Outrage, as you know, is the crystal meth of conservatism. So what are the wingers outraged about now? Well, this, for one thing (seen at LauraIngraham.com and Free Republic):
OK, two things.
First of all, as Garry Wills pointed out years ago, it's not even appropriate for presidents to salute the troops, even though they now do it routinely:
We are reminded, for instance, of the expanded commander in chief status every time a modern president gets off the White House helicopter and returns the salute of marines.Second of all, on June 26, 2001, I don't recall this photo engendering any right-wing outrage:
That is an innovation that was begun by Ronald Reagan. Dwight Eisenhower, a real general, knew that the salute is for the uniform, and as president he was not wearing one. An exchange of salutes was out of order.
I think that sets the "respect for the troops" bar about as low as it can go.
