During his first press conference in eight months, the president who once promised to lead the most transparent and open government in American history showed flashes of anger at the mention of a few senators who have a problem with one of his ambassadors. The reporter, ABC’s Jonathan Karl, led off his question noting that several Republican senators are calling for Watergate-style hearings into Benghazi, before noting their criticisms of Ambassador Susan Rice. President Obama lit off with an angry response reminiscent of Bill Clinton’s “that woman” response all those years ago in the Lewinsky affair. We now know that when Clinton angrily declared that “These allegations are false,” they were true. He was faking righteous indignation because admitting the truth at that point would have ruined him.
Watch Obama’s tone here.
OBAMA: But let me say specifically about Susan Rice, she has done exemplary work. She has represented the United States and our interests in the United Nations with skill and professionalism and toughness and grace. As I’ve said before, she made an appearance at the request of the White House in which she gave her best understanding of the intelligence that had been provided to her. If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. And I’m happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous.
And you know, we’re after an election now. I think it is important for us to find out exactly what happened in Benghazi, and I’m happy to cooperate in any ways that Congress wants. We have provided every bit of information that we have, and we will continue to provide information. And we’ve got a full-blown investigation, and all that information will be disgorged to Congress.
And I don’t think there’s any debate in this country that when you have four Americans killed, that’s a problem. And we’ve got to get to the bottom of it, and there needs to be accountability. We’ve got to bring those who carried it out to justice. They won’t get any debate from me on that.
But when they go after the U.N. ambassador, apparently because they think she’s an easy target, then they’ve got a problem with me. And should I choose — if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity — the State Department, then I will nominate her. That’s not a determination that I’ve made yet.
The president’s angry defense here makes very little sense. The very best that can be said of Ambassador Rice with regard to Benghazi is that she went on five Sunday talk shows and never knew what she was talking about. The worst that can be said is that she is part of a campaign of disinformation or even a cover-up. The president says that it’s the former, that she spoke on his orders based on information that was told to her. That’s news and should have sparked follow-up questions from the media. But instead, there was no direct follow-up. Fox’s Ed Henry asked about the Benghazi victims’ families, not whether Rice’s critics might have a point. Were the media cowed by Obama’s flash of temper into avoiding a subject that obviously irked him?
They seemed to have been. The questions to that point had not been tough by any stretch. They got even less tough after that.
But on deeper level, why did criticism of Susan Rice even provoke Obama at all? Why does he feel so protective of her? She’s a professional in a hard knock career. He isn’t her father or brother, he is her boss. Reputations get besmirched in Washington every day. Obama just won his re-election partly by besmirching the reputation of Mitt Romney, so surely he has no problem with besmirching others when it suits him.
He calls Rice an “easy target,” but his own actions — having her walk point on the Benghazi-movie story on those talk shows — made her a target in the first place. If she’s a target, he built her into one. He says that she “had nothing to do with Benghazi,” which begs the question, then why was she the person that the White House put out on those Sunday shows? Was she merely there auditioning for a job promotion, or was she put there precisely because she only knew the Benghazi talking points and nothing else? He says that her critics should “come after him,” but he never gives a straight answer on what happened in Benghazi. Coming after him has proven pointless, and the other officials who know the most about Benghazi are currently in Australia or are fighting through a sex scandal. Obama’s macho “if they have a problem with her, they have a problem with me” bit is entirely out of place, unless Susan Rice had no choice but to appear on those talk shows and spread what Obama and his inner circle knew was misinformation.
Well, it’s out of place unless Obama has an awful lot to hide, and is trying to scare senators and reporters away from asking too many more questions. That’s one of the few possibilities that makes any sense of his strange behavior.
Looking at the bigger picture, is this behavior suggestive of someone who is ready to compromise with anyone?
when we have Americans killed its a problem now, huh? how about when we had American border guards and hundreds of mexican citizens killed because of your idiotic illegal gun running to murderous drug cartels? we didn’t have a problem with that? what’s to say when we get close to the truth here, you won’t claim executive privilege, again like you did there, and go and hide again? i think the only reason you are standing up there now is because the press has finally found enough gumption (or whatever) to ask questions about your sorry conduct in all things pertaining to transparency. what a pile of manure.
He’s mad because the “enemy” have one on him, he knows it, and he isn’t sure he can beat them. So it’s to the ramparts he goes.
