[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

Armed contractor with criminal record was on elevator with Obama in Atlanta - The Washington Post

Some of the stories about the Presidential detail make you wonder how seriously they take to protecting him. I am very positive that the one salute with a Latte in hand angered the more military minded on any detail.

Just a note. Presidents didn't salute military men up until Reagan.

Rachel Maddow: 'Not even old Gen. Eisenhower … saluted military personnel' as president | PunditFact

We suspect Maddow’s basis for her description may have roots in a 2007 New York Times opinion piece by Garry Wills, a professor emeritus of history at Northwestern University, as well as a 2004 op-ed by then-Reagan military aide and now-Minnesota U.S. Rep. John Kline.

Wills was writing about presidents saluting soldiers when they board and exit Marine One (just like Obama on Tuesday).

"We are reminded, for instance, of the expanded commander in chief status every time a modern president gets off the White House helicopter and returns the salute of marines.

"That is an innovation that was begun by Ronald Reagan. Dwight Eisenhower, a real general, knew that the salute is for the uniform, and as president he was not wearing one. An exchange of salutes was out of order."

Straight up from a GOP site.


Is it Proper for a President to Render a Military Hand Salute? | Texas GOP Vote

The answer is quite simple. The President of the United States is a civilian. He is not a member of the US Military and is therefore not entitled to salute. The military salute is a privilege earned by honorable service in the military. It is also a privilege that can be taken away. Military prisoners are stripped of the privilege of saluting. While the President is Constitutionally the CINC, he is not a member of the military.

One of the core principles of our country is our military is under civilian control. The President is that civilian authority over the military as is the Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the branches of the armed services.

The President shouldn't be saluting military men. Period. It's not about respect, it's about principles.