So, I finally spoke to my student who attended Bush's Ft. Bragg speech:

[Hissyspit]

He was in the first couple of rows and did appear on the television coverage.

I asked him what the deal with the applause was. He said the soldiers were following the orders of the generals. They didn't want it to be a pep rally. The generals told the soldiers before the "President" arrived to follow their cue on the applause, but there were not any cues except for late in the speech from the White House people.

Here's what my student said:
"They got what they wanted, but they found out they didn't really want what they wanted."

[kiraboo]

1. The Lord works in mysterious ways. n/t

[Wetzelbill]

7. I just listened to "Mysterious Ways"

[kiraboo]

8. A coincidence! lol.

[xray s]

2. So Rove is fallible

the giant ain't so tall after all

[Hissyspit]

3. That's what I thought when he said that, but I didn't say anything.

I also thought 'the generals didn't provide any applause cues?' Interesting.

[aquart]

4. BINGO.

[Up2Late]

5. So you think the Generals made the decision that their would...

...not be any applause, or do you thing they (the Generals) were taking their clues from the White House too?

[kevsand]

6. What? Generals not applauding?

Gee, imagine that...

[ConsAreLiars]

9. So, it was the generals who refused to applaud Chimpy's drivel and lies.

About time. Sending a message?

Makes sense, since the audiences are always programmed to follow the applause cues being provided by the producers of the event, just like most other "live" TV shows. In this case the controllers were not the Cons themselves, but the semi-autonomous military command.

[FreedomAngel82]

13. I could see that

Cause they had two hours for the speech right? And it ended thirty minute's early so they would have room for applause at the indicated times.

[Bouncy Ball]

10. Ah so.

It was the Generals.

Certainly makes sense since bush et al are destroying the military.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Interesting quote

I like it. I heard Bush was supposed to meet with some families. Did he do that?

[goclark]

12. Did your student hear about *'s visit with the families

of the dead soldiers?

That was really kept quiet.

All I heard was that one of the parents gave * a bracelet.

I wish that it had been a leg bracelet in black.