On things conspicuously unmentioned

Okay, so some bloggers have pointed out that, Saturday being Armed Forces Day and all, it was somewhat unusual for President Bush to devote his weekly radio address to... immigration. Not a single mention of the troops.

I can hazard a guess as to why he might not want to draw attention to that particular group of people.

- Saturday, seven American soldiers and a translator were killed in a bombing in Baghdad, bringing to 3,422 the death toll for American troops in Iraq (3,404 confirmed by the DoD).

- Bush threw a tantrum a week ago and promised to veto troop funding - again - because Congress, though they compromised mightily, still refused to write him a blank check for the war in Iraq.

- The DoD has gone back on their promise to give troops 12 full months at home with their families between deployments.

- Bush decided Wednesday that the one thing the troops really don't need is more money or benefits, because they're "unnecessary" (cost of requested pay raise that Bush wants to veto? Six dollars per soldier per month).

So, yeah, soft-pedaling the "support the troops" angle, not a bad idea.

He could probably take some tips from a bunch of eighth graders in New Jersey.

(H/T Blue Gal)