Romney claims Obama sympathizes with attack on U.S.
UPDATE 10:20: In a press conference, Romney just claimed that “it is never too early to condemn” attacks on U.S. personnel. Apparently, “never too early” means condemning the attacks before they have even occurred. He also made it pretty clear that no apology for his statements will be forthcoming.
He is simply wrong on this. Wrong factually, wrong politically, wrong as a matter of simple decency. He has bungled this badly, and is doubling down on the bungle.
————-
With four American diplomats dead in Libya, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the United States has in effect come under attack overseas. The response of the Mitt Romney campaign has been to accuse the Obama administration of sympathizing with the attackers.
That charge is grotesque. It is also factually incorrect. It can be made correct only by going back in time and rearranging events to suit the Romney narrative, and that is not going to happen. Let’s take a look at how the tragic events in question played out:
1.) Alarmed at reports of rising anger in Egypt over an anti-Islamic film made in the United States, the U.S. embassy in Cairo tries to calm things Tuesday morning with a statement in which it “condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims—as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.”
2.) Hours AFTER that statement is released, as the Wall Street Journal reports, protesters in Cairo breach the walls of the embassy and pull down the American flag.
3.) Attacks in Libya — also launched well AFTER the embassy statement — end in the tragic death of four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. They died in service to our country.
4.) Romney quickly puts out a statement calling it “disgraceful that the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”
5.) In the actual first U.S. response to the attacks, released about the same time as the Romney statement, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemns the violence in no uncertain terms:
“Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.”
The charge that an American president sympathizes with those who attacked this country should not be made easily. In fact, under the circumstances it is a charge that should not have been made at all. It would seem to me that an apology is in order from former Gov. Romney, RNC Chairman Reince Preibus, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens and others who made such an unfounded charge at such a delicate time.
– Jay Bookman
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942 comments Add your comment
JKL2
September 12th, 2012
3:59 pm
holy moly- That is why he had faith in his president, because he knew his parents had never lied to him and he had to have that faith that our president would certainly never lie. That is why it was so shocking to him to find out the truth.
For an MI guy, he doesn’t seem to know very much. If he hated it so much, why does he keep going back? Is he part of the evil military complex, sucking the life blood out of country as an overpaid contractor or is he writing propoganda for our president now?
Holy Moly!
September 12th, 2012
4:04 pm
Williebkind 3:19 pm
“Willie- two of the four reported killed were Marines.”
Yep that sounds like a Jimmy Carter deal. Did the Ambassador tell the marines to stand down and not protect the embassy? If he did I dont feel sorry for him. He not only got himself killed he got two warriors killed for nothing.
Geez, I guess nobody recorded what he said to the marines right before he took an RPG while helping said marines get employess out of the embassy. So I guess we’ll never know, will we. Aren’t you being a little harsh?
JKL2 3:20 pm
President Bush is a great man. Still does much more to support the troops than obama ever will. I guess we’ve had different experiences.
I’m glad you think Bush is a great man, but we have all figured out that being a great man does not make a great president. I don’t think Romney isn’t a great man, I think he is probably a very nice man who is being pushed by the extremist in his party and it goes against who he really is, which is why he comes across as phony and flip flops on issues. I also don’t think he will make a good president.
tireofit
September 12th, 2012
4:06 pm
Thulsa Doom
September 12th, 2012
1:38 pm
I’m still shaking my head as to why Jay is more concerned about Romney’s statements as opposed to being concerned with what the President’s response is going to be to the assaults on our nation. That is a far more important matter.
++
So you were okay with Bush when asked about Bin Laden. Bush tells reporters during a press conference that he isn’t concerned about bin Laden only 6 months after 9/11
JKL2
September 12th, 2012
4:13 pm
old goober- But then, don’t let the law get in the way of your hatred of teachers, cons.
$71k/yr to have some of the losest test scores in the country. What’s not to love? 30% raise sounds about right for that kind of performance.
Holy Moly!
September 12th, 2012
4:15 pm
Joe Biden: “The cause to which they dedicated their lives and gave their lives, democracy, partnership, tolerance, stands in sharp contrast to the values of those who callously took their lives,” he said. “And let me be clear, we are resolved to bring to justice their killers.”
JKL2
September 12th, 2012
4:19 pm
getalife- National security is very important. Not a joke cons.
