Obama Derangement Syndrome, Part Eleventy-Eleven - Former White House Marine Liaison Officer Speaks Out On Umbrellas

Have you seen the latest POUTRAGE to catch fire in Lower Wingnuttia? Even by wingnut standards, this one is pure bat crap.

Disgraced hack Tucker Carlson's crapfest, The Daily Caller, has dived to new depths of inane asshattery with a story accusing Barack Obama of... Having a Marine hold an umbrella during a press conference in the rain.

The commander in chief of the American armed forces today forced a violation of Marine Corps regulations, so he wouldn’t get wet.

 The horror!

Apparently Lower Wingnuttia is AGHAST at Obama's TYRANNICAL DISREGARD for the HONOR of the Marine Corp! This latest poutrage erupted over a photo of two Marines holding umbrellas for Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during an outdoor joint press conference in the rain.

The image behind the latest wingnut poutrage

The Daily Caller claims it's against Marine regulations to hold an umbrella...

According to Marine Corps regulation MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, a male Marine is not allowed to carry an umbrella while in uniform. There is no provision in the Marine Corps uniform regulation guidelines that allows a male Marine to carry an umbrella.

This, of course, is complete and utter nonsense. Marines are not allowed to *carry* umbrellas in uniform, but there is no regulation that prohibits *holding* an umbrella for someone else.

But DC goes even further down The Stupid Hole. Not only do they completely misinterpret Marine regulations, they go on to claim that not even the President of the United States can order a Marine to hold an umbrella without the express permission of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Not even the President of the United States can request a Marine to carry an umbrella without the express consent of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, according to the Marine Corps Manual.

Apparently Tucker's wingnut loon writers and editors can't quite grasp the meaning of the term COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

I know someone with extensive experience with Marines holding umbrellas for dignitaries. My father was a captain in the Marines. He was stationed at 8th & I in Washington, DC, and served as a White House aid under Eisenhower. When I ran this story by him, he couldn't believe anyone would make a fuss over something so common.

"It's standard practice to hold umbrellas for visiting dignitaries and the president and vice president. We did whatever we could to make dignitaries comfortable."

Asked about the claim that the president can't order a Marine to hold an umbrella, he said...

"That's absurd. Of course he can. He's the Commander in Chief. He could order a Marine to stand at attention in his skivvies, if he wanted."

From 'Full Metal Jacket,' actual Marine drill instructor R. Lee Ermey runs drill in skivvies

So, there you have it, straight from the mouth of a Marine who was in charge of the White House Marine Corp detail. Like so much of the poutrage out of Lower Wingnuttia, the entire story is just one huge, steaming pile of Tucker.