Even though this might end forever Candy Crowley’s attempt to join computers with me…it is Candy Crowley who should check the transcripts — the president was wrong.
That moderator intrusion was the big focus of the spinmeisters.
Romney spokesman John Sununu said told me the moderator and the President were “dead wrong.”
“The President threw the world out in his statement at the Rose Garden but never said it was an act of terrorism. And two weeks afterwards the President said, not in a news conference, not in a passing comment but went to the UN and at the UN, six times blamed it on the video. It was the most dishonest statement I have ever heard by a president in a presidential debate.”
I asked him about the Crowley interruption:
“Candy was wrong and Candy had no business doing that and she didn’t even keep the time right.”
The controversy is about a speech the president made on September 12, 2012.
The day after the terror attack in Benghazi, President Obama gave a Rose Garden Speech of 801 words.He mentioned the word terror once near the end of his speech but it was not in description of the horrible attack. When he referred to Benghazi, he said:
- An attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi.
- this outrageous and shocking attack.
- attack
- terrible act
Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None. The world must stand together to unequivocally reject these brutal acts.
Eventually he said the “T” word in a general way:
No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.
But the question is, was he talking about that specific attack? It didn’t seem so because he went on to say:
We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.
Words are important, especially for this president. If he wanted to call the attack terrorism he would have, but he avoided calling the Benghazi attack “terrorism.” And John Sununu was correct: Candy Crowley, my sometimes stalker, was way out of line.
What they should be asking is, Why is Obama telling Crowley what notes she has on an obscure point, in an obscure speech? How much coordination was there, that Obama knows Crowley’s notes better than she does?
http://www.paratisiusa.blogspot.com
God Bless America!
Obama could also use the Rose Garden transcripts to assert that he NEVER called the Benghazi attack an “act of terror”. In fact, since he also mentioned the video in that speech, I think he could make a stronger case for that.
Conclusion: Obama made some ambiguous statements about terror, and the media is going to ACTIVELY twist and parse those statements into whatever meaning is most helpful to Obama.
What else is new?
Candy told one million CNN viewers after the debate that she was mostly wrong when she incorrectly contradicted Mitt Romney before many tens of million viewers. That is about as fair as you can expect the media to be.
I watched the debate last night, and through the vast majority of it I felt Romney got his points across clearly enough. There were a few things I could quibble with, but overall he did well.
However, the lasting impression – even for me, a Romney voter in November – was Obama affecting moral outrage at Romney’s assertion that he didn’t label the Benghazi attack as an “act of terror”.
In that exchange, especially with a very biased moderator doing her level best to assist Obama, the president came off better and that will be the take-away most viewers are left with.
The result was Romney was outflanked by Obama and the moderator and was left flat footed.
Never mind that Romney’s basic assertion is correct. Obama’s use of the term “act of terror” was very generic and, while it WAS within the speech that day, it was NOT used in a way that specifically referred to the attack on the embassy.
When placed within the larger context of what transpired over the following weeks, it was clear they were claiming it was a spontaneous act in response to a video.
So, Obama gets to have it both ways and the moderator made it possible for him. Kind of like when my kids try to change the subject when they don’t want to answer a question I’ve asked. Only thing is, Obama got away with that tactic specifically because the moderator jumped in to save him.
What is being lost in all of this, however, is that Obama never actually answered the question that was asked of him, which was “who was it that denied enhanced security,” in Benghazi, “and why?”
As for any references to Reagan and the Beirut bombing, and how he took responsibility, I remember that event distinctly.
Reagan didn’t quibble. He didn’t parse his words. He didn’t wait weeks before stepping up – he went right ahead and said as Commander-in-Chief he was ultimately responsible.
Obama didn’t do that.
Fuller context for that quote:
“No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America.”
President Barack Obama, The White House Rose Garden, September 12th, 2012
Good luck with spinning this. It’s a loser.
Did I understand Obama right when he said we were in a mess 4 yrs ago when gas was $1.86/gal and things are better (under him) now that gas is $4/gal???? What a maroon!!! Romney should have jumped on that idiotic statement like a june bug. Obama actually said his Presidency is making things better! If high unemployment, outrageous gas prices, nightmare-proportion deficits, through-the-roof federal spending, lower credit rating, reduced incomes, and lower net worth are the measure of making things better, I’ll take Romney, thank you.
What is being lost in all of this, however, is that Obama never actually answered the question that was asked of him, which was “who was it that denied enhanced security,” in Benghazi, “and why?”
Thank you, Scott, for pointing this out!! Rommey should have noted that to the questioner – i.e. he never got an answer to his question! And we certainly can’t expect the MSM to make much of it. His answer meandered – ‘diplomat work for me’, ‘we have them all over the world’, ‘I know them personally’, and so ad nauseum on, but he NEVER said who it was that denied the enhanced security, and the ultimate outrage is that the Embassy had requested it numerous times previously! This President must go!!!! FIRE OBAMA NOV 6!!!