I love a parade (But not that much)
Our commander-in-chief is now a parade-planner.
He’s sent word to the Pentagon that he wants a parade.
Not just any parade, mind you. A big old, military affair, that’ll be much bigger than the one he witnessed along the Champs-Elys茅es in Paris last summer.
“It was the greatest parade I’ve ever seen,” President Trump told reporters after watching France’s Bastille Day parade last July.
You know how Trump’s ego forces him to try to outdo other world leaders.
He’s in a constant state of one-upmanship.
French President Emmanuel Macron rolled out his red carpet for Trump. Then he rolled out a two-hour procession that featured tanks, planes, weapons and all sorts of fighting men and women.
Trump was so inspired, he started telling people, “I can do better. We’re going to try to top it.”
That’s how Trump rolls.
Before he was elected, somebody told him that Ronald Reagan had been married twice. So, Trump went out and got married for a third time — a presidential record. (And a bad joke on my part)
Mr. Trump wears his patriotism on his sleeve, but frequently questions the patriotism of others.
Fail to stand up on cue during his State of the Union message. He’ll call you unpatriotic.
He throws hissy-fits when NFL players take a knee, because he wrongly believes they’re being unpatriotic to the flag and the troops.
Too bad his (supposed) bone spurs, and several draft deferments prevented him from expressing his own patriotism when it was his turn to serve during the Vietnam War.
If he had, he’d not be suspected of growing patriotism simply to use it as a wedge against the people with whom he disagrees.
It’s still remarkable that his patriotism hasn’t been strong enough to catch a flight to Afghanistan or Iraq to thank America’s fighting men and women during his 12 months in office, when the previous president did that days after he was sworn-in.
Ordering a massive military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue (and possibly right past his own Trump International Hotel), sounded like a bad joke, until the Pentagon confirmed that it’s in the planning stages.
(Trump) “has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation,” came word from the Pentagon, as the official response to questions about a supposed parade.
Now comes the planning phase.
After that, the Pentagon is expected to submit its plan to Congress, which will assess the costs of such an event.
Massive displays of military force for show are rare.
George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” landing on an aircraft carrier in 2003 backfired — especially with the knowledge that 15 years later the mission still hasn’t exactly been accomplished.
But if Trump gets his parade, he’ll claim it’s bigger than anything ever seen before on Red Square, or in Pyongyang.
All of those tanks, and missiles, and planes, and men, and women, and battleships (if they can figure out a way to float them down Pennsylvania Avenue) and, of course, all of the money it will cost taxpayers — just to satisfy a whim.
Don’t get me wrong.
I like parades. I marched in more than a few of them as a member of the Uniontown Red Raider marching band. (Thank you very much)
And I’m certainly not against military parades, since I was a proud member of a United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps unit that performed in a few of those, too. (Thank you very much)
In fact, I didn’t see anything wrong with that June 1991 national military parade that hailed the end of Desert Storm.
“We celebrate the fact that each person we commemorate today gave up life for principles larger than each of us,” George H. W. Bush (a WWII hero) said at the time.
It’s a little tacky, though, to satisfy the ego of a president who desires having bragging rights when it comes to answering the question, “Who has the biggest military parade, the United States, or France?”
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.