Milblog Conference Opening Remarks
Andi stood at the podium speaking into the microphone introducing the guest speaker with a simple statement along the lines that he needed no introduction and that though she had made the request months ago, never really thought he’d accept and she’d introduce the President of the United States, George W. Bush.
There were a few chuckles, undoubtedly from those thinking that she was kidding. She wasn’t. The two large video screens on stage came to life and the Commander in Chief of the United States of America opened the conference with a short videotaped speech. I probably wasn’t the only one, but I was floored. Here is some of what the president had to say…
“America’s military bloggers are also an important voice for the cause of freedom,” Bush said in the taped message to the group, which was gathered in Northern Virginia for the 2007 MilBlog Conference. “You understand that defeating the terrorists requires us to defeat their ideology of hatred and of death with a more powerful vision, a vision of human liberty.”
Following President Bush was a live feed from Iraq with MNFI Commander Admiral Fox and then Matt of Blackfive read a note he had received from General David H. Petraeus via email…
…I wanted to offer my thanks to you for what you’ve done and also to thank, via you, the bloggers who have worked to provide accurate descriptions of the situation on the ground here in Iraq and elsewhere. Milbloggers have become increasingly important, of course, given the enormous growth in individuals who get their news online in the virtual world instead of through newspapers and television. So please extend my appreciation to them for performing this task — and, of course, for doing it in ways that does not violate legitimate operational security guidelines. Best from Baghdad — General Dave Petraeus.
The conference certainly got a lot of attention from some very senior and respected people. Next up… Panel #1, From the Front.
