the islands…”

    Frankly, I wonder why they didn’t foresee this possibility.

    AZ_Langer (a65cb5)

  11. It’s all about him. can you imagine the outrage that would have ensued if Dubya had done something like this

    PeterK (3e1527)

  12. it’s hard to foresee every possible way the president of the us can take a dump on the servicemen and women of the armed forces

    he’s very creative

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  13. But why would the White House have known about the wedding? Military installations have commanders, and it would have been the post’s commander (or his office) that decided to take away the Captains’ permission to use the course. (And let’s face it, our President is such a narcissist that if he had known about the wedding his press people would have arranged to get him in the wedding photographs, together with a nauseating powderpuff piece in the New York Times.)

    Jeff Hall (4e23a4)

  14. But why would the White House have known about the wedding?

    this is from the post Mr. Hall:

    Stationed in Hawaii and knowing the president spends his Christmas holiday on the islands, they invited him to their ceremony on a lark. They had received a letter earlier on Saturday saying Obama regretted he couldn’t come and wishing them happiness on their wedding day.

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  15. When did the couple send their invitation to the president? He declined to attend on Saturday. He knew in advance,thus his people had to know, too.

    Dana (0e0d17)

  16. The base Commandant’s designee would be the “person in charge” of such scheduling, and indeed should have known better than to allow any event to be scheduled during a presidential visit, and you would think (s)he should have canceled or postponed any such once even a rumor appeared that the CIC was on the way. However, that would make for many cancelations, unhappy citizens, … so the dice were thrown and this event wasn’t. I do wonder if any others were, if this slipped through the cracks, or (since it appears to have happened somewhere on the base anyway) they had a backup plan and had to use it when the Secret Service demanded the property.

    Given that they sent the Obamas an invitation, which they declined, why the fsck did they show up? Oh, well, he showed up. Maybe he apologized because someone was twisting his ear.

    GWB was known (by the press) not to travel over this pair of holidays, so that they (the press) could be at home with their families. Class act. (I’ve heard the idea that the really class thing to do would be to accept, have the Secret Service check the guest list, and show up; that would really be a disruption of the service, though, and I doubt the Bushes would have done that!)

    htom (4ca1fa)

  17. #15: I understand that, but even the most micro-managing President imaginable can’t be expected to keep track of who is getting married on what golf course all over the country. It was the post commander, or someone acting with his authority, who decided that the President got to golf and the soldiers got to stay single.

    Jeff Hall (4e23a4)

  18. The president probably gets tons of random invitations to citizen functions. There’s probably some poor intern who goes through them and writes a letter regretting that the president cannot attend. I sincerely doubt that anyone important in the White House knew of the wedding and invitation.

    I know you guys are all willing to believe the worst of Obama, but I think it’s far more likely the golf club management bumped the wedding when an Obama staffer called to set up a reservation.

    RohanV (bbdaa6)

  19. well then post commander was a cheesy stupid butthead too

    he should have pointed out to this ersatz “commander in chief” loser that real actual service peoples were getting married and he would just have to skip hole 16

    and then he should’ve ordered up some tasty holiday pies from the moowauhoo mcdonalds for the wedding party

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  20. Why are the taxpayers paying for golf courses on military bases? When did golf courses become wedding chapels? What happens when 21st century dips*its collide? Who put the bop in the be-pop-shadoo?

    nk (dbc370)

  21. The post commander has no choice in the matter, the CiC is, after all, the CiC. Previous orders and decisions are no longer relevant. Even if not that, the Secret Service acts like the entire world is their own back yard, and we are to let them do their thing without let or hindrance. This sometimes causes them embarrassment when they chase away the staff who are preparing the venue for the Visit but what do we know about how the electricity will be delivered to the stage? We tried to explain, and left. Wasn’t an hour before they were banging on our office door “You have to fix this, NOW!”

    We got a nice letter thanking us for our assistance in the Event, but there was no mention of what the assistance was or why it was required.

    htom (4ca1fa)

  22. Yes, I am willing to believe the worst about President Obama, given his pro-infanticide stand and his domestic terrorist ties before he was elected;

    but I agree, I think it is likely the decisions were on lower levels that never reached the President or even senior people on his staff.
    Whether he has a reputation among his staff that made it unlikely for anyone to bother him about it, I don’t know.

    But there must be at least a hundred complaints about President Obama that have far more merit, even if only closing National Parks during the government “shut down”.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  23. 18. #15: I understand that, but even the most micro-managing President imaginable can’t be expected to keep track of who is getting married on what golf course all over the country. It was the post commander, or someone acting with his authority, who decided that the President got to golf and the soldiers got to stay single.

