U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers chose the funeral of a Brighton solider killed in action to politicize the Iraq fiasco and to continue pushing his defense of the President’s failed policy in Iraq.
Army Spc. Andrew P. Daul, 21, became the 8th of nine soldiers with Livingston County ties killed in Iraq, and the second in the span of just one week. Rogers spoke at his funeral, and anyone would be honored to have a U.S. Congressman to speak at their son’s funeral. Rogers deserves credit for taking the time to attend the funeral and pay his respects to a true hero, but there is no excuse for politicizing it. This is what Rogers said at the funeral, according to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.
Not only did he help his fellow soldiers, but Rogers said Andrew Daul helped Iraqis while serving in that country. Because of soldiers like him, Rogers said, Iraqis would talk about the greatness of the U.S. soldier, and he read a letter from a mayor of an Iraqi town liberated by U.S. soldiers.
"Their sacrifice was not in vain," Rogers read aloud from the mayor's letter. "Let the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity."
2 comments:
Guru, you are a piece of work.
How did Rogers politicize the funeral? By saying the brave soldier didn't die in vain?
What did you want him to say? That he DID die in vain?
Seriously - if you had written Rogers' speech, what would you have had him say?
Thanks for posting. I would have talked about his bravery in answering the call of his country, his willingness to serve and his dedication to his fellow soldiers. I would have talked about the extraordinary courage that makes a man so young get up every morning knowing the dangers that await him and strap on combat gear and patrol the streets when the risks are so great, and he does this day after day for at least a year.
What I would not have done is use this forum to try and spin the Iraq fiasco into some kind of humanitarian effort, and use that forum to try and defend the president’s disproved reasons for invading Iraq. More and more people are realizing the error of this invasion, including the late President Gerald Ford, but Rogers used a funeral to push the proven false idea that U.S. soldiers are liberators, loved by Iraqis and are greeted by candy and flowers.
As the funeral of another brave man concludes this is what the late President Ford said about the Iraq invasion, he “very strongly" disagreed with the current president's justifications for invading Iraq and said he would have pushed alternatives, such as sanctions, much more vigorously.
This young man’s courage, dedication and devotion should be honored and admired not used to make political points. However, as I said before, Rogers deserves credit for taking the time to honor Spc. Daul because we know not many from this administration could be bothered to do so.
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