Schwarzenegger Exalts Troops - WSJ

[question everything]

By JIM CARLTON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 1, 2004; Page A4

While some Republicans shy away from reminding Americans of the soldiers dying in Iraq, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is going out of his way to pay them homage.

The Republican governor of the nation's most populous state issues public eulogies and orders the state capital flags lowered to half staff in honor of every soldier from the Golden State who has lost his life fighting in Iraq. For that, he is winning accolades from many military families -- and not just at home.

The approach taken by the action-movie hero stands in contrast to the low-profile way others have remembered fallen soldiers. The Bush administration, for instance, has enforced a ban on media photos of soldiers' coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

And no other state has taken as public a stance as that of California, including large states that, like California, have lost dozens of soldiers. In New York, the third most populous state, Republican Gov. George Pataki has sent personal letters of condolence to families of New York soldiers who have died, but has issued public statements honoring only the three national guardsmen who have died, a spokesman says. The spokesman says Mr. Pataki felt it was his duty to do so as commander in chief of the New York National Guard. In Texas, the second most populous state, Republican Gov. Rick Perry hasn't issued any news releases for the at least 74 soldiers killed from the Lone Star State. A Perry spokesman says he did attend one serviceman's funeral, though, and that he sends personal condolences to family members whenever possible.

Of the nation's Democratic governors, some have chosen to eulogize only fallen National Guard soldiers, while others have honored some but not all soldiers from other services.

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Write to Jim Carlton at [e-mail]

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108605609522325466,00.html

[JSJ]

1. Ahnolt...

...saht dat hiss fodda vass ahso followink orters ven he vass in the Austwian Werhmacht SS.

[AndyTiedye]

2. Can't Fault Arnie for Doing What Bush* Should be Doing