Comments for The Chirp Of Crickets

The Chirp Of Crickets

2009-12-02T17:30:55Z

Last night, our Commander in Chief delivered his address to the nation, on our new strategy on Afghanistan. I will not delve into the details of it, nor what I personally think of it at this moment. I just noticed the peculiar silence coming from his ~~captive~~ live audience.

As the German publication Der Spiegel reports:

Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond "enthusiastically" to the speech. But it didn't help: The soldiers' reception was cool.

Maybe the academic rigors, had the corps of cadets focused on their immediate studies?

Or could it just be that Obama was just plain boring?

Boq

Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-12-05

2009-12-06T03:05:18Z

P.s. That cadet on our right hand as we look at the picture, closer to us than the guy with the "Kill Bin Laden" book, needs to learn how to do a proper poker face. I know he's right young, and all, but that facial expression is all over the internet now. I imagine he's already gotten at least one letter from his parents about that. Cameras are everywhere.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-12-05

2009-12-06T02:51:31Z

Reminds me of an episode at one of Billy Jeff's State of the Union speeches. As I recall, he paused to direct attention to a B-2 pilot up in the peanut gallery, and asked him to stand up for attention and praise. I'll never forget the expression on that AF officer's face. He was obviously trying to do it right; thumbs on trouser seams, feet at 45 degrees, face totally impassive, etc., but I swear I detected clenched jaw muscles and would not be surprised to learn that the guy had broken a tooth or two. I speak as one who thinks he's borderline-autistic and thus not too swift at interpreting facial expressions, but I'll take my oath before God and everybody that that officer was just hoppin' mad and controlling himself with difficulty.

Comment from Chadd in FL on 2009-12-04

2009-12-05T00:55:13Z

@Ironside:

Gore was there in '93? I graduated in '94 and don't remember that at all, so I guess he didn't make very much of an impression. I don't know if you remember SecDef William Perry's speech, but that brought eye-gouging brutality to new heights.

Comment from Old Fat Sailor on 2009-12-03

2009-12-04T04:46:11Z

CASEY, same-same at Augusta in the 60's

Comment from AFSister on 2009-12-03

2009-12-03T18:37:37Z

Oh yes... there was more than one snoozer, but the rest weren't nearly as into nappy-poo as that one dude. Even Hillary was very heavy-lidded.

Comment from Boquisucio on 2009-12-03

2009-12-03T14:53:17Z

... Not to mention good bladder discipline, Fishmugger.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-12-03

2009-12-03T14:07:50Z

Miss Ladybug,

Yes the report was that they were march in at 1600 hours with the speech scheduled for 2000 hours. So it brings to mind an early dinner or no dinner until after the speech. Ya think refreshments were passed out for the long wait.

Comment from Ironside on 2009-12-03

2009-12-03T13:45:12Z

Electrifying speech compared to the Gore's visit to Ike Hall in 1993. THAT was eye-gouging brutality that noone can remember a single word of...

Comment from BillT on 2009-12-03

2009-12-03T09:09:35Z

I don't suppose anyone is going to post on the content of that speech?

The content consisted of mentioning neither "victory" nor "enemy," but he *did* mention himself 44 times. And Gibbs proclaimed it "the most significant wartime policy speech in the history of the United States."

Okay, okay, I lied about Gibbs' statement -- he was asleep, too.

...the cadets had been sitting in the auditorium for 4 hours prior to the start of the speech.

That's pretty much Standard Operating Procedure, Miss L.

Length of time prior to the VIP's arrival depends on the rank of the commander: Majors have the troops in their seats 20 minutes prior, LTCs have them in their seats half an hour prior, COLs have them there 45 minutes prior, and GOs have 'em there fifty minutes prior. However, the longest pre-arrival time I ever had to be in place before a Presidential visit (former Pres Nixon twice, sitting Pres Bush I once, former Pres Clinton once, sitting Pres Bush II three times) was *one* hour.

We *did* have a two-hour wait for a visit from former Pres Jimmeh Cottuh, but he was a no-show, so it doesn't count.

Comment from Miss Ladybug on 2009-12-02

2009-12-03T05:51:16Z

I heard on local talk radio this evening that the cadets had been sitting in the auditorium for 4 hours prior to the start of the speech. Anyone else heard that, from a verifiable source?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-12-02

2009-12-03T02:32:29Z

Casey - it's a small world.

Stephen went to the same schools in St Louis SWWBO did.

And then there's this connection to MMA, '47.

Comment from Casey on 2009-12-02

2009-12-03T02:19:03Z

Vodkapundit Stephen Green drunkblogged the speech, and added this little tidbit in comments:

Jay –

I don’t know how it is for USMA cadets, but I can tell you how it was for cadets at Missouri Military Academy, circa 1987.

When somebody important showed up to give some important speech, we cared a lot less about the speech (or the speaker) than we did about whether our shoes were shined well enough, and if our brass was polished well enough, to keep us out of trouble.

The rest was just a matter of not falling asleep during review.

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-12-02

2009-12-03T01:28:59Z

it wasn't just one snoozer, i picked one out in almost every single camera shot of the broadcast...

Comment from AFSister on 2009-12-02

2009-12-03T00:26:05Z

LOL!
I was wondering if that poor cadet caught snoozing would be making the internet rounds.... Looks like he did. Keith and I busted a gut laughing when we saw that last night.

I commented to Keith that the lack of applause and enthusiasm was incredibly obvious, making me wonder if the cadets were told NOT to react to the speech until he was done.

Comment from Argent on 2009-12-02

2009-12-02T21:20:20Z

I don't suppose anyone is going to post on the content of that speech?

Comment from Argent on 2009-12-02

2009-12-02T20:37:24Z

So I wonder when people are going to admit Obama is not that good a speaker. It's so much harder, isn't it, when you actually have to speak about something.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-12-02

2009-12-02T20:09:29Z

Well, that and the fact that those kids are going balls to the wall 16 hours a day and will use any excuse to catch a nap.

They did it to Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush, too. I'm guessing they did it to both Roosevelts, Harding, Coolidge, and Harrison, if they ever spoke to them in an auditorium, vice in formation.

There's a reason Eisenhower Auditorium in the former Bell Hall at Fort Leavenworth was nick-named "Sleepy Hollow." Many a famous personage was napped through in that auditorium.

Comment from 11B40 on 2009-12-02

2009-12-02T19:14:25Z

Greetings:

Nice to see that Combat Infantry Badge on the "Kill Bin Laden" reader. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.