We Salute the Rank, Not the Man

I'm following a page on Facebook dedicated to the architecture and history of the Gilded House, and it recently featured a beautiful photo of the Oval Office as it appeared in 2023 ...

before the garish redecoration that made it look (in my opinion) like the waiting room at a tacky Vegas whorehouse ...

I left a comment on the first photo that read, "A dignified office for a position that once carried dignity and gravitas," to which another commenter replied, "And still does." 

This led to a brief chain of dueling comments, in which that commenter reminded me that, "The position of president will always have dignity regardless of who’s in office. Always respect the office," and ended up with him chiding me that "... if [Der Furor] didn’t have to clean that mess ["Biden's open boarders (sic) process"] up, things might actually be different." Which, of course, had nothing to do with the garish new Walmart Liberace look of the Oval Office and the less-than-dignified behavior of its current occupant.

I was reminded of a scene from Episode 10 of the wonderful World War II miniseries "Band of Brothers" in which the Easy Company commander reminded his much-disliked predecessor, who had failed to salute him, that "We salute the rank, not the man" ...

In this, the fellow who tried to chastise me was surely correct - the office of the presidency holds the weight of the dignity and gravitas earned by leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt, and so deserves to be respected. But my point, that the dignity and gravitas of the office has been demeaned by its current occupant, is equally true.

I respect the office of the President as designed by The Founders and shaped by men who understood its meaning and the limits of its authority and responsibilities. I have no respect for the self-absorbed and dangerous buffoon who is doing his best to demean the office built by better leaders.

Have a good day. Be sure you have a plan to vote, in the November midterms and the Presidential Election of 2028. The stakes are as high as they've ever been.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo