“The Write Side of My Brain”

My friend, Michael Fletcher, captures insightful articles, cartoons and blogs off the internet and shares them with his readers.  Become one of his “followers” by going to Mike’s site and hitting his RSS symbol.  Have notifications sent to your email account.  It’s GREAT stuff.

His address:  http://thewritesideofmybrain.com/

One Quality of Commander-In-Chief You Can’t Spin

There are some people in America who will celebrate the day our President, George W. Bush, leaves office.  I believe there will be more people in America who, in the years to come, come to celebrate Dubya as one of the greatest commanders-in-chief in our nation’s short history.

One service man today understands just how much GWB brings to the table.  He writes about it on the Eielson Air Force Base web site.  (Go to http://www.eielson.af.mil/The Value of Service and then go to News.  Check the archives for stories for August, 2008, and finally check out the August 15th story.  If you’re not that energized you can read the article in question below.)

Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander8/15/2008 - EIELSON

AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia. 

It was an event Eielson will never forget — a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc … so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely 4:30 p.m.–however, when he left less than two hours later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule. 

That’s a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it happened. Here’s why. 

On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol–in the convoy’s most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle. 

I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening to the President’s speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a static display. 

When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us. 

Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room. 

The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn’t answer. 

A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, “I wish I could heal the hole in your heart.” He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, “Everybody out.” 

A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight. 

He said, “Come on, let’s sit down and talk.” He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President – he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque. 

For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq, his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the “cool” guy. 

He said that he’d taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot of pressure to do what’s politically expedient, but was proud to say that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He said that what he’ll miss most after leaving office will be his role as Commander in Chief. 

One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees. 

We couldn’t believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then said, “Let’s get some pictures.” The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone. 

The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn’t have to see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could’ve just given a quick handshake and said, “Thanks for your sacrifice.” But he didn’t – he put everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country. 

What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can’t treat others with dignity and respect. 

 

We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If you’re in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you’re treating your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every day. 

Have you prayed for Dubya today?  Have you thanked God for his leadership over the last seven years?  Maybe you should think about it, and then do so.

Keith Olbermann Is Losing It!

Keith Olbermann is losing his mind.  On September 8 of this year The New York Times included an article that outlined NBC’s plan to minimize Olbermann’s (and sidekick Chris Matthews’) influence in this year’s Presidential Election.  (see the  entire article)  Brian Stelter reports (with Jim Rutenberg contributing):

“MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election.

“That experiment appears to be over.  After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend thatthe NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

“The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.

‘The most disappointing shift is to see the partisan attitude move from prime time into what’s supposed to be straight news programming,’ said Davidson Goldin, formerly the editorial director of MSNBC and a co-founder of the reputation management firm DolceGoldin.”

It’s about time Olbermann got what he deserves … a kick in the pants.  How NBC justified keeping the ESPN-reporter-turned-news-anchor this long is amazing, still.

There is a lively debate taking place in this country … one the leftist media can’t moderate.  The debate centers around the role of the media in day-to-day life in America.  Many see socialists and elitists of academia, along with media bosses, using the “news” medium to promote their personal, political and ideological agendas.  And today’s news reporters and editors in both print and electronic media don’t seem to get it.  THEY feel victimized.  Isn’t that a hoot!?  Hello bias.  So long objectivity.

Stelter went on to write, “When the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lamented media bias during her speech, attendees of the Republican convention loudly chanted ‘NBC.’”

Finally a group of courageous current and former media staff members said tensions between MSNBC and NBC had come to a head.  But courage can only go so far.  All the comments coming from this group had to remain anonymous because ” … the network does not permit its people to speak to the media without authorization.”  So much for fair and balanced at NBC, CBS, and ABC.

