[Cerek the Barbaric]

That's an interesting article, Rokenn. Unfortunately, it is also blantantly biased and extremely misleading. How so? While it lists several incidents where Reagan and Clinton "comforted" the troops or the nation, NONE of those incidents were the result of "armed conflict" - they were all the result of terrorist attacks. And President Bush's record is just as stellar as both of these predecessors in that area.

President Reagan addressed the nation and spoke of national grief after the Challenger. President Bush gave an equally poignant address when the Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in February of this past year.

President Clinton consoled the servicemen after the terrorist attack on the USS Cole and spoke of national grief after the murder of diplomatic personnel in Nairobi. President Bush consoled the entire nation in what was perhaps his most shining moment as he spoke from the site of the World Trade Center. President Clinton and Bush both promised to go after the person(s) responsible for the attacks, but President Bush is the only that actually delivered on that promise.

But as long as we are talking about the "Dover Test" - and realizing that it applies to "armed conflict" - then where were the honor guard and band to welcome home the dead from Bosnia, Mogadishu, and Panama. They weren't there for the men and women who died in those conflicts either.