When Gaffe Machines Collide

Barack Obama and John Kerry are each walking gaffe machines, so who knows what can happen when their brains disconnect and their mouths ratchet into full babble mode.

Earlier today, Mr. Obama claimed he didn’t set the red line that he had previous set:

“First of all, I didn’t set a red line,” said Obama. “The world set a red line. The world set a red line when governments representing 98 percent of the world’s population said the use of chemical weapons are [inaudble] and passed a treaty forbidding their use, even when countries are engaged in war. Congress set a red line when it ratified that treaty. Congress set a red line when it indicated that in a piece of legislation entitled the Syria Accountability Act that some of the horrendous things happening on the ground there need to be answered for. So, when I said in a press conference that my calculus about what’s happening in Syria would be altered by the use of chemical weapons, which the overwhelming consensus of humanity says is wrong, that wasn’t something I just kind of made up. I didn’t pluck it out of thin air. There’s a reason for it.”

Which seems rather odd, considering that CNN reported a year ago that “Obama warns Syria not to cross ‘red line.'” (With a helpful “Editor’s note: Read this story in Arabic,” in case Bashar Al-Assad happened to be surfing the Web and came across the article):

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should heed U.S. warnings to neither use nor move chemical or biological weapons, lest he risk crossing a “red line” and provoke a U.S. military response, President Barack Obama said Monday.

“We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people,” Obama told reporters at the White House. “We have been very clear to the Assad regime — but also to other players on the ground — that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized.

“That would change my calculus; that would change my equation.”

Note the possessive adjectives in that last sentence, which is presumably why Obama’s personal contradiction earlier today was itself contradicted by his own Secretary of State:

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As Twitchy thoughtfully adds, “Note to White House bozos: If you insist on lying to the American people, at least get your stories straight.”