ApplauseGate?

In a post titled, “The Dumbest Controversy Ever”, Ed Morrissey writes that “The New York Times eats up several column inches on what has to be the pettiest controversy of recent memory — The Case Of The Missing Applause.”:

from the moment that Bush walked into the auditorium — the troops stood at attention, and didn’t utter a peep when Bush had them sit — but as I noted, his delivery made it obvious that he planned on no interruptions. The Fort Bragg soldiers maintained the discipline requested by their officers and the White House.

* * *

If the same soldiers had greeted Bush with wild cheers and hoo-ahs, or had repeatedly interrupted the speech with cheers, we’d be hearing that the White House had secretly arranged that reception. Instead, we now have Clapgate, which doesn’t have nearly the fun that such a monicker might suggest, where the big question is who initiated the applause that followed the one line where Bush told the nation that we would stay in the fight to the finish.

Well, this certainly qualifies as a national emergency. Can we say, “Slow News Day”?

If any of the soldiers at Fort Bragg has information on what happened, please e-mail me from your military e-mail accounts before the conspiracy theorists spin this into a passive mutiny against the current Commander-In-Chief. I guarantee readers that within 24 hours, that’s exactly how this meme will be spun in the more radical corners of the political arena.

Whoever serves on the Times’ “Credibility Committee” is sure going to earn their pay.