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Right and Left React to Trump’s Condolence Call Controversy Right and Left React to Trump’s Condolence Call Controversy
(about 5 hours later)
The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen.The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen.
Has this series exposed you to new ideas? Tell us how. Email us at ourpicks@nytimes.com.Has this series exposed you to new ideas? Tell us how. Email us at ourpicks@nytimes.com.
For an archive of all the Partisan Writing Roundups, check out Our Picks.For an archive of all the Partisan Writing Roundups, check out Our Picks.
Michael Warren in The Weekly Standard:Michael Warren in The Weekly Standard:
Mr. Warren gives President Trump the benefit of the doubt when it comes to interpreting what he intended in his comments to the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson. Determining whether those comments — or any condolences offered during a period of grieving — were insensitive is up to the “ear of the beholder,” he argues. Read more »Mr. Warren gives President Trump the benefit of the doubt when it comes to interpreting what he intended in his comments to the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson. Determining whether those comments — or any condolences offered during a period of grieving — were insensitive is up to the “ear of the beholder,” he argues. Read more »
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Jena Greene in The Smokeroom:Jena Greene in The Smokeroom:
Ms. Greene writes about presidential outreach to the families of fallen soldiers from personal experience. In 2004, her father, a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, was shot down in Iraq. She explains how she received a letter from President George W. Bush but“we didn’t get a phone call from the president, and we didn’t expect to.” It’s not protocol for presidents to reach out to families directly, unless the death is high profile. “Bickering over this kind of protocol,” she warns, “rarely ends well.” Read more » Ms. Greene writes about presidential outreach to the families of fallen soldiers from personal experience. In 2004, her father, a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, was shot down in Iraq. She explains how she received a letter from President George W. Bush but “we didn’t get a phone call from the president, and we didn’t expect to.” It’s not protocol for presidents to reach out to families directly, unless the death is high profile. “Bickering over this kind of protocol,” she warns, “rarely ends well.” Read more »
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Rich Lowry in National Review:Rich Lowry in National Review:
According to Mr. Lowry, the uproar on both sides of the aisle over this issue is misguided. Mr. Trump may have been right that President Obama didn’t call each family of a fallen soldier, but he was nonetheless wrong to “use that point as a bludgeon.” Mr. Lowry adds that while the president’s reported comments to the family of Sergeant. Johnson sounded “horrible in isolation,” there’s no way to properly judge without hearing the entire phone call in context. Moreover, Mr. Lowry believes that controversies over condolence calls should be entirely left “out of our poisonous political debate.” Read more »According to Mr. Lowry, the uproar on both sides of the aisle over this issue is misguided. Mr. Trump may have been right that President Obama didn’t call each family of a fallen soldier, but he was nonetheless wrong to “use that point as a bludgeon.” Mr. Lowry adds that while the president’s reported comments to the family of Sergeant. Johnson sounded “horrible in isolation,” there’s no way to properly judge without hearing the entire phone call in context. Moreover, Mr. Lowry believes that controversies over condolence calls should be entirely left “out of our poisonous political debate.” Read more »
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Brandon Friedman in The New York Daily News:Brandon Friedman in The New York Daily News:
If the president did indeed tell Sergeant Johnson’s widow that her husband “knew what he was signing up for” in his call, then, according to Mr. Friedman, he has a poor grasp on how the military actually works. Mr. Friedman, who served two tours of duty and worked in the Obama administration, explains that since the Sept. 11 attacks one out of every 5,000 service members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan died on duty. “This makes it clear that dying in combat is neither common nor expected,” he argues. What “keeps troops going,” he explains, is the faith that your government, and your commander in chief, believe that soldiers’ lives are valuable. “No one shrugs death off as an inevitability.” Read more »If the president did indeed tell Sergeant Johnson’s widow that her husband “knew what he was signing up for” in his call, then, according to Mr. Friedman, he has a poor grasp on how the military actually works. Mr. Friedman, who served two tours of duty and worked in the Obama administration, explains that since the Sept. 11 attacks one out of every 5,000 service members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan died on duty. “This makes it clear that dying in combat is neither common nor expected,” he argues. What “keeps troops going,” he explains, is the faith that your government, and your commander in chief, believe that soldiers’ lives are valuable. “No one shrugs death off as an inevitability.” Read more »
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Ameer Hasan Loggins in The Guardian:Ameer Hasan Loggins in The Guardian:
When Mr. Loggins heard reports of what Mr. Trump had said to Sergeant Johnson’s family, he recognized it as the latest in a long string of moments black veterans were shown disrespect. Mr. Loggins points out that black troops have disproportionally experienced military punishment — up to, and including, the death penalty. Read more »When Mr. Loggins heard reports of what Mr. Trump had said to Sergeant Johnson’s family, he recognized it as the latest in a long string of moments black veterans were shown disrespect. Mr. Loggins points out that black troops have disproportionally experienced military punishment — up to, and including, the death penalty. Read more »
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Margaret Hartmann in New York Magazine:Margaret Hartmann in New York Magazine:
Ms. Hartmann notes that in all the attention paid to the condolence call controversy, most outlets and readers have missed a much more important story: the uncertain events from an attack in Niger that left four soldiers — including Sergeant Johnson — dead. In this piece, she outlines what is known and what questions still remain. Read more »Ms. Hartmann notes that in all the attention paid to the condolence call controversy, most outlets and readers have missed a much more important story: the uncertain events from an attack in Niger that left four soldiers — including Sergeant Johnson — dead. In this piece, she outlines what is known and what questions still remain. Read more »
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Leonid Bershidsky in Bloomberg:Leonid Bershidsky in Bloomberg:
Mr. Bershidsky takes a broader view in his column by examining the symbolic, or ceremonial, function of a U.S. president and how President Trump may or may not fulfill this role. He explains how in other countries, ceremonial duties such as honoring soldiers who have died falls to a monarch or other governmental figurehead. In the U.S., he notes, policy and ceremony fall to the same person, for better or for worse. Read more »Mr. Bershidsky takes a broader view in his column by examining the symbolic, or ceremonial, function of a U.S. president and how President Trump may or may not fulfill this role. He explains how in other countries, ceremonial duties such as honoring soldiers who have died falls to a monarch or other governmental figurehead. In the U.S., he notes, policy and ceremony fall to the same person, for better or for worse. Read more »
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Have thoughts about this collection? Email feedback to ourpicks@nytimes.com.Have thoughts about this collection? Email feedback to ourpicks@nytimes.com.