    Jeff Hall (4e23a4) — 12/29/2014 @ 2:40 pm

    You’re making things up to make this look complicated. The fact is he just had to keep track of who was getting married at the course he wanted to play on the day he wanted to play it while on vacation in Hawaii. One state. One golf course. One day. Not “who is getting married on what golf course all over the country.” It’s really not that hard. You really have to go the extra mile to make it look harder than it is.

    They had received a letter earlier on Saturday saying Obama regretted he couldn’t come and wishing them happiness on their wedding day.

    But he could stop by and deliver an F.U. in person.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  24. MD in Philly, my beef with the Preezy on this score is that he’s quick to use his feigned concern for the troops when it’s politically expedient. Recall during the 2012 campaign when a soldier called in to the GOP debate, identified himself as gay, then proceeded to ask a question of the candidates. It was sort of “have you stopped beating your wife question.” The audience booed him, and the media made it out that they were booing him because he was gay. In fact they were booing the entire premise of his question.

    Obama was quick to claim Romney should have denounced his GOP audience because when you’re the commander in chief you’re the commander in chief of all the troops.

    When he can use them as props he pretends to love the troops. But to him they’re no more human than those styrofoam Greek columns he used as backdrop.

    The fact of the matter is at this stage he knows he’s disrupting thousands if not millions of people’s lives when he takes his annual month long Hawaiian vacation, what with all the restriction on air and sea use he puts on the “little people” so the Ear Leader can have his privacy. Vacationers, and businesses that cater to vacationers such as those that provide air and sea tours have been very vocal. When he treats military installations as his private playground he’s disrupting the lives of servicemembers in myriad ways. He may not have known about this particular incident, but that doesn’t matter. I’m sure there are thousands of stories like it over his presidency. He just doesn’t give a rat’s a$$.

    President’s that did care went to Camp David or their private residences precisely to avoid doing what President Mean Girl routinely does.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  25. Spam pies, Mahalo

    mg (31009b)

  26. I know you guys are all willing to believe the worst of Obama

    It’s not question of willingness so much as it’s his giving us so much to work with.

    In the big picture, it’s a small thing, however, while he may not have known about this specific instance and perhaps he didn’t given that he only called the couple to apologize when Bloomberg News asked questions, if you are going to be golfing where military weddings take place, might your social secretary – as standard practice – make sure there isn’t anything on the books already just to avoid a bad P.R. move?

    Dana (8e74ce)

  27. The optics are awful.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  28. I think he does care. Except when he can make use of individual “subjects” for political gain, it appears that he enjoys inconveniencing as many of us as possible.

    AZ_Langer (a65cb5)

  29. it wasn’t just a golf game… it was one of 0bama’s few
    opportunity’s to have a secret underground gay sex orgy
    with his secret gay lover chris matthews, various union thugs,
    the taliban/isis, socialists, and many many many communists.

    YourMaster (c7e392)

  30. 25. “He just doesn’t”

    And prolly didn’t even hear about either the invitation or the venue conflict.

    DNF (785273)

  31. DNF, but his people would have.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  32. ==it’s far more likely the golf club management bumped the wedding when an Obama staffer called to set up a reservation.==

    If the wedding was on the books for the 16th hole (barring only dangerous weather) the wedding should have stayed on the books for the 16th hole. Perhaps the president was not himself told, but you can be damn sure some of his staff and advance detail were involved in getting the wedding bumped so the more important imperial president could “play through” They are the ones who should be called on the carpet and reprimanded. I have thought for a long time that this administration does not have anyone on staff who understands and has the cojones to manage protocol and optics for this socially inept and narcissistic family.

    elissa (966081)

  33. According to a friend of mine who is a wedding photographer in Hawaii, the couple knew when they set the date and the location that a Presidential visit might impact the ceremony. That is why they invited the President in the first place. The change in venue was “Slight”, pre-planned and not a huge inconvenience. In addition, the President called after the ceremony to congratulate the couple.
    Someone left out a few facts when this was first reported.

    tyree (8e4cdd)

  34. Points by Steve 57, Dana, and elissa noted.

    Well, tyree, the article quotes the bride’s sister as saying the bride was “very emotional”. I would have thought that if she knew this was a possibility she would not have been so upset.

    But that is just speculation. Having read the story I am no longer uninformed, but misinformed, Mark Twain would say.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  35. MD, possibly she was upset because she received the notice to change her plans at her wedding rehearsal the day before the big event? The president had already been on the island for a week or so and they had heard nothing up to that point. I think it’s not unreasonable for them to have breathed a sigh of relief thinking that it would be a-go since they were already 24 hours from their “I do’s”.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  36. I know you guys are all willing to believe the worst of Obama

    because he’s never given us a reason to do anything else.

    name one positive, beneficial action he has taken since he took office in 2009.

    i’ll wait…

    redc1c4 (4db2c8)

  37. Plus, they had earlier received his letter declining their invitation, not that they would have to change venues. It would be upsetting to receive that notice later on in the day after receiving what I’m sure was a polite rsvp from a staffer.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  38. I have thought for a long time that this administration does not have anyone on staff who understands and has the cojones to manage protocol and optics for this socially inept and narcissistic family.

    The absence of any sense of culture or manners suggests that the “protocol office” is run by a bunch of rap musicians or else nobody cares. In past presidencies, the protocol office took care of who was invited and who was complimented. It all began with Hillary who fired the long serving White House Travel Office and then, for good measure, accused them of criminal activity that took years to refute. Just another Clinton “tornado.” The Obama crowd would not know protocol from protoplasm. Beyonce and Jay Z are the masters of culture for this bunch.

    We had a hint of what was coming when Obama gave Hillary, Queen of bad Arkansas manners, the finger in a debate. The Clinton people ate pizzas at their desks and Bill got blow jobs in the Oval Office. Just more down home manners. When the Clinton staffers pried all the “Ws” off the White House computer keyboards after 2000, we should have known what was coming.

    The barbarians are through the gate and advancing. Eric Holder is Master of Revels for”our people.”

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  39. == The change in venue was “Slight”, pre-planned and not a huge inconvenience. In addition, the President called after the ceremony to congratulate the couple.==

    So in your world a game of vacation golf is more important than, and can just supersede a couple’s wedding plans. A call from the president is like having your owie kissed to make it better. Good to know, tyree.

    elissa (966081)

  40. Prolly called from the 16th hole that farging icehole.

    Gazzer (c44509)

  41. #14

    Maybe when GWB was President, everyone felt comfortable telling him about the “little people”

    steveg (794291)

  42. Oh #14

    George Bush didn’t golf when men and women where in harms way overseas, so he wouldn’t have been out there in the first place

    steveg (794291)

  43. GWB, for all his faults, is a class act.

    Obola wouldn’t know class if it was duct taped to him.

    redc1c4 (4db2c8)

  44. These “little people” were both West Point grads. The presidential golfing foresome included White House staffers Mike Brush and Joe Paulsen and friend Bobby Titcomb. Brush and Paulsen are responsible for planning and coordinating the president’s travel itinerary.
    Heck of a job, guys.

    elissa (966081)

  45. Isn’t Titcomb the solicitor of prostitutes of unknown gender?

    Gazzer (c44509)

  46. Here is a link re Brush and Paulsen per Elissa at 45.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  47. Nice catch, Elissa.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  48. Stationed in Hawaii and knowing the president spends his Christmas holiday on the islands, they invited him to their ceremony on a lark.

    That alone makes them dorks, since if they were truly repulsed by Obama as they should be, the last thing they’d want — as a lark or not — is President “Goddamn America” attending their wedding.

    Mark (c160ec)

  49. Isn’t Titcomb the solicitor of prostitutes of unknown gender?

    Yes, he’s the now-retired flight attendant who — quite possibly — is very similar in various ways to Reggie Love.

    Mark (c160ec)

  50. Dana (8e74ce) — 12/29/2014 @ 5:02 pm

    I was simply stating the obvious in an understated way.
    tyree (do we know by another name) gave a comment that suggested it really wasn’t a big imposition, if the facts were known
    I wasn’t claiming he was wrong, I have no idea, but I was pointing out testimony to the contrary.

    I guess one can think about this event as an overall commentary on President Obama and his priorities,
    or ignore it,
    and think about the deficit, ObamaCare, the middle east, etc., etc.

    Actually, I think I should reread “Unbroken” and think of things to aspire to.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  51. I think you are wrong, Mark. Their invite was a pretty classic pre-emptive move. I’m sure they assumed that even tho he’d decline, their communication would be a subtle tip-off that a wedding was in the works and would/should (in normal circumstances with normal people )prevent the clusterfark that in fact occurred.

    elissa (966081)

  52. From Dana’s link at 47, it would appear TFG only found out about in the newspaper. Again…

    Gazzer (c44509)

  53. I updated the post with elissa’s comment and the link.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  54. President Reagan, at least by 1988, was very aware of the kinds of problems his travelling caused.

