# Military funerals, more partisan lies **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 11, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662 "2003-11-11T19:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/1 "2003-11-11T19:59:23Z")
I was listening to KABC talk radio this morning. The conservative host, Al Rantel, was complaining about the flak Bush is receiving for not attending any of the funerals of the soldiers that had lost their lives in Iraq. His guest was someone from [newsmax.com](http://newsmax.com). This idiot wanted to know how come Clinton gets off scott free when he never attended any military funerals either. He stated that he did “extensive research” and could find no instance of Clinton ever attending a military funeral. This “fact” is also stated on the newsmax website. > [@](#): > > Yet, in a comprehensive review of reports from 1993 to 2001, we couldn’t find a single instance of Mr. Clinton attending any military funeral anywhere. [newsmax article](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2003/11/11/135658.shtml) Well, Mr Dumbass, it took me less than a minute to find a picture of Clinton at the funeral for victims of the USS Cole. [here](http://www.geocities.com/cgunn2000/photos.htm) So, why is it that I can confirm this with less than a minute on Google but you, in the media, cannot. You also stated that no presidents in recent history have attended military funerals. But I seem to recall both Bush Sr. and Reagan, attending military funerals. As far as I can find, Bush Jr. is the only president in 20 plus years who has not. I suppose it would take too much time away from fundraising. Oh yeah, and it wouldn’t look too good considering the “mission accomplished” message that you so proudly proclaimed. I get so friggin tired of these outright lies. At this rate, Al Franken should be able to write a few sequels before too long. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/2 "2003-11-11T20:06:39Z")
[stretch] That was a memorial service, one year after the bombing. [Cite](http://www.cole.navy.mil/memorial/index.htm) [/stretch] ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/3 "2003-11-11T20:36:02Z")
Not quite. The date on the top of my cite was 10/18/00, just 6 days after the Cole bombing. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/4 "2003-11-11T20:36:34Z")
Let me also add that given the extensive security planning that goes into any presidential trip, it is nearly impossible for the president to go to a traditional funeral, days after the person(s) have died. So it’s a mute point which president has gone to what funeral. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/5 "2003-11-11T20:47:15Z")
Who would want the president at their loved one’s funeral? A funeral is a private time for family and friends to mourn, not a play ground for the secret service or a photo op for the president. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/6 "2003-11-11T20:47:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by musicguy \* > \*\*…So, why is it that I can confirm this with less than a minute on Google but you, in the media, cannot. \*\* See, its like this, the media is Liberal and out to make Bush look bad……wait, that makes not sense, does it? Its almost as if they are being Bush apologists. hmmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/7 "2003-11-11T20:49:58Z")
**Bruce** I rarely do this, but… the word is “moot” it’s a “moot” point. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/8 "2003-11-11T20:58:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > \*\*Let me also add that given the extensive security planning that goes into any presidential trip, it is nearly impossible for the president to go to a traditional funeral, days after the person(s) have died. So it’s a mute point which president has gone to what funeral. \*\* Well, the ways things are going, Bush just needs to be somewhere random in the US, and dead soldiers will soon be clogging up the local funeral parlor wherever he’s at. I’m more mad about [this](http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1067728207768&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724). Clinton gets a pass (but not a free one) since he wasn’t officially at war. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/9 "2003-11-11T21:00:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > \*\ ***Bruce** I rarely do this, but… > > the word is “moot” it’s a “moot” point. \*\* I can’t hear you. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/10 "2003-11-11T21:04:36Z")
I guess it is easier to dismiss it all as a moot point, rather than concede that your “cite” was from an entirely seperate event. As far as security issues, Clinton seemed able to work around that, within 6 days of the incident. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/11 "2003-11-11T21:09:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by musicguy \* > \*\*I guess it is easier to dismiss it all as a moot point, rather than concede that your “cite” was from an entirely seperate event. > > As far as security issues, Clinton seemed able to work around that, within 6 days of the incident. \*\* You’re absolutely right. I saw “Oct” and “Memorial” and was mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/12 "2003-11-11T21:14:34Z")
And my point wasn’t to debate the pros and cons of a president attending a funeral. It was simply anger towards these conservative liars, who don’t bother to check any facts, even though the information can be easily found. They just spew in all directions, assuming that nobody will attempt to verify the misinformation. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/13 "2003-11-11T21:16:24Z")
