President Barack Obama puts on a red, white, and blue hat, while visiting with service members during the Independence Day celebration on the from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 4, 2012.
Even the Marine Band, considered the creme de la creme of U.S. military musicians, can have a bad day.
While it is known as "The President's Own," a subgroup of the band failed its commander in chief--and on the anniversary of America's independence of all days.
After President Obama delivered remarks to a group of visiting U.S. troops on the White House's South Lawn, a subgroup of the Marine Band began playing as he and first lady Michele Obama were chatting with soldiers.
Standard pomp for a White House July 4 ceremony, right? It was. But then the band began playing a song from country music singer Rodney Atkins called "It's America."
Obama's presumptive opponent in November's election, Republican Mitt Romney, frequently uses that very song on the campaign trail as a walk-out tune, according to a White House pool reporter, who described the scene as an "awkward moment."
John T. Bennett covers national security and foreign policy for U.S. News & World Report. You can contact him at jbennett@usnews.com or follow him on Twitter.
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