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A Grande Distraction (Robert Coon On Politics)

4 min read

(Editor’s Note: This is an opinion column.)

Last week, while stepping off Marine One on his way to the United Nations building in New York City, President Barack Obama made an error in judgment by giving his Marine detail a half-hearted salute with a cup of coffee [1] planted firmly in his right hand.  

The incident, which has since become known as the “latte salute,” was a self-inflicted wound: it came to light after the White House posted a video of the event on its own Instagram account.

Critics seized on the misstep, scolding the president for what they considered an undignified action that was disrespectful toward the men and women serving in the military. On that basic notion, I would agree.  

But the gaffe — the most recent in a series — takes away the focus from more substantive issues, like foreign policy, where Obama’s administration has failed deeply and repeatedly.

But first, “the latte salute.”

As commander-in-chief, the president faces an incredibly high standard when it comes to interacting with those who put their lives on the line to ensure our freedoms. By way of the “latte salute,” Obama clearly failed to meet that standard. 

But Obama defenders have dismissed the error as a non-event. They’ve dug in their heels, taking great pains to document similar actions by previous presidents, including George W. Bush, seen saluting his military detail with dog Barney standing in for Obama’s coffee cup. 

Of course, two wrongs don’t make a right, and the continued failure by the Obama team to admit and acknowledge the gaffe simply feeds the flames and extends the controversy even more.

Media outlets, of course, have been playing up the salute — featuring a steady barrage of talking heads eager to pile on — while political organizations have used the incident as fresh hook to drive online fundraising efforts. That’s standard operating procedure these days, and not something that should come as a surprise. And while a certain level of criticism is appropriate, some pundits have gone over the top, with one suggesting that the “latte salute” might have been an intentional act “meant as an insult” to a military that Obama fundamentally “has a problem with.”

Overzealous criticism is par for the course [2] when it comes this president, who’s been under fire for numerous other “political infractions” unrelated to policy initiatives, including frequent vacations, a well-documented penchant for hitting the links [3] and most recently for wearing a tan suit at a news conference on foreign policy. [4]

But all these sideshows distract us from more substantive problems with the Obama Administration.

The administration’s response [5] to the repeated acts of aggression by Russia against the Ukraine has been anemic and virtually non-existent, positioning the United States as a mere onlooker in international affairs that can’t seem to find its principles or its backbone.  

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Obama’s self-admitted lack of a strategy to deal with the increasingly dangerous threat posed by the Islamic State terror organization continues to be on worldwide display.  

And his public feud with key military advisors over the need to use American ground troops to battle the threat posed by the Islamic State certainly isn’t making the optics of that particular failure any better.

Make no mistake; there’s plenty to criticize when it comes to the decisions made by this administration, and the “latte salute” qualifies as one of them.  

But unlike Obama’s inept approach to foreign policy, this most recent distraction doesn’t directly affect our national security or America’s position on the global stage — two priorities far more important than a misplaced a cup of coffee.

________

[1] By most accounts, Obama is a tea drinker. But you get the point.

[2] Golf pun definitely intended.

[3] He does play a lot of golf — far more than I could ever imagine he has time for given the demands of the office. But I’m unaware of anyone keeping tabs on how frequently he spends working into the wee hours of the morning or through the weekend on critical matters facing the nation. Until they do, it’s hard to gauge what constitutes too much golf.

[4] Oh the horror! 

[5] Or lack thereof.

(Robert Coon is a partner at Impact Management Group, a public relations, public opinion and public affairs firm in Little Rock and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You can follow him on Twitter at RobertWCoon. His opinion column appears every other Wednesday in the weekly Government & Politics e-newsletter. You can subscribe for free here.)

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