    Sammy Finkelman (d542b2)

  55. So in your world a game of vacation golf is more important than, and can just supersede a couple’s wedding plans.

    Well, yes. Nothing is more important than a golf game. And this was a gold course, you know. It’s made for playing golf, not for holding weddings, tying up the 16th hole for at least an hour, with who knows how many wedding guests turning the green unusable for days if not weeks. When churches start allowing golf during services, then people can complain about golf courses not allowing weddings to hold up golf games.

    nk who understands golf nuts (dbc370)

  56. *golf* not *gold* course

    the article quotes the bride’s sister as saying the bride was “very emotional”

    MD, did you manage to read that with a straight face? “EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Bride Emotional On Wedding Day! EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!”

    nk (dbc370)

  57. The penalty for getting married on a golf course should be – no strokes from the wife.

    mg (31009b)

  58. The barbarians are through the gate and advancing. Eric Holder is Master of Revels for”our people.” Mike K (90dfdc)

    Even if I liked the politics and ideology of White House administrations managed by the Clintons and now the Obamas, I’d still grimace at the low-class, no-class, slobs-R-Us, inconsiderate nature of them. Not to mention the used-car salesmen ethics and honesty oozing out of such presidencies. All made much worse because such people and their adoring fans buy into the notion that, hey, at least we’re well-intentioned, big-hearted and oh-so-sophisticated.

    Mark (c160ec)

  59. I’m coming to this late but the timing bothers me. The wedding was “on the books.” Apparently, Obama’s game wasn’t. The couple only found out the day before following their rehearsal. Finding out Friday afternoon/evening that their planned wedding the next day couldn’t take place as planned. It sounds like Obama made a last minute decision (or a late decision) to play at that particular course at that time. Normally, the Secret Service has advanced notice of the President’s planned movements so they can do their security checks and planning. Even if they have a pre-planned “excursion to golf course x” plan, they still need to do the security checks in case there have been changes since the original plan was drafted. I’m thinking Obama decided to play that particular course on Friday – an ad hoc game rather than a pre-planned outing. Dana’s right. The optics are terrible. This White House doesn’t seem to be able to handle even something as simple as a golf outing without making themselves look foolish.

    Bill M (906260)

  60. Their invite was a pretty classic pre-emptive move.

    Elissa, I just find Obama so disreputable that even the thought of socializing with him — even in a jokey way (such as sending out invitations to him in a “what the hell!” manner) — makes me cringe. I think he and Clinton have dumbed down the American presidency in a way that forever tarnishes it.

    Mark (c160ec)


  61. GWB, for all his faults, is a class act.

    Obola wouldn’t know class if it was duct taped to him.

    redc1c4 (4db2c8) — 12/29/2014 @ 6:33 pm

    In a move to reach out to the animal rights demographic, the White House outlawed any use of duck tape, red.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  62. 61. Their invite was a pretty classic pre-emptive move.

    Elissa, I just find Obama so disreputable that even the thought of socializing with him — even in a jokey way (such as sending out invitations to him in a “what the hell!” manner) — makes me cringe. I think he and Clinton have dumbed down the American presidency in a way that forever tarnishes it.

    Mark (c160ec) — 12/29/2014 @ 10:11 pm

    What you seem to be missing is that the military couple had no desire or intention of socializing with Prom Queen. elissa is pointing out that they were just firing off a flare; bringing up the fact that they were having a wedding ceremony at that location at that date to put it on Obama’s radar scope.

    So he wouldn’t eff it up.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  63. The more I think about it, I think there may actually be a person with negative class (rather like I’ve been said to have “negative tact”.)

    htom (4ca1fa)

  64. 34. According to a friend of mine who is a wedding photographer in Hawaii, the couple knew when they set the date and the location that a Presidential visit might impact the ceremony. That is why they invited the President in the first place. The change in venue was “Slight”, pre-planned and not a huge inconvenience. In addition, the President called after the ceremony to congratulate the couple.
    Someone left out a few facts when this was first reported.

    tyree (8e4cdd) — 12/29/2014 @ 4:38 pm

    Here’s a fact someone left out. I served under Reagan, Bush1, Clinton, and Bush2. Never in all that time did I ever hear of anyone needing to be warned that a presidential vacation would screw up their wedding plans. Because other Presidents managed to not do that.

