Has President Bush Spoken to More Military Audiences than His Predecessors?
In 2005 President Bush spoke in front of military audiences thirteen times times. Six times he explicitly used the events to thank the military for the sacrifices they are making--his words--on behalf of liberty and democracy. He has said that his main goal in these speeches was to reassure the troops of his and the nation's support for their mission. Two additional speeches that President Bush gave to military audiences were salutes to veterans on both Veterans day and V-J Day. One of Bush’s other military addresses was a heart-felt thank you to the troops rebuilding areas decimated by Hurricane Katrina. In a similar address the president gave thanks to military personal who provide the medical care and support for wounded soldiers.
The president addressed the Naval Academy twice. The first time was to present the Commander-In-Chief trophy to the Naval Academy’s football team for a triumph over the Army’s team. One month later the president delivered their commencement address. In only one incident during 2005 did the president use a military audience to deliver a speech explicitly addressed to the entire nation. On this occasion the president delivered his speech first in English and then in Spanish and gave an in-depth update on the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. President Bush also stated his future intentions for both wars at this time as well.
Why exactly are some people concerned about the audience President Bush uses? Some people are concerned he is exploiting the military for political gain. In a speech to troops stationed on Osan Air Base, in the Republic Korea, President Bush stated, "In Washington, there are some who say that the sacrifice is too great, and they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we have completed our mission. Those who are in the fight know better. One of our top commanders in Iraq, Major General William Webster, says that setting a deadline for our withdrawal from Iraq would be, ‘a recipe for disaster.’ General Webster is right.” Some feel that this statement was a direct attack on Democrats. By making this statement in front of troops the president is either showing that the troops support his cause or he is using a biased audience to show popularity for his plan.
Early in 2005 when the discussion of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction was prevalent an even more subtle statement was made by the president in a thank-you speech to troops and their families at Fort Hood, Texas. Bush stated: “The men and women of Phantom Corps know why we are in Iraq.” Some Democrats took this as a shot at them.
While these statements and others are viewed by some as indirect attacks on opponents of the war and ill placed in speeches addressed to the military, in the televised world we live in President Bush can expect any speech he gives to be reprinted or played for the entire country. When he speaks to the military he is speaking to everybody. He has therefore used the opportunity to address important concerns and to get across his administration's main points.
How does President Bush’s use of military addresses compare with those of former post-war presidents? First, he has delivered far more addresses to military audiences than any other post-war president. The highest number of military audiences Harry Truman spoke to in any one year was three (in 1945). Gerald Ford spoke to two (in 1974). Both Presidents Clinton and Nixon only spoke once (in 1969 and 1993). George Herbert Walker Bush spoke to six military audiences in a single year. Some presidents failed to speak to military audiences at all during some years (Kennedy in 1962 and Reagan in 1985).
Several factors in the past inhibited the practice Bush has found so useful of delivering addresses before military audiences. Before jet travel presidents found it hard to visit military bases. The first Air Force One jet did not go into service until 1962. President Nixon was the first president able to visit all fifty states within the United States. Air Force One not only provides transportation, it allows the chief executive to conduct all essential duties from anywhere in the world. The mere creation of Air Force One therefore gave later war-time presidents the ability to meet the troops around the globe. During the period of Vietnam the military was often given low marks by the public. Presidents therefore had an incentive to keep their distance from soldiers.
Key historical address have been given to military audiences including President Truman’s Navy Day Address in 1945. Truman used this speech to calm popular fears around the world of atomic warfare. “In our possession of [the Atomic Bomb], as in our possession of other new weapons," he stated, "there is no threat to any nation. The world, which has seen the United States in two great recent wars, knows that full well. The possession in our hands of this new power of destruction we regard as a sacred trust.” While this speech did succeed in calming nerves, other presidential address have failed miserably. In 1967 when President Lyndon Johnson addressed the military at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, his speech came off looking like a staged photo op and a plea for higher opinion polls. Many historians have since theorized that President Johnson’s use of the military cost him support and led in part to his decision not to run for another term.
President Clinton, reviled as a draft dodger in Republican quarters, addressed the military as little as possible. During both of his terms the president and the military endured a turbulent relationship. They got off on the wrong foot when he proposed allowing gays into the services. Later, he agreed to base closings. In an early Thanksgiving luncheon address in 1999 at Camp Bondsteel, Yugoslavia, the president used his speech before a mixed audience of soldiers and civilians to discus the long term positive impact troops were having in Kosovo. His visit was successful in creating a more humanitarian image that bridged the bond between both civilians and military forces.
Right or wrong, post-war presidents have historically used military audiences as a political tool to augment their own power and the country's.