Goddamned Army Automatons. Makes me glad I joined the Air Force

>>Bush, wearing a green Army jacket, received an enthusiastic welcome from the troops, who stood on the post's muddy parade grounds under bright sunshine and chanted "U.S.A.!" Before Bush appeared, small U.S. flags were handed out, and an officer gave instructions to the troops on how to receive the commander in chief. "We're going to show him a lot of love by waving flags," the officer said. Telling the troops not to salute, he added: "You're going to wave and clap and make a lot of noise. . . . You must smile. We are happy campers here." <<

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6089-2004Mar18?language=printer

"Love the President?!?" Yeah, right. My enlistment oath says that I have to obey him. I didn't see love anywhere in there.

Obviously, this dweeb is confused.

here's the subtext I read (my comments in bold)

"You're going to wave and clap and make a lot of noise. . . . You must smile. We are happy campers here because this asshole will be out of our hair in a few months and if we shit all over him now it's mine removal duty in the Baghdad burbs. So, smile and wave and we might live to see him ousted in november.

As an ex-army guy, I can say . . . if someone told us to cheer for the asshole that ordered us to go out of our way to come see him for no better reason than to make himself look important, we usually cheered, but the cheer was usually along the lines of a thinly masked EAT SHIT AND DIE!!!! :).

Having been ordered to clap and cheer for a prior Bush (while in L.A. during the L.A. Riots in 1992 and in the California Army National Guard), I can honestly say that most soldiers ignore that shit and say what they want to say :).

Hell a damned marine can't even walk down the street without trying to get in step with somebody and become part of the herd.