    As someone pointed out, nobody needed to worry that Bush2 would screw up your day bay bumping you from the golf course because he wouldn’t play golf while the troops were fighting. As he said, he didn’t want some soldier’s mom getting notified her son or daughter had been killed in combat, then turn on the TV and see him having a good time playing golf.

    But that started me thinking along a similar vein. There’s all this excuse making (well-intentioned, I’m sure) for the Preezy. That he couldn’t have possibly known about this wedding, etc. That’s no excuse. Every other President knew that when they traveled they disrupted people’s lives. That’s why no other President in my lifetime acted with this much disdain for people. I’ve got to give Clinton credit here. I’ve been on base when Clinton visited. His visit was somewhat disruptive, but it was semi-official at least and not a vacation. And it was disruptive almost entirely because there was a lot more traffic; servicemembers and their families were invited to the photo-op onboard the carrier. As you may have gathered he was considerably more popular than this Preezy among the military. But then what isn’t more popular with the military than this Preezy? STDs are more popular than Obama.

    They were warned? That makes it OK? This is the first President who you needed to be warned about when you were making your on-base wedding plans. This is the first preezy who ever decided his recreational activities were so important. This is a new thing, invented by President Caligula here. And if tyree is right then this isn’t the first wedding he’s disrupted. So he does it routinely, thoughtlessly. He treats military installations, and the people in the military, as if they’re his chattel. Consequently people have to be warned that they’ll be treated like serfs, rudely and boorishly, in ways they wouldn’t have experienced before, not even under Bill Clinton!

    Steve57 (98542d)

  65. 52. elissa (966081) — 12/29/2014 @ 7:19 pm

    I’m sure they assumed that even tho he’d decline, their communication would be a subtle tip-off that a wedding was in the works and would/should (in normal circumstances with normal people )prevent the clusterfark that in fact occurred.

    If so, it didn’t work, because the invitation never made it to the same people who were planning the president’s itinerary, which is probably closely held, on principle.
    (that is, for security reasons, so that a would-be attacker would not have time to plan.)

    Sammy Finkelman (d542b2)

  66. nk (dbc370) — 12/29/2014 @ 9:51 pm

    I kind of took it all with a grain of salt, there are too many repercussions of Ferguson and other things staring me in the face.
    As I said before, I was just pointing out available evidence that seemed to contradict tyree’s
    comment. Maybe I’m being unfair, but it had a hint of disinformation damage control about it.

    I think country clubs are often sites for wedding receptions,; it could be that the reception was planned for there and then 16th hole was in relatively close proximity to parking and the reception site.

    nk, we’ve had youth come to church in their uniforms for baseball, fencing, and soccer, but I don’t think anyone has actually engaged in play during the service, and I’m guessing the majority of golf played by people who attend is of the putt-putt variety, but I haven’t seen that during services either (though the setting is obviously much more conducive for this type).

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  67. I also took it with a grain of salt, and it’s also a great opportunity for golf and “Bridezilla” jokes.

    So, for years, I’ve been teeing off behind this foursome, two married couples, and I got to know them a little. Denise married to John, and Luanne married to Joe. One day, only Denise is there. I go up and ask, “Denise, why are you here alone?” She sighs and tearing up little says, “John passed away suddenly”. I say, “I’m so sorry. But what about Joe and Luanne?” And she says, “Oh, they’re at the funeral”.

    nk (dbc370)

  68. All this conjecture about how early the prez knew about the wedding is utterly pointless.

    Here’s the big point: after he learned about the problem, he chose to play his game anyway. He /chose/ to make his golf game more important than two soldiers’ wedding day. And, he chose to call and apologize afterwards, as if that made it all better.

    This is a president who, like a teenager, believes it’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission.

    Burnside (8fa39f)

  69. no wonder everybody hates him

    happyfeet (a037ad)

  70. Just a note to someone *way* upthread on military golf courses:

    We’ve had golf courses on military bases for a *very* long time, *at least* since I was a military brat growing up in the 1960s. They are part of the recreational amenities that are provided for the personnel who are stationed at the base while they are there, just like a gymnasium or a library.

    The ashes of both of my parents are spread on the golf course at Scott AFB.

    Bill Roper (f4fa9a)

  71. Just to add to what Bill Roper said, as far as I’ve observed when you have a golf course it’s because you had the land anyway. And the land was necessary for the function of the base.

    I’ve never seen a golf course at a Naval Station. By that I mean where ships are homeported. Those are tight, compact, heavily industrial activities right by the waterfront. They’re only as large as they need to be. There’s no extra room for a golf course.