no problem, **Bruce-Daddy** , 🙂 Mistakes happen. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/14 "2003-11-11T21:29:06Z")
By the way, the person who was on the Al Rantel show was Carl Limbacher. I just sent him the following e-mail: > [@](#): > > Sir, I listened to you on Al Rantel’s show today. You stated that you were unable to find any evidence of Clinton ever attending any military funeral, including any from the USS Cole victims. I spent less than a minute on google and was able to find a picture of Clinton preparing to give a eulogy at a funeral for the Cole victims on 10/18/00. I would suggest that your research skills are severely lacking, or you are simply a partisan liar. Either way, your credibility is laughable. Learn how to use a search engine. I’ll let you know if I get a response. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/15 "2003-11-11T21:36:06Z")
And why, exactly, do you hate America so much? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/16 "2003-11-12T00:41:51Z")
Because we let ignorant idjits like Carl Limbacher spew ignorant dreck and nobody calls him on it? ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/17 "2003-11-12T02:07:46Z")
Sorry **Musicguy** , I’m repulsed by Bush but I have to say I don’t think the case is made against him here. Here we go: In what capacity was Clinton attending the USS Cole service, as - Head of State - Commander of the Armed Forces - President - Private grieving citizen? With that knowledge I’d ask, is it common for the person in that role to attend, not funerals as you say, but a unique Memorial Service at the dockside on the homecoming of the victims? Then I’d ask how practical is it for the president to attend every funeral of a someone dying in Iraq (clearly not, it would be a full-time job in itself at the moment), followed by, whether it’s right to attend some funerals and not others, and on what basis do you decide that? Finally, I’d ask if the president, given the time being fair and equitable would consume, has better things to do (in the interests of the country) and, instead of a one-off as the USS Cole dockside Memorial Service was, how long would the president continue to attend funerals as this is likely to go on for a very considerable length of time to come? I don’t worry quite so much about the protests he’d attract, or the negative media image or the callous way ignoring the dead portrays him. But I do think there are possible reasons that might explain why the comparison is unfair ? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/18 "2003-11-12T02:12:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > I’m more mad about [this](http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1067728207768&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724). Clinton gets a pass (but not a free one) since he wasn’t officially at war. In addition to the whole business about Bush banning media coverage of when the bodies of dead US soldiers are returned to American soil, one has to love the following: > [@](#): > > But today’s military doesn’t even use the words “body bags” — a term in common usage during the Vietnam War, when 58,000 Americans died. > > During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the Pentagon began calling them “human remains pouches” and it now refers to them as “transfer tubes.” “Transfer tubes.” How wonderfully Orwellian. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/19 "2003-11-12T02:34:05Z")
Interesting how lies mutate through retelling. Various right-wing “pundits” have been spreading a similar lie about Hillary Clinton not attending any 9/11 memorial services. I suppose that’s what makes lies so convenient: it only takes a few quick changes to shift the smear to the target du jour, where as when you’re dealing with facts, you have to actually wait for them to happen before you use them as evidence of how scummy your opponent really is. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662/20 "2003-11-12T02:37:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > Finally, I’d ask if the president, given the time being fair and equitable would consume, has better things to do (in the interests of the country) and, instead of a one-off as the USS Cole dockside Memorial Service was, how long would the president continue to attend funerals as this is likely to go on for a very considerable length of time to come? Certainly Bush can’t attend all the funerals. But he, or some high-ranking proxy such as Dick Cheney, could either attend the occasional funeral, or periodically show up at Dover AFB for a brief memorial service when the bodies arrive. After all, they seem to have plenty of time for [fundraising](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23967-2003Nov10.html). (An even better source is [www.whitehouse.gov](http://www.whitehouse.gov) - looks like Bush and Cheney have appeared at [six Bush-Cheney '04 fundraisers already this month](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/), on top of [ten last month](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/). Which was how I noticed that, just three weeks ago, Bush proclaimed [National Character Counts Week](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031020.html). ROFL!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-funerals-more-partisan-lies/212662.md?page=2)