Stelter pointed out, “Mr. Olbermann, a 49-year-old former sportscaster, has become the face of the more aggressive MSNBC, and the lightning rod for much of the criticism.  His program ‘Countdown,’ now a liberal institution, was created by Mr. Olbermann in 2003 but it found its voice in his gnawing dissent regarding the Bush administration, often in the form of ’special comment’ segments.  As Mr. Olbermann raised his voice, his ratings rose as well, and he now reaches more than one million viewers a night, a higher television rating than any other show in the troubled 12-year history of the network.  As a result, his identity largely defines MSNBC.  ’They have banked the entirety of the network on Keith Olbermann,’ one employee said.”

Holy cow!  How did such a young, angry man become so powerful?  And so troubled?

After the Republican party paid tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attack, according to Stelter and anyone who happened to tune in, “Mr. Olbermann abruptly took off his journalistic hat” … and lost his mind!  “‘I’m sorry, it’s necessary to say this,’ he began.  After saying that the video had exploited the memories of the dead, he directly apologized to viewers who were offended.  Then, sounding like a network executive, he said it was ‘probably not appropriate to be shown.’  Keith later explained, ’I found it ironic and instructive that I could have easily said exactly what I did say, exactly when I did say it, if I had been wearing a different hat, and nobody would have taken any issue,’ he said.”

Arrogant!  Self-important.  Hypocrite!  Since when has MSNBC and Olbermann abstained from showing the aftermath of attacks on civilians and our military in Iraq?  When did they start filtering mayhem out of their nightly broadcasts?  Never … not when they can espouse their own (and personal) politically charged agenda.

Lest ye think NBC has seen the light and will be turning down the volume on its leftist, vitriolic commentary on the Bush White House, the McCain and Palin candidacy, and Wall Street’s capitalistic woes  … turns outthe volume will stay up.  Olbermann and his “Countdown” will still be aired at strategic times … just before the three Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.

MSNBC, committed to its leftist agenda, hopefully will experience what such a position rates in the marketplace … and I’m not talking about the marketplace of ideas.  MSNBC is still going to prop up Olbermann while adding another socialist, Rachel Maddow, to the mix.  Question:  Who’s buying

 commercial time on these shows??  

To tell you how “in the tank” MSNBC is, and how much they have invested in Obama’s election, MSNBC’s president (Griffin), thinks Olbermann and Maddow’s point of view (single point of view – no diversity there) has a huge audience and constitutes a “signature brands of the entire company.”  That should remove any doubt as to where MSNBC has been and where it’s headed.  No longer reporting the news, MSNBC is creating news.

Take a good, long look at Stelter’s Times article.

And think about it!

Rewriting History – Olbermann Style

Just in case you doubt how angry Olbermann is, take a look … and get ready to throw up!

Keith Olbermann – Your Days Are Numbered!

“In a Special Comment, Keith Olbermann rebukes John McCain and his campaign handlers for abandoning honesty in favor of politically manipulative distortions, from rewriting the history of the Iraq war to blaming the media for the failings of the campaign and the candidate himself.”

That, my friends, was on the MSNBC web site tonight.

How can Olbermann rebuke the McCain Campaign for “abandoning honesty in favor of politically manipulative distortions” when he, himself, wears his leftist biased on his face, sleeve, etc.?

He actually proves the point of the McCain crowd with “… blaming the media for the failings of the campaign and the candidate himself.”  He’s a member of the media.  He’s done everything he can to criticize McCain and lionize Obama; he’s never asked Obama to explain his record (or lack thereof); he’s set up his fellow commentators with loaded questions – beginning his “questions” with something akin to “Now we all know that McCain is lying when he …” blah, blah, blah.  

Olbermann is a very unhappy man right now because I believe he sees that his days are numbered as a “credible” source of information.  Keith, baby … why not admit you’ve gone the way of Time, Newsweek and US News and World Report … you’ve aligned yourself with the Washington Post and the NY Times … and in the process made this name for yourself:  LEFTIST PROPAGANDIST.  Your hammer and sickle tatoo is showing.