Campaign 2012 Memories lll

Chat Away

President Obama embraces a mourner during his Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery

****

I have some serious catching up to do, popped out for five minutes and didn’t get back for over two hours 😕

This McCain stuff ….. I honestly don’t believe what I’m reading.

Will have newsie stuff in the morning – for now, chat away.

PS Huge thanks to LP for the previous post, really beautiful images.

Memorial Day tributes around the U.S.

***

POTUS delivers remarks at Arlington Cemetery

via Pete Souza

***

Bugle player on why we play ” Taps”

***

  

Arlington

President Obama hugs a relative of a family member buried at section 60 in Arlington Cemetery, where many members of the military killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried

****

“Last fall, I received a letter from Candie Averette, of Charlotte, North Carolina. Both of her sons are Marines. Her oldest served two tours in Iraq.  Her youngest was in Afghanistan at the time. He was, in her words, “100 percent devoted to his deployment and wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Reading Candie’s letter, it was clear she was extraordinarily proud of the life her boys had chosen. But she also had a request on behalf of all the mothers just like her. She said, “Please don’t forget about my child and every other Marine and soldier over there who proudly choose to defend their country.”

A mother’s plea – please don’t forget. On this Memorial Day, and every day, let us be true and meet that promise….”.

****

President Obama and Major Gen. Michael S. Linnington stand before a wreath ceremony on Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery

****

For those who didn’t get to Arlington.#NotForgotten twitter.com/Yardarm756DD/s…

— Nelson(@Yardarm756DD) May 27, 2013

****

Requiem

Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me;
“Here he lies where he longed to be,
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

(Thank you Yardarm)

****

****

****

First Lady Michelle Obama arrives at the amphitheater during Memorial Day commemorations at Arlington National Cemetery

****

…. with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel

****

Text of the President’s remarks here

****

President Obama meets grieving families in Section 60

Rise and Shine

Elsheba Khan at the grave of her son, Specialist Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, in Arlington National Cemetery – he died on 6 August 2007 in Baqouba, Iraq

****

Today:

9:30: The President and First Lady host a breakfast in honor of Gold Star Families

11:0: The President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; The First Lady also attends

11:20: The President delivers remarks

White House Live * C-Span

12:20: VP Biden and President Santos Speak to the press, Bogota, Colombia (Audio only at WH Live)

****

****

The Oklahoman: President Barack Obama came to Oklahoma on Sunday to comfort grieving families, laud the work of emergency responders and offer assurances that the nation stands ready to assist with recovery from last week’s deadly tornadoes.

…. He also talked with Moore School Superintendent Suzy Pierce, Shelley Jaques-McMillin, principal of Briarwood Elementary, which also was badly damaged, and several others, including Scott Lewis, who was able to get his son, Zack, out of school and into a storm shelter in the nick of time.

“He just wanted to speak to the boy and tell him how brave he was,” Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis said. “Told us everything will be OK. And he reassured us. We told him how great FEMA was and the first responders.”

…. Afterward, the president met in private at the station for about 30 minutes with several family members of the children killed at Plaza Towers.

More here

****

President Obama’s motorcade exits the tornado ravaged Plaza Towers Elementary School after visiting with residents and families in Moore

****

“When we say that we’ve got your back, I promise you, we keep our word.” —President Obama today in Oklahoma: at.wh.gov/lpMQt

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 27, 2013

****

****

National Memo – Five Great Signs for Obamacare

Republicans have tested the limits of hyperbole in attacking Obamacare. You can’t really top then-Minority Leader John Boehner warning that passage of the Affordable Care Act would be “Armageddon.” Well, we’re still here.

…. There’s no doubt that this new system that requires a health care marketplace to be set up in all 50 states will be complex and onerous to put in place — especially with Republicans purposely trying to engineer a disaster. But they’ve set expectations so low that there’s a good chance Obamacare will actually impress, especially in the blue states that are taking advantage of the landmark law.

….. Here are five auspicious signs for Obamacare

More here

****

Consumer confidence soars to 6-year high, backed by job growth, rising home prices. Consumers unaware what a bad job Obama’s doing, says GOP

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) May 27, 2013

****

NYT: The state of the economy is far from ideal, but some very definite positives are brewing. It’s not just that we are continuing to recover from a deep recession; we are also seeing signs that America’s long-term future may be looking up, too.

The case for optimism is hardly open-and-shut. The economy’s problems include high unemployment, mediocre productivity gains and stagnant or slow-growing earnings for most income classes. Still, let’s consider five indicators that the future is starting to brighten:

More here

****

California reminds us: The first step toward a balanced budget is getting Republicans out of office. fb.me/Fgm97vsR

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 26, 2013

****