    But I’ve also never seen a Naval Air Station, where aircraft are based, without a golf course. Those are also only as large as they need to be. But there is room for a golf course. On your next trip to the airport you’ll see why.

    Since you have to have the land anyway, why not put a golf course on it?

    Steve57 (98542d)

  72. 69. …Here’s the big point: after he learned about the problem, he chose to play his game anyway. He /chose/ to make his golf game more important than

    Burnside (8fa39f) — 12/30/2014 @ 6:53 am

    This is what struck me about tyree’s attempted defense of President Prom Queen, which if you read it carefully is actually an indictment.

    34. According to a friend of mine who is a wedding photographer in Hawaii, the couple knew when they set the date and the location that a Presidential visit might impact the ceremony. That is why they invited the President in the first place. The change in venue was “Slight”, pre-planned and not a huge inconvenience. In addition, the President called after the ceremony to congratulate the couple.
    Someone left out a few facts when this was first reported.

    tyree (8e4cdd) — 12/29/2014 @ 4:38 pm

    Everybody else learned about the problem years ago. The problem was such common knowledge that the caterers and other people involved with planning weddings would warn their customers about the problem.

    So what’s Obama’s excuse? He didn’t see it on TV until now?

    Moreover, it’s not a problem that President’s needed to be told about before. Which is why I mentioned Bill Clinton. I thought he was a low point. He famously said he loathed the military. Like Obama he had never served. But nobody needed to tell him that hogging entire military bases for months at a time would negatively impact the lives of people using those bases (naturally every other President who served, including Bush2, would just be aware of it). But then, nobody would have to tell my 10 y.o. niece that either.

    Obama, he needs it laid out for him. Or he’s doing it on purpose. I vote for the latter. If tyree’s friend exists then this isn’t the first time he’s ruined someone’s wedding. Hence the routine warning. It’s just the first time somebody reported it.

    I spent 20 years in the Navy. I got married on a Navy base. Most of my friends got married on Navy (or other nearby) bases. Including in Hawaii, in December.

    This is the first I’ve ever heard of anyone ever having to be warned that a President’s annual vacation could ruin their wedding. I’ve heard people say, “Thank God the weather cooperated.” But never, “Thank God the President decided not to play golf today.” Nobody ever mentioned it when I talked to them before their weddings as something that might cause them to move their ceremony or reception.

    The President’s vacation plans have always been a non-factor in planning an on-base wedding. Until now. Obumble promised to change how Washington worked back in 2008. I suppose this is it. Now, for the first time, the Preezy ruins weddings.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  73. *…Moreover, it’s not a problem that President’s servicemembers needed to be told about before…

    Duh.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  74. Since you have to have the land anyway, why not put a golf course on it?

    If memory serves, as part of the budget deals that Clinton struck with the GOP in the mid-1990s, a number of golf courses on military bases were privatized. As I recall there were enough private golf courses that were only seeing about 15-20 rounds of golf played in any given week (most of them by the brass) that it was considered something of a mini-scandal. Especially since many of these courses were restricted to military personnel only, even though the taxpayers were footing the bill.

    JVW (60ca93)

  75. JVW, I don’t believe that’s the case. I went back to double check a few of my assertions, because when I talked about how President’s didn’t routinely ruin weddings with their vacations or where you’re likely to find golf courses I was speaking of my experiences. I don’t think anyone’s ever done a definitive study on the former, nor do I think it’s necessarily 100% true in the latter.

    There may be, or have been Naval Stations with golf courses and Naval Air Stations without them. But in my experience you don’t find them at NAVSTAs but you do at NASs. So I googled and found in the Mid Atlantic region there’s still an MWR-managed golf course (actually two) at NAS Oceana. But none at NAVSTA Norfolk.

    Which is about the same as when I was in before Clinton. The golf courses are still where they were, if the facilities still exist, and they’re still under the same management. My experience isn’t definitive, but I don’t know how you could privatize a golf course on a Naval Air Station. I’ve never been to a military installation where the golf course hasn’t been run by MWR, from the beginning to the end of my career.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  76. elissa,
    My source is an old friend of mine who is a wedding photographer who lives in Hawaii. Both of her parents were Marines and she is no fan of the current President. If she says it was not the big deal some internet sources make it out to be, I believe her.