Your hero thinks it’s a joke: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-is-obama-skipping-more-than-half-of-his-daily-intelligence-meetings/2012/09/10/6624afe8-fb49-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_story.html
Bet he showed up this morning…
tireofit
September 12th, 2012
4:19 pm
What will be Willard’s flip-flop on his statements today?
JKL2
September 12th, 2012
4:32 pm
holy moly- I also don’t think he will make a good president.
As an IL resident, I’ll be voting against obama for my fourth time. He is a lying POS crook ran by crooks. He’s lucky he got out of IL because he should have a jail cell next to Blagojevich.
My friends at Walter Reed say obama shows up every couple months with an army of photographers, takes a couple happy snaps and runs away. Bush on the other hand, is a regular visitor, comes basically unannounced, and stays for hours talking with everyone.
JKL2
September 12th, 2012
4:35 pm
holy moly- “And let me be clear, we are resolved to bring to justice their killers since Gov Romney called us out on it” Joe F’ing Biden
Fixed your typo
Krystal'sBalls
September 12th, 2012
4:41 pm
You all have to know by now that Obama is the “SILENT ASSASIN” right? Oh, you will hear about it, Some talk and carry a big stick, but that’s all they do – carry a big stick. Others give you a head nod with a “yeah..ok…” and a smile, then commence to shove their foot straight up your @$$!
You better believe those responsible for this will be hunted down and eradicated like REAL soon. Based on his past record, if you think otherwise you are lying to yourself.
getalife
September 12th, 2012
4:43 pm
“‘Bungle.. Utter Disaster.. Not Presidential.. Lehman Moment’” gop.
kayaker 71
September 12th, 2012
4:47 pm
The “justice” that Libya will levy will consist of rounding up 6 or 8 people who were enemies of the government and torturing them into confessing to the crime. Then they will trot them out for everyone to see while laughing at us for our stupidity. This is the Muslim Brotherhood, liberals, not some dog and pony show. They are smart, deliberate, obsessed and dedicated to their goals with all the financial backing that they need from the Arabs and most anyone else Muslim in the ME. Most of the Muslim world is laughing at us for swallowing this whole line of BS that Bozo and Hillary have fallen victim to. They will believe most anything to avoid confrontation with the very people who are intimidating them. Hillary is so astonished that these ungrateful people that Bozo “saved” could turn on us. Wow, does she have a lot to learn.
That Black Guy
September 12th, 2012
4:47 pm
the cat
September 12th, 2012
11:46 am
Draft dodger hannity …
__________________
hannity was born in 1961.
How do you dodge the draft when you are a child?
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
September 12th, 2012
4:52 pm
Is Sheldon Adelson involved with this movie……?
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
September 12th, 2012
4:55 pm
JKL2
September 12th, 2012
4:19 pm
getalife- National security is very important. Not a joke cons.
Your hero thinks it’s a joke: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-is-obama-skipping-more-than-half-of-his-daily-intelligence-meetings/2012/09/10/6624afe8-fb49-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_story.html
Bet he showed up this morning…
.
.
.
Can you say electronic communication?
One no longer has to be in the room for the meeting.
If I remember correctly Bush WAS in the room and missed the big one.
Mr. Silly Pants.
Steve
September 12th, 2012
5:06 pm
Ben Shockley
September 12th, 2012
1:37 pm
Madmax @ 1:35,
That is a very intelligent, reasoned point of view.
Liberals hate that.
+++++++++++++++
I agree with you.
getalife
September 12th, 2012
5:06 pm
Intell Chairman rogers blames aq not America.
getalife
September 12th, 2012
5:07 pm
Granny,
I read about 100 Americans donated to make this stupid movie and he is probably one of them.
getalife
September 12th, 2012
5:12 pm
“What will be Willard’s flip-flop on his statements today?”
An apology for blaming America should be coming.
He is way behind in the polls on foreign policy because he has no experience and tried a hail mary pass that backfired. Even the gop are crushing him.
JamVet
September 12th, 2012
5:15 pm
You Republicon rubes are STILL trying to feign being credible?? After George Bush???
Forty straight years of F ups and all you can do iis blubber on endlessly about the Democrats?
NOT ONE of you neocons can make a compelling argument that the GOP is NOT a complete disaster.
You have become so pusillanimous (hiya willie!) that you don’t even try.
Your Lily White political party is the most incompetent, corrupt, ass backwards, bigoted and deadly organization on the planet.
Technically you and the North Koreans are neck and neck and it is more than ironic that you two are the ONLY organizations in the world that deny global warming.
