George W. Bush makes secret visit to mourning families at Fort Hood; Laura Bush goes too

Last night former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura made a secret visit to the devastated military families at Fort Hood.

The Bushes instructed the commander of the mourning military base that they wanted no publicity. With their Secret Service detail, Bush and his wife made the 30 mile trip unannounced from their ranch near Crawford, Texas Friday evening.

Fox News broke news of the visit this afternoon. Other sources said the former first couple spent about two hours meeting with the wounded, family and soldiers, talking quietly and at times hugging them as they did in private at other times of crisis such as post-9/11.

Most presidents come to feel a genuine respect and affection for the people they lead as commander-in-chief and sometimes the affection is reciprocated.

Many base workers and residents on Fort Hood are still reeling from the shooting this week by Major Nidal Malik Hasan that killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others. (See video below.)

The White House announced today the Obamas plan to attend a memorial service there on Tuesday. Some foreign news reporters have begun to write unflattering comparisons of the emotional Bush vs the ever-cool, possibly cold Obama.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press, 2003.

Comments

[Camron Barth]

Good for him.

[Allyson Doerfler]

Obama is not cold; he just despises the military. Why? His goal is to put an end to the republic and finish installing a socialist government.

GW went to Fort Hood and BO went golfing - that should be clear enough for anyone.

[steve rodriguez]

Bush went to Fort Hood, but where was Obama?
God bless George W.!!!!

[TexGEOas]

Class act for President George W. and Laura Bush.
No cameras needed if you go to Ft. Hood for the right reasons.

[Liz]

Obama the narcissist. Yep, that's all he is. Doesn't give a genuine sh*t about anybody but himself. If it walks like a chicken, and talks like a chicken, it must be....

[JRW]

What a great guy. He is trying to stay out of the limelight to respectfully let Obama do his job. Yet he has a genuine heart and wants to reach out to the people at Ft. Hood.

[Aaron]

For all of Bush's faults in kowtowing to the libs on domestic policy, it's times and quiet instances like this that make me realize what a great president he was. History will vindicate him. I'm already throwing up a little in my mouth waiting for Obama, after his panicky advisors get ahold of him at Camp David this weekend, to try and muster up the fake teleprompter-fed emotion for his mandatory appearance at the memorial service Tuesday. I wonder if 4 days is enough time him to conjure up the appropriate amount of sympathy for a display of emotion that, I have no doubt, he'll still manage to make "all about him" yet again. Sad days for our country. Sad days.

[Larry]

If the photo that accompanies this article was not taken at last night's visit, then you should say so. I doubt it was.

(It does. Of course, it wasn't taken last night. Don't those soldiers look a little happy for a mourning? Look at the photo credit line it says the picture was taken in 2003. Or put your cursor on the photo and see the same thing.))

[NickInVirginia]

"The Bushes instructed the commander of the mourning military base that they wanted no publicity. "

0bama would not understand the concept of "no publicity". Everything is centered around him. Even his speech Thursday (AFTER he finally got past the Interior / Indian conference) talked about how HE felt after learning about the massacre.

0bama is simply a clueless fraud, and the sooner we get him out of office, the better.

[Lurker]

Thank you President George W Bush. The majority of Americans know you have a big heart.

[Andrew]

Yeah, Bush wanted no publicity... there just happened to be a professional photographer on site ready to take photos.

I guess Obama is pretty cold for not turning this tragic event into a PR stunt.

(Don't you think those soldiers look a little happy for a mourning? Look at the photo credit line it says the picture was taken in 2003. Or put your cursor on the photo and see the same thing.)

[Travis]

And Present ObaMAO the PINO (president in name only) zips off to camp David to play golf.

It was a most disgusting thing to witness ObaMAO give a shout out and spend several moments blathering. Then almost as an afterthought, oh, I want to mention there has been a shooting at Fort Hood.

[Camron Barth]

Good for him.

[jay]

I want to give my thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of those brave men and women that lost their lives and to the wounded for a fast recovery. I am so thankful to those that risk and give their lives for our very freedom. Absolutely did not surprise me to see that President Bush and Lady Laura went to Ft. Hood to see the wounded troops and their families because that is how thoughtful and caring they are...he loved his people. While Obama was busy this weekend with his own agenda. How he has treated this terroristic tragedy is an insult to the fallen, their families, and every TRUE american. To the families again of the fallen and wounded I'm so very sorry...and Thank You..and thank you to all the heroic men and women that serve this nation.

