The most electric moment in President Trump's address to Congress came with his recognition of Carryn Owens, widow of Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens, who died during a recent mission in Yemen.
Mrs. Owens fought back tears as both Republicans and Democrats responded with an extended standing ovation in honor of her husband's ultimate sacrifice. And also for the sacrifice made by her and her family.
The bipartisan response was real and heartfelt, as was the wrenching "I love you" that Mrs. Owens, gazing heavenwards, directed at her dead husband.
Here on Earth, though, questions remain. We haven't had soldiers on the ground in Yemen. Why now? Did the president approve the mission too quickly?
There was even the basic question of whether the mission was a success or failure. After all, a U.S. soldier died; Yemeni civilians, including women and children, were killed; and a $75 million V-22 Osprey had to be destroyed to prevent it from failing into enemy hands.
Also, a target of the raid, an Al Qaeda leader, had escaped.
President Trump's Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, unequivocally, that the mission was a success, because of the intelligence gained. The value of that intelligence remains in dispute. Hopefully, that question will be settled.
What's hard to dispute, however, is that Trump himself considered the mission a failure.
Despite his mastery of political theater on Tuesday night, he had made clear his misgivings about the mission earlier that same day.
This was probably unintentional, but consider Trump's response to questions about the raid during an interview with Fox News:
"This was a mission that was started before I got here. This was something they wanted to do.
"They came to see me. They explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected," he said. "My generals are the most respected that we've had in many decades, I believe. And they lost Ryan."
Ask yourself, was the president describing a success or a failure?
You know the answer. Trump was trying to evade responsibility. If he truly considered the raid a success, he would have been crowing.
Instead, he said the mission "was started before I got here." Almost as if he played no part in final approval. He also makes clear that this was what "the generals" wanted to do.
And finally he says, "They lost Ryan."
"They lost Ryan." Not the president. He was, by his description, a passive participant in the affair. Not even a participant, really. After all, the mission had already started before he got involved.
This, of course, is a childish evasion. He approved the mission. He should have accepted the responsibility, just as he would have accepted the credit.
If you say the president in that interview could be describing a success, then you have to explain why he's trying so hard to give credit to others, including Barack Obama.
Is it because Trump is so self-effacing that he has trouble accepting praise, even when it rightfully belongs to him? I'd be amazed if even his most partisan supporters could say that with a straight face.
President Truman famously had a sign on his desk that read, "The buck stops here."
For Trump, a more appropriate sign would read, "The blame begins here."
Don Flood
Lewes
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