You’re a match made in heaven…
Steve
September 12th, 2012
5:26 pm
“Your Lily White political party is the most incompetent, corrupt, ass backwards, bigoted and deadly organization on the planet.”
My goodness fella, you having a bad day or something? You have chastised others for a lack of education and here you are coming across as the least of them all. Remember which party ended slavery? Remember which party got the civil rights for blacks taken care of? Remember which party has had the most black cabinet members?
JamVet
September 12th, 2012
5:37 pm
Which explains your 2% black representation in the Lily White Party, right Steve? I have to wonder if the Klan doesn’t have that much.
And that you have elected exactly ONE black US Senator in 130 years. (And that was in liberal Massachusetts) And ZERO in the past thirty years.
And why the Dems have elected just under 100 black US Congressmen and you GOPers have elected……………………. four.
And on and on and on and on.
But go ahead and tell me of all of your longstanding, stunning party wide successes in welcoming American minorities!
LOL!
G Mare
September 12th, 2012
5:46 pm
I seem to remember that LBJ signed a civil rights bill or two. And if memory serves, he was a Democrat. Hmmm.
JamVet
September 12th, 2012
5:48 pm
Even before news of this Romney debacle, vis a vis the American embassy killing, I was commenting about his uncanny similarity to George “Foot in Mouth” Bush.
But this?
He just laid a big stinky on the American porch and then tracked it all over Ann’s kitchen.
This portends an absolutely brutal next couple of months for the Flip Flopper…
getalife
September 12th, 2012
5:57 pm
romney should apologize now.
Granny Godzilla
September 12th, 2012
6:10 pm
serious question
As I understand it the movie by some guy named sam bacile promoted by terry jones was aired on Egyptian tv
How did that happen
Sniff sniff sniff
saywhat?
September 12th, 2012
6:22 pm
Romney is just trying to prove how “severely conservative” he is. Since “conservative” these days means pretty much means ignorant, xenophobic, science rejecting, fellow American-hating, 1% water carrying, willing to trade damage to the U.S. and its citizens for political purposes, party over country, obstructionist tool, I’d say he is doing a bang up job of proving it with this latest sliming of the President.
Andybinga
September 12th, 2012
6:38 pm
The media was colluding an attack on Romney:
The blog RightScoop.com has audio of the press coordinating which question to ask Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at his press conference this morning on the events in Libya and Egypt. “[N]o matter who he calls on we’re covered on the one question,” an unidentified journalist says.
Here’s the transcript:
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: …pointing out that the Republicans… *unintelligible* …Obama….
CBS REPORTER: That’s the question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: *unintelligible*
CBS REPORTER: Yeah that’s the question. I would just say do you regret your question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Your question? Your statement?
CBS REPORTER: I mean your statement. Not even the tone, because then he can go off on…
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And then if he does, if we can just follow up and say ‘but this morning your answer is continuing to sound…’ – *becomes unintelligble*
CBS REPORTER: You can’t say that..
**Later**
CBS REPORTER: I’m just trying to make sure that we’re just talking about, no matter who he calls on we’re covered on the one question.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you stand by your statement or regret your statement?
Granny Godzilla
September 12th, 2012
6:44 pm
Rush!
(READ THE READER RESPONSES!) The Obama Regime’s First Reaction was to Sympathize with the Attackers « CITIZEN.BLOGGER.1984+ GUNNY.G BLOG.EMAIL
September 12th, 2012
7:12 pm
[...] Romney claims Obama sympathizes with attack on U.S. [...]
getalife
September 12th, 2012
7:52 pm
Thank you Senator McCain and other gop for honoring a great American leader in Libya that helped free the Libyan people. Most of them did the right thing and did not attack our President in a time for unity.
TGT
September 12th, 2012
9:20 pm
Chaos in Middle East, US Ambassador Murdered, Media (and libs in general) Fixated on Romney “Gaffe”
…media reports now indicate the “spontaneous” protests over the controversial Islam film were exploited as a cover for a pre-meditated assassination plot. The Libyan minister quoted in the story above wonders how “the armed groups knew about” the location of the US safe house. An apparent answer: They may have been tipped off by elements within Libya’s security forces. There are also clues emerging that US intelligence officials knew about threats of embassy violence in advance. These puzzle pieces raise a number of unpleasant questions: (1) How on earth was our consulate and staff so poorly protected? (2) How badly compromised are our operations in Libya — and possibly elsewhere — if even our worst-case-scenario “safe houses” aren’t safe? (3) If this was in fact a long-planned raid, did our intelligence community miss it, or was our response delayed and/or botched? (4) Why did our State Department decide to keep our diplomats on the ground after numerous “warning signs” of increasing aggression prompted the British to pull their team out of Benghazi? (If you click through to that article, be prepared to read a Libyan official blaming the victims). (5) How were we caught flat-footed by violence on the obvious and symbolic date of September 11?
