After all the hoopla that when on before the Notre Dame commencement, it's nice to see that a day that is supposed to be about the graduates, actually focused on the Graduation and not President Obama and what he does or does not support.
As long as I am your commander in chief, I will only send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary, and with the strategy and the well-defined goals, the equipment and the support that you need to get the job done. --- President Barack Obama, 2009 Commencement Address to the Graduating Class of the US Navy Academy, Annapolis
As the New York Times reports:
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Nobody protested President Obama’s commencement address Friday morning at the United States Naval Academy. Nobody told Mr. Obama he was undeserving of an honorary degree. Instead, under a nearly cloudless blue sky, the president was treated to a 21-gun salute, a Blue Angels flyover— and a respite from the controversy that has dogged him at two previous graduation ceremonies.
Obama Is Embraced at Annapolis
There was no controversy leading up the event like at the Notre Dame commencement where protesters made their presence known. There was no national debate over like the one that occurred when Arizona State University declined to present President Obama with an honorary degree.
There was no such controversy here in Annapolis, where midshipmen are more apt to say "Yes, sir" than to protest. Clad in sparkling summer dress whites, the graduates greeted their new commander in chief with hoots, hollers and raucous applause. Mr. Obama, in return, praised them for the path they had chosen — a notable contrast, he suggested, to the pursuit of wealth that helped foster the current economic crisis.
"These Americans have embraced the virtues that we need most right now: self-discipline over self-interest; work over comfort; and character over celebrity," the president said. "After an era when so many institutions and individuals have acted with such greed and recklessness, it’s no wonder that our military remains the most trusted institution in our nation."
Obama Is Embraced at Annapolis
One of the members of the graduating class was John S. McCain, IV, son of Senator John McCain who is known as Jack. Naturally, Senator McCain and his family were among the 30,000 in attendance. They sat in the audience unobtrusively. According to an administration official, President Obama did not make special mention of the younger McCain out of respect for Senator McCain's wishes. However, when it came time for Jack McCain to receive his diploma, the crowd roared and President Obama spent a few extra minutes with him:
The graduating class had a special gift for President Obama:
When all the diplomas had been handed out, the 2009 class president, Ensign Andrew R. Poulin, summoned Mr. Obama back to the podium to present him with a black flight jacket emblazoned on the back with gold block letters that read "commander in chief."
"It even has pockets for your Blackberry, and you will look sharp on the basketball court with this, sir," Ensign Poulin said.
Mr. Obama took off his blue suit coat, slipped on the jacket, and flashed the graduates a thumbs up.
Obama Is Embraced at Annapolis
The Huffington Post has posted a slide show of about eight pictures, including Senator John McCain and his wife: Obama, Jack McCain Embrace At US Naval Academy Graduation.
For those who could not attend, here is Part I of President Obama's address:
And here is Part II: