1. Veteran's Day is generic. Honoring Veteran's Day is not the same as honoring the deaths of men he, as their commander in chief, sent into battle. He is directly accountable for that.
2. Leaderhip is nothing out of context. Josef Stalin had great leadership ability, intelligence and courage. He did not use these qualities to make the world a better place.
3. I dislike Bush, but I also believe that most any of the presidents that I can remember (starting with FDR) would have been unable to keep from using this trip as a publicity device. That doesn't make it less contemptible.