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It's always sooo much more fun when Grant is wrong. Doesn't everyone just love to argue with him? I spend most of my time listening and reading the discussions trying to work out exactly how Grant is wrong, and constructing the polemic. In this case Grant was clearly in the wrong for quoting the article and failing to add his own words for us to attack. Really, Grant, you must be more careful in the future.
You know who is wrong? The reporters who wrote articles on this "story" and didn't bother to give us the little bit of additional information or context required for readers to judge it fairly. 
Either way, it's not much of a story. I'm more peeved at Boxer for thinking it was important to tell me that she was honoring a baseball player in the Senate, without telling me anything else (as if there is nothing else to tell!)
The general did address the male senators as "sir," and other female senators as "ma'am." Repeatedly. Boxer was the only senator present (in almost an hour of testimony -- it's pretty tedious,) who insisted on the use of the title "senator" from General Walsh.
Here's the webcast of the hearing:
Thanks, Badger. The entire meeting is 2 1/2 hours, and call me crazy, but I want to watch it all. Webcasts for meetings in the Senate and the House! I can watch my representatives at work! When you say it's almost an hour of testimony, I suppose you mean the part with the General. I've already had the chance to watch the very beginning, and I noticed that Senator Vitter addressed Senator Boxer as “Madam Chair.†Since she is the majority leader of the committee, maybe that is the proper way to address her? Or, maybe Vitter has the word Madam on his mind, for some reason.
I'll post additional comments after I've watched the entire meeting.
I've watched the first hour, and I've seen enough to have an informed opinion. In a nutshell, I don't have a problem with what Boxer said to the General. Within context, it even made some sense.
The General was the first witness in the hearing. He's the guy in charge of the Army Engineer Corps on the project to build hurricane defenses in New Orleans. Senator Boxer is the Chair of the Senate committee that oversees that project (Committee on Environment and Public Works). There have been a lot of frustrating delays in this project. This hearing was an effort to get things going in the right direction, and it is my opinion that the General was less forthcoming than he should have been. But, back to the point of this discussion.
The General was addressed throughout as General, by everyone, including Boxer. Indeed, as the General was introduced, Boxer made a point of his title. The other two senators present in the meeting, Vitter and Landrieu, addressed Boxer as "Madam Chair." At first, the General addressed Boxer as Madam Chair as well. As things got more "conversational" in the question and answer phase, he lapsed into "ma'am." In general, so to speak, the General was under fire, not just from Boxer but from Vitter and Landrieu. He was a frustratingly difficult witness. When questioned by Vitter, General Walsh would sometimes say "Senator" and sometimes "Sir." When questioned by Landrieu, he mostly used "Ma'am." Neither Vitter nor Landrieu said anything about it; I think they were focusing on the General's caginess. But, I do not fault Boxer for doing so. If the General can enjoy his title when conducting official business, then he should acquire the habit of addressing others by their titles. In this setting I don't think that Sir and Ma'am were the proper forms of address, no matter what military protocol allows in certain circumstances.
I would like to say something else. Watching Boxer, Vitter, and Landrieu in action, I was impressed. They were prepared and properly concerned about the matter at hand, and they were models of clear communication. I see that it's all too easy to get caught up in the gossipy side of news, for example, about Vitter's involvement with prostitutes. And it's all too easy to imagine that the country is being run by a bunch of incompetents who are liars and hypocrites. But maybe liars and hypocrites are not necessarily incompetent, and maybe some of them do more good than harm?
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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