I think he should just call her “sir.”
If General Walsh was being disrespectful or using the term “ma’am” in a sarcastic or condescending tone, then Sen. Boxer would have had the right to chide him like this in a public forum. If this really bothered her, the mature thing to do would perhaps pull him aside privately during a break and ask that he not call her ma’am in a public space.
Gen. Walsh understands chain of command, which is why he complied immediately, even to a silly, immature request. Kudos to him. Sen. Boxer, not so much.
Any thoughts from vets out there?
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Seems kind of silly to me, but some folks need to feel powerful all the time.
Military members are ingrained to call females “Ma’am” and males “Sirs”…The “Senator” obviously has been through some blatant issues of sexual discrimination, which is causing her to be a bit sensitive to the issue.
To fully understand what is going on, we would need to watch the General to see if he called the male Senator’s “Sir” or “Senator”.
There is a difference, especially when it comes from a Military Commander…
silly as it may seem.
@sophiesbubble Joe in the comments did a good job of researching http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/06/barbara-boxer.html
Thanks for sharing the research. She’s got a stick up her ass.