On ABC’s World News Tonight, I saw a clip of George W. Bush jogging on the White House grounds with a young soldier. It was an amazing and heartbreaking sight. Christian Bagge, a 23 year old Iraq war veteran is a double amputee who lost both his legs to a road side explosion near Kirkuk. Bagge appears to have no rancor at the prospect of facing the future with his tremendous handicap. I wonder if politicians like Bush, their outwardly bonhomie and sympathetic pep talk notwithstanding, have the imagination or the empathy to see themselves in the shoes (literally) of young men and women like Bagge. I suspect not. (note that Bush first met Bagge at the same place, same time – last Christmas break at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.)
Note: Watch the video here.
Accidental Blogger 