You Liberals can't say you never gave the shaft to Bush!
Barack Obama went to a gym at a military base in Hawaii the other day and did something positively Reaganesque — he returned a Marine’s salute.
In so doing, he wandered directly into the middle of a thorny debate: Should U.S. presidents return military salutes or not?
Longstanding tradition requires members of the military to salute the president. The practice of presidents returning that salute is more recent — Ronald Reagan started it in 1981.
Reagan’s decision raised eyebrows at the time. Dwight Eisenhower, a former five-star general, did not return military salutes while president. Nor had other presidents.
John Kline, then Reagan’s military aide and now a Minnesota congressman, advised him that it went against military protocol for presidents to return salutes.
Kline said in a 2004 op-ed piece in The Hill that Reagan ultimately took up the issue with Gen. Robert Barrow, then commandant of the Marine Corps.
Barrow told Reagan that as commander in chief of the armed forces, he was entitled to offer a salute — or any sign of respect he wished — to anyone he wished, Kline wrote, adding he was glad for the change.
Every president since Reagan has followed that practice, even those with no military experience. President Bill Clinton’s saluting skills were roundly criticized after he took office, but the consensus was he eventually got better.
The debate over saluting has persisted, with some arguing against it for protocol reasons, others saying it represents an increasing militarization of the civilian presidency.
“The gesture is of course quite wrong: Such a salute has always required the wearing of a uniform,” author and historian John Lukacs wrote in The New York Times in 2003.
Eisenhower did return salutes while president. This has been proven in this very thread. He didn't do it when exiting Air Force One, but he did render them to military personal, especially during ceremonies. It was Reagan that seems to have started the AFO exit salute, and he did it because he felt strange not returning it. Reagan also served as a Captain in the military, so he had it slammed into his head to return salutes.The difference is you clueless fool, is that whatever I think of him or his policies I address him by his title or sometimes by just his last name when speaking about him in public (which includes this forum imo) I don't bastardize his name when criticizing him or his policies.
As others have stated it seems to be a lot of fake outrage over a gaffe.
As I stated before maybe Presidents should be given a crash course in military customs and courtesies when they assume the office so dicks who like to get all angry about shit like this have something else to start hypocrisy laden threads about.
Additionally here's a piece about President elects saluting military personnel from before he was even inaugurated.
http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromt...alute-or-not-to-salute-thats-obamas-question/
It seems that traditionally Presidents are not required to return a salute. However, if it is something they prefer to do they should make sure to not be holding anything in the right hand.
Again, you have no room to be talking about respect if you don't even show basic respect to the Office. The sad part is that you probably don't even understand why.
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I'd rather that Presidents not return salutes with salutes. The Commander in Chief is still an elected civilian and that distinction is important.
Eisenhower did return salutes while president. This has been proven in this very thread. He didn't do it when exiting Air Force One, but he did render them to military personal, especially during ceremonies.
The reason Obama's salute is acceptable is because he has zero experience or training in military customs and courtesy, as he has no military service. For a former military member, that wouldn't fly; they know better.I stand corrected. However, President Eisenhower definitely had more experience in customs and courtesies than President Obama has had before assuming office so he knew not to be holding items in his right hand.
Presidents are not required to salute and I second Piasabird's suggestion where it is physically awkward to render a salute that a President who wishes to acknowledge the salute can do so by saying "As you were."
As stated in a forum about respect for the military in regards to salutes it's bad form to complain about it then to go ahead and disrespect the Office of the Commander in Chief like some petulant over-outraged mouth breathing moron.
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