Umbrella-Gate? Get a grip!

I posted about this on Thursday, but I never thought that "Umbrellagate" would become the meme that it has. (Update: The Umbrellagate Caption Contest!)

Talk about much ado about nothing, the Weekly Standard provides the latest example. During today's Rose Garden news conference with Turkey's prime minister, President Obama told  US Marine Corps NCOs on the White House staff to hold umbrellas over his and the PM's head when rain fell.

The laugh of the day goes to the Daily Caller:

Not even the President of the United States can request a Marine to carry an umbrella without the express consent of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, according to the Marine Corps Manual.

This is truly stupid, sorry. The president in the commander in chief of the armed forces. His orders ALWAYS supersede a mere regulation. Heck, the Commandant of the Marine Corps can order any Marine to carry an umbrella – a pink one if he wants, since the Commandant’s authority overwhelms a mere regulation. I mean, what part of "commander in chief" do they not understand?

The basic fact that must be considered here is that this was a state event and there are exacting protocols established by literally centuries of tradition. Prime Minister Erdogan was a peer visitor, head of state hosted by head of state.

So, those of you getting vapors over this, pick one of the following:

a. Obama just forgets about an umbrella and stands in the rain. Of course, the visiting head of state standing next to him also gets soaked. Yeah, that’s smart diplomacy!

b. Obama asks for an umbrella which he holds himself. A Marine hands one to the PM, too. More smart diplomacy! Help yourself, PM. I guarantee this would have ripped to shreds by domestic and Turkish media, and rightfully so.

c. Obama orders a Marine to hold an umbrella over the PM’s head but he does not use one himself. And that puts the PM on the spot – he will either have to refuse the umbrella or accept it and be shamed before his countrymen in Turkey’s media reporting.

d. Obama has a Marine hold an umbrella over the PM’s head but he holds his own umbrella. Not as bad a gaffe as (c) but still a gaffe.

ANY commentary on this event that fails to take into account that this event was alongside a visiting head of state is simply uninformed and unserious. In my first career I spent some time working with White House staff and I know there are protocols that are detailed. The PM was an equal-status visitor. When the rain began falling Obama could not treat the PM differently than himself.

(Although maybe the smartest move would have been for Obama to take an umbrella over the to PM's podium and personally hold it over both their heads.)

And Marines are not gods. Jeepers. But your hyperventilating sure does make them look fragile. OMG, a Marine is holding an umbrella! How can he stand it? I guess it’s now to onset of PTSD or something.

The whole non-issue is ridiculous.

And then there is this, sports fans:

Last word needs to be heeded:

And there are conservatives who just can’t understand why democrats and independent voters just don’t buy their narrative about how serious a scandal Benghazi/AP phones/IRS Target/Joe Slestak is. The funny thing is, they have nobody to blame but themselves. 

When every waking moment of Obama’s life is an outrage, nothing is an outrage.

Indeed.

Update: And just to inject a little humor into something that is almost beyond parody, perhaps there is a reason the Marines have to hold the umbrella, since Obama seems never to have mastered the skill:

But on this as so many other issues, Obama is merely continuing Bush's policies:

Another update: And that darn Ronald Reagan treated the military like crap:

Just how long has this been going on? Quite awhile!