PUBLISHED:
19:33 EST, 16 May 2013
Bắt lính che dù là vi phạm Quân kỷ của Thủy Quân Lục Chiến
President
Obama makes U.S. Marine break military rules by holding an umbrella while in
uniform... and the serviceman does not look happy about it
By David Martosko In Washington and James Nye
· The President unwittingly forced
two U.S Marines to break protocol and regulations as he ordered him to use an
umbrella to protect him from the rain today
· Came as he was assailed by
questions over three scandals engulfing White House during Rose Garden press
conference with Turkish Prime Minister
· Offered 'no apologies' for DoJ
secretly seizing phone records of Associated Press reporters over intelligence
leak
Even though he is the commander in
chief, there are some orders that even President Obama cannot give - as he
found out on Thursday, much to the chagrin of a put-upon U.S. Marine.
Hosting Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden, the president
requested two standing Marines to open umbrellas and protect them from
the light rain that was falling.
However,
according to Marine Corps regulations, not even the President of the
United States can request a Marine to carry an umbrella without the
express permission of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Scroll Down for Video 
Hoping for a break in the storm: Obama
faced a barrage of questions over three simultaneous scandals engulfing
his administration today during a press conference in a rain-soaked Rose
Garden with the Turkish Prime Minister
The Marine Corp Manual, which
is the bible for all soldiers serving, specifically states that a
soldier's uniform dress code does not allow the carrying of an umbrella
and 'no officer or official shall issue instructions which conflict
with, alter, or amend any provision without the approval of the
Commandant of the Marine Corps.'
Indeed, male Marines are informed never to carry an umbrella from the earliest phases of training.
Regulation
MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, rules
out any use or carrying of an umbrella while a Marine is in uniform.
However,
female Marines 'may carry an all-black, plain standard or collapsible
umbrella at their option during inclement weather with the service and
dress uniforms. It will be carried in the left hand so that the hand
salute can be properly rendered.'
Many
commentators found the use of the marines to be insensitive,
particularly given the President was answering questions on Benghazi.
The
lack of marines protecting Ambassador Chris Stevens at the Libyan
consulate and the failure to deploy marines to protect him amid the
outbreak of violence has come under fire ever since last year's attack.
Usually
a marine guard would be in force at an overseas diplomatic compound but
in Benghazi the government opted to use a private Libyan security team.
Tyrone
S. Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a CIA security team stationed a
mile away who heard gunshots and intervened to try and help Stevens.
They were also killed in a later attack on their compound.
When violence broke out there were also delays sending in marines to assist.
A
rapid response team were twice told to stand down amid the chaos while
reports at the time said the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team was
delayed because the state department ordered them to deplane and change
into civilian clothing.
President
Obama said the government was ' continuing to review our security at
high-threat diplomatic posts' in light of the attack.
During the press conference,
he also dodged questions about the IRS's targeting of conservative
groups, and said 'I offer no apologies' for the Department of Justice's
secret seizure of reporter's phone records in search of a classified
intelligence leak.
At
the press conference originally intended to be a victory lap for the
United States' relationship with Turkey, Obama stood alongside Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and fielded questions which quickly shifted
to the trio of scandals that are engulfing his administration.
Beginning
in 2010, Obama's IRS targeted a list of approximately 300 tea
party-related and other conservative groups for aggressive scrutiny
following their applications for tax-exempt status.
Broken Regulations: US Marines hold umbrellas
during light rain for US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a joint news conference today
A US Marine holds an umbrella for US President
Barack Obama during light rain as Obama delivers remarks at a joint news
conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Rule Breaker: President Barack Obama, center,
watches a Marine remove the umbrella after it stopped raining during his
joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Admission: Obama admitted that the U.S. needs to
'learn the lessons of Benghazi' but he called it an 'incident' rather
than a terror attack
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney displayed
grimacing photographs of himself from Tuesday's briefing before taking
questions from reporters on Wednesday. Carney has been under inordinate
pressure over a trio of Obama administration scandals
And
his State Department political appointees intervened in the aftermath of
the 2012 terror attack on an American diplomatic outpost in Libya, in a
process that resulted in a misleading set of talking points which
ignored terrorism in favor of a more muted explanation, in the midst of a
re-election campaign.
On the IRS scandal, Obama wouldn't
commit to saying no one at the White House knew about the targeting of
conservative groups before the White House Counsel was informed just
days ago.
'I certainly did
not know anything about the IG report before the IG report was leaked to
the press,' he said, without addressing the question of whether any of
his political appointees in the West Wing of the White House were aware
that the IRS was playing political favorites.
He also did not address information outside what the IRS Inspector General reported.
'My main concern is fixing a problem,' Obama said.
'It is just simply unacceptable for there to be even a hint of partisanship' in the IRS.
But he suggested that IRS employees may simply not have had sufficient 'guidance' on the fair fulfillment of their duties.
The
IRS Inspector General's report detailed the actions of a handful of IRS
employees in Cincinnati, Ohio, but did not find any upper-level
managers or political appointees responsible.
MailOnline
reported exclusively on Wednesday that some of the targeted tea party
groups received lengthy written inquisitions from other IRS offices,
including the Washington, D.C. headquarters and two offices in
California.
The Tea Party Patriots and other conservative
groups provided a powerful rallying force during the 2010 midterm
elections. It was around the same time that the Obama administration's
IRS began targeting such groups that applied for tax-exempt nonprofit
status
Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration J. George Russell (C) will testify alongside the
now-former acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller before the House Ways
and Means Committee on May 17. DOuglas Shulman (L), a former IRS
Commissioner, will also testify before Congress. Also shown is IRS
Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement Linda Stiff
Addressing
the Benghazi fallout pre-emptively before Erdogan spoke, Obama said
that 'at my direction, we've been taking a series of steps that were
recommended by the review board.'
He
spoke of various measures he was recommending, to 'learn the lessons of
Benghazi.' But he referred to the murders of four Americans there as an
'incident,' not a terror attack.
He
said: 'That's why, at my direction, we've been taking a series of steps
that were recommended by the review board after the incident. We're
continuing to review our security at high-threat diplomatic posts,
including the size and nature of our presence; improving training for
those headed to dangerous posts; increasing intelligence and warning
capabilities.
'And I’ve directed the Defense Department to ensure that our military can respond lightning quick in times of crisis.
And
his remarks focused on 'properly funding' the State Department and
Pentagon-run security at diplomatic posts, shifting the burden to
Congress to 'provide resources and new authorities so
that we can implement all the recommendations of the Accountability Review Board which issued a report last month.
He
said: 'We’re going to need Congress’s help in terms of increasing the
number of our Marine Corps Guard who protect our embassies.
'We're not going to be able to do this
alone,' Obama said. 'We need Congress.'
The review board is under fire for
failing to interview high-level Obama administration figures, including
then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Interviewing Clinton,
Republicans on Capitol Hill have said, would have provided insights into
who was accountable for lapses in security that left the U.S. Consulate
in Benghazi, Libya vulnerable to attack.
Barack Obama (R) and Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan hold a joint news conference in the White House Rose
Garden, but most of the focus was on three unfolding White House
scandals
No comments:
Post a Comment