[Texas]

Obama is too worried about his phony, trumped up healthcare "crisis" to spend any time with the soldiers. And then going off to Camp David. Will probably play a round of golf. Meanwhile he missed all the tributes done so far for Ft.Hood. Was awol. And will be awol until he can come riding in on Tuesday for the "formal" memorial service, with all the media in tow singing his praises. That way it can be about him again. So he can be the center of attention at that service and have his teleprompter all ready to go.

Yes, it's all about his agenda, no matter what else happens. They could have put off the healthcare crap until after a decent amount of time had passed after this Fort Hood shooting. And let the media attention and focus be on this where it belongs, instead of the antics in congress this Saturday over "healthcare." I'm so sick of "healthcare" coming from the Dems mouths that I could scream. Just go ahead and take over our healthcare system and feed your power-hunger, already. And the rest of us will think about the soldiers.

[John Tighe]

Nice little puff piece to help Bush's tarnished image. Was the hatchet job on Obama at the end really necessary? Regardless of how many facts there are that show Bush doesn't care about anyone, especially the troops (multiple tours, lack of equipment, sending them to a unnecessary war) , the mentally weak devotees of the GOP will always ignore them due to their blinding need for a strong father figure that absolves them of any adult responsibility.

[Cynthia Andersen]

I sooooo miss George W!!!

[bernie_attorney]

Obama's going to Ft Hood Tuesday to make (another) high-profile (for him) speech? Obama's too late. A leader wouldn't have had to think about this -- at all. He or she would have been on the way as soon as hearing that HIS/HER people had been through something so horrific. It's in a leader's fabric to know they needed him/her. The heck with all else. That's what President Bush did, and what he would have done had this ocurred while he was in office. What's left to do? Give a speech. Again. Maybe the families will get a shout-out, like that Native American on Thursday. Wouldn't that be nice for them. Just another photo op, just like Dover. I'll bet the absolutely co-equal point of the speech will be that Muslim Americans are scared and have his sympathy, too -- notwithstanding that the only Muslims killed in the US during the GWOT were killed by other Muslims on 9/11. I'd say "Enjoy Camp David this weekend," but no self-respecting leader would, or indeed could, in hese circumstances.

[VinceP1974]

Obama is too busy denigrating Americans by calling them "teabaggers" as he did this weekend.

This is the worst administration in the country's history.

Setting us up for collapse.

[RAR]

Obama doesn't exist without cameras and stagecraft. It's all about serving his image. Dover wasn't about fallen soldiers -- it was about Obama's 'perceived' grief. Sadly, his trip to Texas will be just another way for the man to use people he does not admire and does not believe in. Bush would've never walked onto a stage Thurs. and used 'all eyes on him' to do more politicizing, to give a shoutout. He wouldn't have needed advisers to remind him that this was a tragedy. George and Laura Bush are a class act. Obama: watch them - and take notes!

[Lily]

Given what's happening in the Obozo Admin & the spendthrift Congress varmints, George Bush is a breath of fresh air in a dying nation.

[Steffi]

I think that former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush did a thoughtful, appropriate and selfless act of kindness. My heart goes out to our military families at Ft. Hood. I wish our current President had the common decency and a true moral compass to have some compassion and not just turn everything into a publicity event or photo opportunity. He can campaign for a failed governor, like Jon Corzine how many times but he cannot honor fallen soldiers subjected to such a tragedy?

[Gale]

God bless, President Bush and Laura, and God bless the United States of America - and protect her against enemies foreign and within.

[shirley]

funny, he said no publicity, but there it is.... he sickens me... he lives with blood on his hands everyday as does that soldier murderer dick cheney.. they have made millions off the backs of wounded and murdered soliders... my husband being one of them.... I hope he and his family rot in hell.

[K40]

Unlike Barack Obama, as president, George W. Bush did not lie to the american people. He did what he thought was best to emprove the economy, the country, and keep america safe. I believe George W. Bush and wife Laura are true americans who really love america and all it's citizens, especially our soldiers who put their lives in danger fighting to keep americans safe while helping others in other parts of the world gain their freedoms. God bless the Bush family.