    That being said, the question of what it would take for the President to cancel a round of golf still stands.

    tyree (8e4cdd)

  77. Would a beer summit with the cash for clunkers czar cancel his majesties round of golf?

    mg (31009b)

  78. 77. elissa,
    My source is an old friend of mine who is a wedding photographer who lives in Hawaii. Both of her parents were Marines and she is no fan of the current President. If she says it was not the big deal some internet sources make it out to be, I believe her.

    That being said, the question of what it would take for the President to cancel a round of golf still stands.
    tyree (8e4cdd) — 12/30/2014 @ 1:11 pm

    I exercise caution because anyone can say anything on the internet. That said, I have no reason not to suspect your friend doesn’t exist. Nor that she thinks this wasn’t a big deal.

    What I’m saying is that it was never a deal at all before Obama. That’s what troubles me. They’ve gotten used to the new normal of having a President bump people off of their wedding venues. They develop this amnesia, as if that’s no big deal.

    It is a big deal. Who else acted this way? I can’t find any President who ever thought he was entitled to do this, as if military installations were his own personal property.

    As I said, just because I never heard of this before doesn’t mean it never happened. Kennedy didn’t do this; lord knows the Kennedys had their own places like Hyannis Port and Glen Ora (rented) and that rape site down in Florida. LBJ didn’t do this; he went to his Texas ranch. Nixon didn’t do this; he had his Western WH, La Casa Pacifica. I don’t recall how Ford spent his Christmas vacations, but I’m sure he didn’t pull this crap (but then he was an ex-Fighter Direction Officer from WWII and would have just known better anyway). Jimmuh Cahtuh had his peanut farm. Reagan had his Kali Ranch. Bush1 would go to Kennebunkport. Clinton? He didn’t do this even though he didn’t have his own place. I recall him going to cronies’ places. And Bush2 would go to Crawford. And when these guys had to or just wanted to they went to Camp David. Which brings us back to Eisenhower, who apparently used it so much he gave it his name.

    Which brings us to this Chicago sewer trash. Their innovation seems to be to ruin peoples’ lives every December in Hawaii.

    If anyone has any evidence that other Preezy’s did this I’d love to hear it.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  79. I said the following above: “Here’s the big point: after he learned about the problem, he chose to play his game anyway. He /chose/ to make his golf game more important than two soldiers’ wedding day. And, he chose to call and apologize afterwards, as if that made it all better.”

    According to the article, however, the golf course never alerted the administration that it was bumping the couple:

    “Management at the golf course also reportedly made the decision to bump the couple to allow the president to play through without ever telling the president or his staff what was happening.

    “An administration official also told NBC News that White House staff didn’t know of the debacle until Bloomberg News, who first reported the story Monday morning, called for a comment. The president felt bad about the inconvenience and called the couple to apologize and congratulate them, the White House official said.

    “‘Congratulations on your wedding,’ Obama told the couple. ‘I feel terrible. Nobody told us. I hope the wedding went okay, anyway.'”

    If that’s the case, then I must retract what I said. I think Obama lies a lot when he says he “heard about things in the papers,” but this one actually seems reasonable.

    Burnside (8fa39f)

  80. 79-
    Steve, I think Ike named it after his Grandson, not himself.

    askeptic (efcf22)

  81. I’ll bet that if the newlyweds were black, The Won would have changed his plans.

    Hangtown Bob (352813)

  82. i think if they’d just been gay that would’ve sufficed Mr. Bob

    happyfeet (831175)

  83. @ #80

    Don’t give him too much credit. They’d probably lie about it anyway. (see Sharyl Attkisson’s book Stonewalled for examples)

    @ #79 and 81 – Camp David was indeed named after David Eisenhower, Ike’s grandson.

    Bill M (906260)

  84. 79. Steve57 (98542d) — 12/30/2014 @ 2:05 pm

    I don’t recall how Ford spent his Christmas vacations, but I’m sure he didn’t pull this crap (but then he was an ex-Fighter Direction Officer from WWII and would have just known better anyway).

    Vail, Colorado.

    And when these guys had to or just wanted to they went to Camp David.

    Where they never scheduled any weddings in the first place.

    The groom said it was a blessing in disguise, because the new location, by the base commanding officer’s quarters, was even better and had a better view of the ocean than the 16th hole on the golf course.

    And they got to speak to President Obama, which is something to talk about. There is an instagram picture of the bride and groom and the disembodied voice of President Obama. (you can’t see it or hear it, but you can see an iPhone)

    Sammy Finkelman (d542b2)

  85. 80. …According to the article, however, the golf course never alerted the administration that it was bumping the couple:

    “Management at the golf course also reportedly made the decision to bump the couple to allow the president to play through without ever telling the president or his staff what was happening.

