Keller @ Large: White House Flag Back At Half-Staff To Honor John McCain After Uproar
BOSTON (CBS) -- The flag atop the White House is back at half staff after an uproar over what many saw as disrespect of the late Senator John McCain.
It was lowered on Saturday night right after the senator's death was announced. But Monday morning the flag was flying at full mast once again. Late this afternoon, after an uproar, the White House lowered it for a second time, and the president - who had limited his public comments on McCain's death to a cursory treat withing the family well - issued a formal statement proclaiming "respect" for McCain's service.
It all came at the end of a day where the president had five separate opportunities to stem mounting criticism with an appropriate word or two honoring McCain but failed to do so.
But then-candidate Trump had plenty to say after the 2015 murder of four Marines at a Tennessee recruiting office when it took President Obama five days to lower the White House flag in their honor. Trump called it a "disgraceful omission" of an "important gesture that signifies our respect."
On Monday, Trump critics flagged the handling of McCain's passing as disrespectful.
"He's jealous," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY). "He should be jealous. Sen. McCain is twice the public elected official this president will ever be."
But this is far from the first time half-staff honors have become controversial.
Mr. Trump declined to lower the flag after the slaughter of five Annapolis, Maryland journalists in June, but quickly reversed himself under fire. And with sensitivity to the gesture apparently more acute than ever, Mr. Obama set a new record for the frequency of White House flag lowerings for everything from the death of notable figures to mass school shootings.
Late Monday afternoon after the national commander of the generally pro-Trump American Legion rapped the White House for failing to properly honor McCain, the formal statement from the president emerged saying in part: "Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Sen. McCain's service to our country." The flag will now fly at half-staff until McCain's burial as is customary for someone of his stature.
Better late than never? Perhaps, better never in the first place.