Last night, Donald Trump delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress. And in many ways, it had all the hallmarks of the typical Trump campaign speech … a lot of promises, a number of verifiable lies and a total lack of substance.
Building the big beautiful wall got mentioned, as did bringing back manufacturing jobs from abroad. And, of course, we heard once again of the need to “repeal and replace” Obamacare with “reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower cost and at the same time provide better heath care.” About the only thing missing was a guaranteed cure for cancer!
But the most bizarre moment of the evening came when Trump talked about the raid in Yemen that took the life of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens. Trump invited the dead soldier’s widow, Carryn Owens, to the gathering. She was seated next to Trump’s daughter, Ivanka.
Trump praised the fallen soldier, saying, “Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero — battling against terrorism and securing our nation,” while Carryn Owens was overcome with tears. “I just spoke to Gen. Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, ‘Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies.’”
Unfortunately, many military analysts consider the raid a failure … a botched mission poorly planned and executed. Trump has recently blamed both his own military and Barack Obama for the raid gone bad … everyone but himself.
After a long … very very long …. standing ovation for the sobbing widow, the man who cares so much about records, ratings and crowd sizes went off script, saying Ryan Owens was looking down and was “very happy because he just broke a record” for a standing ovation!
The fallen hero, who might still be alive if not for a very questionable operation, is very happy because he broke a record for standing ovations? How totally insensitive. How totally Trump.
Owens’s father, Bill, refused to meet with Trump after his son’s body was brought back to the U.S. because of his anger over the raid, which marked a rare use of American ground forces inside Yemen. He has called for an investigation.
“Don’t hide behind my son’s death to prevent an investigation,” Bill Owens told The Miami Herald. “I want an investigation. … The government owes my son an investigation.”
With our current president, who seems to never make mistakes, and a Republican-controlled Congress, it is unlikely the grieving father’s request will ever be met.
Photo | businessinsider.com
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