Folks, CBS’s Face the Nation began their Memorial Day broadcast with a much-needed sobering moment. They did something right by honoring our nation’s heroes before starting their regular programming. It was a refreshing change from the usual pattern of Sunday news shows.
The host, Margaret Brennan, greeted viewers with a proper reverence to the significance of Memorial Day – a day to remember Americans who laid down their lives for the principles of this great nation. Principles, mind you, that are under increasing scrutiny from political forces nowadays.
In a show of unity, Democrats and Republicans set aside political bickering for a while on Thursday. A group of House members, all veterans, who belong to the For Country Caucus, lent a helping hand to tidy up the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. The group included Florida Republican Mike Waltz and New York Democrat Pat Ryan, who acknowledged that this annual tradition held significant value.
Waltz spoke candidly about his vision of bringing together veterans, people who’ve paid a real price. His aim was clear: Display to the American public the importance of unity across lines of political party, race, or creed. For these veterans, what mattered most was their shared American identity and the duty to honor the heroes who came before them.
Ryan echoed Waltz’s sentiments, describing this act of service as one of the most valuable things he has done since joining Congress. He spoke of the honor of participation in crafting a tribute for fallen comrades, preparing a memorial for those numerous Americans who would visit over the weekend.
However, I must take issue with Brennan’s claim of “political forces” challenging the Nation’s founding principles. She leaves us hanging, curious as to which forces these might be and how exactly our foundational principles are under threat. It seems to me, the real challenges to the principles mentioned, such as our fundamental rights stated in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, come from the left.
Setting Brennan’s ambiguous accusations aside, the show stood out from others. In an unusual move for a Sunday news show, Face the Nation aired live. The other networks chose different routes with NBC airing an election special and ABC replacing This Week for Formula 1 racing.
In their show, Brennan sat with two Veteran House members, Republican Mike Waltz and Democrat Pat Ryan, to talk about their joint endeavor to tend to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and discuss a few pro-veteran initiatives in Congress.
But beyond the chatter, the show achieved what it set out to do best: it honored the fallen. In a time of increasing political divide, such gestures of unity, respect, and tribute to our country’s heroes are a beacon of hope. Clearly, this resonates more greatly with the American public than the usual media circus we normally see each Sunday.
