Yes, he volunteered out of a sense of duty. The fact that that sense of duty was transformed into an ambush in Iraq was not his decision, but the decision of his CiC.

Yes, Bush met her once before, called her "Mom" and showed no sensitivity to her situation.

I'd like to know the specifics about Clinton's administration, what they were aware of when, instead of all this histrionic armwaving from the right.

You are missing the point entirely if you think stopping to talk to her would mean he should necessarily talk to anyone else. That's just specious irrationality. By talking to her he would be speaking indirectly to thousands of people. She is not just "a protester" -- that's just reframing the situation to suit your stupid rhetoric. ANy protest is NOT the same as any other protest. If you can't see the difference between a mourning mother and some random citizen protesting about the fate of children in Africa, you are too blindered to suggest any reasonable viewpoint in this discussion. The differences are important.

A