Brandon Friedman at VetVoice notes that for its "Pledge of Allegiance video" on Tuesday night, the Republican National Convention used stock footage of a staged military funeral, along with actors - fake soldiers and a staged military funeral instead of the real thing.

Brandon writes:

The issue here isn't that the RNC used actors in what might have been a haste.  Rather, the underlying problem is that Bush and McCain supporters don't like to deal with the messy reality of warfare that genuine troops bring to the table.  That is, they feel compelled to stage a funeral with actors.  Because to show a real military funeral--with the heaving chests of a broken family clutching a flag-draped coffin containing the pieces of their dead soldier--might just make the funny hat-clad, stupid button-wearing audience blanch.  And that doesn't make for good TV.  Plus, people just wouldn't go for it.  So they use sanitized actors.   

But this is an insult to the military.  The use of actors shows an unwillingness to face up to what they've done--to the military and to the nation.  And it shows that the only way to keep up support for the war is to hide its reality from the American people.   

If I said that something like this surprised me, though, I'd be lying.  But then, this is also why troops overseas are donating to Obama at a six to one rate over McCain.  They're tired of being treated like this.

I'd add that its another example of the glorification of war - something that can only be done by sanitizing it - that McCain says he hates but that Republicans indulge in at every turn. Even some on the Right have previously noted McCain's love for warmongering.

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