When people say Fox News will slam President Obama for anything, they mean anything.
In just the latest example of the conservative media creating a double standard for President Obama, Fox News is slamming him for failing “to mark D-Day in any significant way,” even though President George W. Bush only officially commemorated D-Day twice during his presidency.
Obama’s D-Day commemorations actually mirror those of George W. Bush; both presidents chose to commemorate D-Day on significant anniversaries but not annually.
For example, on the 61st anniversary of D-Day, Bush hosted a concert at the White House to celebrate Black Music Month, and did not significantly recognize D-Day. I don’t recall a Fox News alert slamming President Bush back then.
In fact, White House archives of June 6 for each year President Bush was in office only show Bush commemorating D-Day in 2001 and 2004. In 2001, Bush dedicated a D-Day memorial in Virginia, and in 2004, he went to Normandy to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day. There are no “news” references to D-Day in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, or 2008.
In addition, conservatives want people to forget that in 2009, Obama traveled to Normandy to take part in a ceremony honoring the 65th anniversary of D-Day. There’s even video of it and everything!
In the past, many Presidents have chosen to issue press releases about D-Day rather than give big speeches about its importance, even on important anniversaries.
Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a brief written statement from the White House on the 10th anniversary of D-Day in 1954. 10 years later, Lyndon Johnson skipped the 20th anniversary celebration entirely because he was caught up in a fight over extending civil rights.
So can we lay off Obama for this one?