    “An administration official also told NBC News that White House staff didn’t know of the debacle until Bloomberg News, who first reported the story Monday morning, called for a comment. The president felt bad about the inconvenience and called the couple to apologize and congratulate them, the White House official said.

    “‘Congratulations on your wedding,’ Obama told the couple. ‘I feel terrible. Nobody told us. I hope the wedding went okay, anyway.’”

    If that’s the case, then I must retract what I said. I think Obama lies a lot when he says he “heard about things in the papers,” but this one actually seems reasonable.

    Burnside (8fa39f) — 12/30/2014 @ 2:23 pm

    Yes, but again, so what? Other President’s didn’t need to be told about every single social occasion they’d be disrupting if they behaved like Obama. They already knew. So they didn’t behave like Obama.

    Barack Obama seems to think every single military installation and its associated facilities were built for his exclusive use. Clearly he was shocked that a military couple scheduled a wedding on his golf course.

    85. …The groom said it was a blessing in disguise, because the new location, by the base commanding officer’s quarters, was even better and had a better view of the ocean than the 16th hole on the golf course.

    And they got to speak to President Obama, which is something to talk about. There is an instagram picture of the bride and groom and the disembodied voice of President Obama. (you can’t see it or hear it, but you can see an iPhone)

    Sammy Finkelman (d542b2) — 12/30/2014 @ 5:45 pm

    Well then, Sammy, that makes it OK. Just like Obamacare.

    If you like your wedding plans you can keep your wedding plans. You’ll like this new wedding plan we’re shoving down your throat better!”

    So clearly Prom Queen can keep imposing himself on people just so he can play golf, since eventually the bride got over her considerable upset and through sheer luck it turned out OK (or the damage control team made it look like it did).

    …“It was emotional, especially for her—she’s the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned…”

    So let’s just keep going the the way we’re going until Obama completely and irretrievably ruins a wedding, eh, Sammy?

    And, again, how does anyone know he already hasn’t? I’m forced to point out for the umpteenth time that people like tyree’s friend have to warn people about Obama’s vacation habits for a reason.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  86. So let’s just keep going the the way we’re going until Obama completely and irretrievably ruins a wedding, eh, Sammy?

    Or screws up someone else’s life for some other reason besides a wedding.

    Steve57 (98542d)

  87. This is not the first time that pointing out missing facts regarding an internet “news” story was interpreted incorrectly. I was neither “defending” or “attacking” President Obama.

    tyree (84087f)

  88. I think it’s far more likely the golf club management bumped the wedding when an Obama staffer called to set up a reservation.

    Apparently the majority of Americans believe the President is a Czar or a minor divinity. Democracy or republic makes no difference when the citizens think of themselves as subjects.

    ErisGuy (76f8a7)

  89. tyree @88, that may be. But the facts you believed missing didn’t really change the situation. They show that people can get used to a new normal. But it doesn’t change the fact there is nothing normal about what Obama is doing. His behavior is on an entirely different, lower level than other Presidents.

    The facts you mentioned didn’t mitigate his behavior, which is the only reason I could imagine for bringing them up.

    …the couple knew when they set the date and the location that a Presidential visit might impact the ceremony…The change in venue was “Slight”, pre-planned and not a huge inconvenience. In addition, the President called after the ceremony to congratulate the couple.

    What was your purpose, then, for bringing up these missing facts?

    Steve57 (98542d)

  90. Steve57 (98542d) — 12/30/2014 @ 6:36 pm

    So clearly Prom Queen can keep imposing himself on people just so he can play golf, since eventually the bride got over her considerable upset and through sheer luck it turned out OK (or the damage control team made it look like it did).

    The commanding officer of the base, Colonel Eric Shaefer, made it up to them.

    But only after the news broke.

    He probably didn’t know about this before, either.

    Sammy Finkelman (b47846)

  91. Steve57,
    As I mentioned, my friend is no fan of the current President. She is there, in Hawaii. She is from a Military family and she is not outraged.

    President Obama’s administration withheld his birth certificate from the American people for years. While millions of worker-hours were used looking for it he and his administration did what they wanted with the American economy. Then he released his birth certificate.

    My purpose for bringing up the missing facts it that perhaps they are missing from the story for the same reason the birth certificate was withheld for so long.

    If the married couple still has a problem with the President, we will hear about it. In the meantime, let’s spend our time on something productive.

    tyree (8e4cdd)


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