Honoring the Troops, Bush-Style

Technorati Tags: military pay raise, ROTC on campus, military widows

Pres. Bush had harsh words yesterday for private universities that do not have ROTC programs on campus [bolds mine]:

Mr. Bush yesterday presided over a ceremony honoring 58 graduates of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps who now become officers in the four branches of the armed forces. While recognizing the cadets' sacrifice and service to the nation, the president reserved his strongest remarks for some of the country's elite universities, including Columbia and New York universities, which do not offer the ROTC program because of their long-standing opposition to the government's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military.

"Every American citizen is entitled to his or her opinion about our military," the president said, as the graduating cadets stood behind him in the East Room of the White House. "But surely the concept of diversity is large enough to embrace one of the most diverse institutions in American life. It should not be hard for our great schools of learning to find room to honor the service of men and women who are standing up to defend the freedoms that make the work of our universities possible."

The president continued: "If cadets or midshipmen are graduating from universities that believe ROTC is not worthy of a place on campus, here's my message: Your university may not honor your military, but the United States of America does."

Earlier in the week, Pres. Bush threatened to veto legislation passed in the House that would give U.S. troops a 3.5% pay raise. The White House also opposes increasing the monthly death benefits paid, respectively, to surviving spouses of soldiers killed in Iraq and to the families of civilian personnel killed in Iraq.

Via Cursor.

Cross-posted at Shakesville.