Posted on 01/10/2009 5:30:42 PM PST by Federalist Patriot
Here are remarks delivered by former President George H. W. Bush today the commissioning of the new U.S. Aircraft Carrier bearing his name - the USS George H. W. Bush. Current President George W. Bush also spoke at the commissioning. . . . (watch video)
(Excerpt) Read more at freedomslighthouse.com ...
Click on pic for past Navair pings.
Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
The only requirement for inclusion in the Navair Pinglist is an interest in Naval Aviation.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.
I really hate to sound like a grump on this topic, but I think we should go back to naming ships after historical figures after they are, well... history.
I will concede the case that in the case of Reagan, the point could be made that he was in his twilight years and was probably not even aware of the great honor being done to him and his name. But in this case?
There’s just something a bit too vain about naming a ship of that power after a living ex-President. And don’t even get me started on Jimmy Carter. I was IN the Navy when he was President.
Naming a garbage scow after him would have been too much, let alone a submarine.
When it comes to aircraft carriers, President Bush Sr. is the most special of ALL US presidents -- having served heroically on one during WWII, he has as much claim to a carrier named after him as ANY president.
And we might note that our amphibious carriers have inherited names of famous battles -- Iwo Jima, Tarawa, etc.
So, maybe we should revive the names old WWII carriers -- Lexington, Intrepid, Hornet, Franklin? Anything rather than a Carter or Clinton!
i saw the film on this today - it really warmed my heart to see George Bush so proud of his father and to be able to be there with him musta really made his day!
Then you're really going to be upset when they commission the USS William J. Clinton (CVN-81) or the USS Barack H. Obama (CVN-82). I think that the next two after the Ford will be named for JFK and a new Enterprise. Naming the third one after Clinton the fourth after Obama will guarantee funding for at least the next four. And since the last three carriers were Republicans then Congree will almost insist on it.
I think the Navy might be able to draw the line against those names because neither one ever served in the Armed Forces.
I hope and pray so anyhow.
The Navy brass isn't stupid. They know who controls funding, and currently it's the Democratic congress and a Democratic president. They also want to continue building carriers. What better way to get funding for $10 billion dollar ships than to name them after Democrat presidents? Yu don't think that the Navy pulled the names USS George H.W. Bush and USS Gerald Ford out of a hat, do you?
And if you don't think that the Navy thinks like that, go back to the mid 70's. Just how the heck do you suppose a Nimitz class carrier got named after retired Georgia Congressman? It sure wasn't because Jimmy Carter was from Georgia, he wanted nothing to do with further CVNs. But the Congressman in question had run the Armed Services committee for decades and still had a whole lot of friends there. Navy brass go the the chairman and say, "We'd sure like to honor the Congressman in a manner suitible to his legacy. But, you know, the administration is dead set against it. So without the funding..." And bingo. The USS Carl Vinson is born.
Very interesting post. I like both JFK and Enterprise, good names.
Maybe you can answer a question I've wondered about a long time: surely if any president ever deserved a carrier, or even a whole class of carriers, it would Franklin Roosevelt. Does the navy just not like FDR? Still mad about that little incident at Pearl Harbor, are they? ;-)
The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) was in commission from October 1945 to October 1977. I don't think that the Navy, or anyone else, is particularly mad at Roosevelt. But JFK has a brother and, soon, a daughter in the Senate. He has more pull than Roosevelt. The Gerald Ford will replace the Enterprise, and you cannot piss of millions of Star Trek fans by not having an Enterprise in commission. Clinton is the most recent president and Obama is 'The One'. So that leaves Frank at the end of the pack. Maybe on CVN-83).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.