It’s a cold civil war, and this ain’t no joke. And the other side is about to try for a knockout final win, and that ain’t no joke either. The “Final Solution” to the conservative problem, as it were.
– will, Occupier.
June 29 is Resistance Day.
Remember when Gary Hart issued a challenge to the press to dig into his past to see if he had any girlfriend problems?
Yeah, that was fun. Let’s do that again!
Man, this guys arrogance knows no bounds! Who does he think he is? Better yet, what country does he think he’s in?! This isn’t china or cuba mr Obama! I know he wants to be, but he’s not dictator, at least not yet!
We have other branches of gov and he’s apparently forgotten that! You don’t run this place sir. You were hired, unfortunately by a duped electorate. I like that McCain went back after him. We need more of that. The man is a little to big for his britches! I’m tired of this already and the second term just started. Sigh
Who does he think he is? He thinks he’s a guy who can do anything short of behead an orphan on live tv and suffer no consequences for it because the media will cover for him. He thinks he’s a President who repeat any lie, no matter how obvious, and not be called on it. He thinks he’s a guy who can continue to follow his agenda even in the face of empirical evidence that it’s harmful to the country.
And, by all appearances so far, he’s right.
An awkward imitation of how a “man” would act by someone who never knew his father…
And Obama’s phony cock-of-the-walk posture appeals to every female who has never experienced a confident man with self-assurance.
I had to ask myself after his long drawn out reasoning as to why they BETTER NOT go after Susan Rice if Obama was protesting to much, as in, something else is going on and you don’t have to come out fighting harder for her than for the working class American’s you seem to forget about. Yeah, def something between them
Obama’s promise; fundamentally change America from Freedom to bondage, from Rich to poor, from Strong to weak, from Right to wrong, from God fearing to faithlessness, from Hope to despair, from Life to death to those who go against an ideology that has infiltrated this country since Roosevelt. Just prophecy coming to past.
Wish I had written this but wanted to share
Great analysis, Bryan, and spot-on! He’s protesting so much and putting on so much the “tough guy angry Joe Biden act”, you just KNOW he’s hiding, hiding a lot! The press corps (corpses?), frumiously fearless journolistas of great renown, just seemed to sit there during his rant like little kids expecting a spanking, like somebody just dumped on them! ” No supper tonight, kiddies. Go to your rooms!” LOL if it weren’t so deadly serious!
Upon more thought–This and the taxes and immigration is probably yet another attempt to demonize the GOP party as anti-women, pro-rich, anti-minority. With the near-monolithic control of institutions by the Left, they will get away with it most likely–and continue to teach our young people that if you disagree with a liberal women or a minority, you are evil.
This is why I support, in the long run, bloodshed if needs be–because this is a slow-motion coup unfolding before our eyes. I welcome others to find solutions before things get to that point. I am not optimistic
A plan to demonize the republican party? It is.
It is another in the long list in the great dog and pony show events that is the current political state that is DC
McCain and Grahm are both plants (as in potted) that are trotted out occasinaly to cement the thought that the GOP is thinking in the past and is threatening in regards to the direction and the destination the left desires to go.
“He calls Rice an “easy target,” but his own actions — having her walk point on the Benghazi-movie story on those talk shows — made her a target in the first place. If she’s a target, he built her into one.”
This almost suggests that Rice is being set up as the next Administration fall-girl to hit the bottum of the bus. Hmmm….
Come after me the great one espouses. He knows it is an empty challenge because there probably wasn’t one guy in that room with a big enough jock strap or woman with the correct bra size who is going to take on O’s challenge. It is so sad to watch such a great country be mis-managed and now with this Benghazi thing it appears as though Obama has made us into a terrorist nation abetting KNOWN terrorists to overthrow foreign governments — how many innocent men, women and children have been killed and maimed by these insurgent terrorists we are supporting in Syria and Libya. The people re-elected him and our slow slide to idiocracy continues….
This is how a true liar reacts when he is called a liar. Nobody gets angrier than an mad liar.
The reaction by the president is indicative of a man having an affair (to put it nicely) with this woman.
Someone should investigate the relationship between the two – really!!!
My thoughts exactly after watching that little performance! I was watching the press conference, trying not to pick up a magazine or my computer out of boredom, until he piped up with such indignation. I’m thinking….woah big guy! Sure are getting a bit chivalrous all of a sudden!!! I would be willing to bet he is having an affair with her! That, and he was trying to draw the line in the sand….it wont work.