First lady Michelle Obama is under fire after she appeared as a long-distance award presenter on the Oscars Sunday evening, flanked by active-duty American service members.
The well-dressed members of the military stood attentively behind the first lady inside the White House
as she presented the award for best picture to the movie “Argo.”
But the use of those service members has left some of her critics fuming.
Jennifer Rubin, a conservative columnist for The Washington Post, noted that Michelle Obama didn’t even acknowledge the military during her appearance:
She declared of the Best Picture nominees, “They reminded us that we can overcome any obstacle if we dig deep enough and fight hard enough and find the courage within ourselves.” Alas, none of the films nor her aides reminded her to mention the military, not those personnel behind her nor those serving overseas, an odd omission for the White House that nevertheless was pleased to have them arrayed behind her like, well, set decoration.
Rubin wrote that the military personnel were used as nothing more than “props” for the first lady to “intrude” on American entertainment.
