Brave octogenarians ventured to the nation’s capital this week to view the monument erected in their honor. Our government, led by a petty narcissist, attempted to turn them away by erecting barricades.

This infantile effort to make the government shutdown hurt Americans and pin the blame on political rivals is pathetic. The fact that our community-organizer-in-chief thought that men who climbed the bloody cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and ran the gauntlet of lead at Iwo Jima would be deterred by an aluminum barrier speaks volumes about how little he understands or appreciates our nation’s citizens and history.

It is well past time we put an end to this petulant child’s control over the levers of government. Sadly, this would require representation with some sense of duty, so we will have to wait for three years. In the meantime, positive steps would be the retirements of Representatives Kevin McCarthy and Lois Capps: McCarthy because he and the House leadership are establishment tools; Capps because she supports political and social philosophies that are antithetical to American ideals.

It is well past time we drained the political cesspool that soils the memory of the accomplishments of these American heroes.