The stage was set at West Point last night and the backdrop was the Corps of Cadets, who served as props for the President's speech. It was not a proud moment. I saw all those young men and women, who are chosen and a part of the top ten percent of the greatest minds of their generation, and I wept. To use them as props seemed to me to serve as the worst insult ever offered by a leader of a nation. Yet, as I pondered the speech, the audience, their circumspect behavior, and the fatigue that washed over many of these young folks, I wondered if the White House understood the length of the cadets duty day, for it wasn't over after the speech. These fine young people left the speech and got back to being serious cadets, studying for upcoming semester exams, and finishing projects. The days rarely end for these young people. Many went back to their cadet hall and spent the rest of the night making up for the hours they spent waiting for the President and the time it took to make this...(Read Full Post)