If the news bulletins are correct, and this really was a separate assassination plot, yesterday’s events also demonstrate an alarming degree of public relations savvy by the responsible parties. They deliberately used the street protests as a ruse, knowing full well that Western political and media structures would rush to condemn the speech that “caused” the bloodshed, further muddying the waters. An evil, brilliant play.
Exactly. It seems that the Islamic terrorists know full well that they can count on American libs to act/react in a manner that supports their evil.
Islamic madmen scheme up their evil; use any bit of anti-Islamic rhetoric to whip up their backward, mindless, deceived (sounds like liberals!) sheeple into a frenzy; then count on American libs to fully take the bait while they kill more innocents.
In the face of swirling, ongoing world events and horrific murders, the American press (along with Bookman’s Baby Birds) is positively obsessed with Mitt Romney’s reaction to the initial Cairo protests. Remember, Egyptian extremists breached our embassy and pulled down our flag, replacing it with what appeared to be an Al Qaeda flag of some sort. Our embassy there issued two statements, each of which focused on scolding the people whose free speech “provoked” the riots, rather than rejecting the rioters. Mitt Romney filled the void on behalf of the First Amendment, refused to shy away from American first principles, and excoriated the embassy’s posture (the White House eventually did the same).
PC
September 12th, 2012
10:24 pm
Jm, let’s examine your charges:
“If one were to judge Obama foreign policy capabilities by current events, you’d have to say he is an abject failure”
No, you wouldn’t have to say that at all.
“Things do not seem to be going well at all in the ME, in particular in Egypt which has a population of 80 million
Iran plugs along”
Despite what Bush and the folks behind PNAC believe, the Middle East does not fall under American jurisdiction. If you’re going to blame Obama for what’s going on in the Middle East, then shouldn’t you also blame Bush for allowing Pakistan to harbor bin Laden? Shouldn’t you also blame Bush for North Korea acquiring nuclear weapons? What about the genocide in Sudan, is that also Bush’s fault?
If you don’t blame Bush for things beyond his control, then why should Obama get the blame?
But you know what you can blame Bush for? Tens of thousands dead or injured US men and women, whom he sent to fight in a pointless war that he had no strategy for, no justification for, and no preparation for.
“Russia is undermining us across the globe”
Again, how is this Obama’s fault? You and the Republicans seem intent to restart the Cold War. Are you really stupid enough to long for the days of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis?
“And in Asia, Japan and China seem inclined to resort to military means over a couple of islands”
This is factually incorrect. Japan’s constitution explicitly prohibits a standing army. They have a self-defense force only. And again, if you’re going to blame Obama for what other countries do, then why didn’t Bush get blamed for the genocide in Sudan?
“Obama foreign policy (lead from behind aka be weak) does not look very effective at all.”
You seem to be operating under this myth that the United States President is commander in chief of the entire world, or that it’s a parent and all the other countries are our children that we need to look after. What Obama has done is worked with the international community, so that we don’t get involved in another quagmire like Iraq. Would you prefer to send American citizens to war while ramping up the debt even more, just like Bush did?
Oh wait, I forgot — it’s not you who will be fighting, so what should you care?
“Putting aside Romney’s statement which was a reasonable kind of response to the Embassy’s original statement, Obama looks unfit to lead our country given the failures of his foreign policy.”
Were you sleeping during Romney’s international trip, or were you just glued to Fox? Romney went to our biggest ally in the entire world, and managed to piss off their conservative Prime Minister. Bush, with his absolutely idiotic cowboy approach to foreign policy, went eight years without managing to offend the UK. It took Romney a matter of hours. He then went on to inflame anti-American sentiment in the Middle East by claiming that Israelis were superior to Palestinians and he also managed to offend Japan, our number one ally in Asia.
Romney can’t even talk to our friends without pissing them off. Hell, the man doesn’t even have the stones to stand up to Rush Limbaugh when that loudmouth bigot was bullying a law student simply for speaking her mind — she was called a slut and a prostitute and all Romney could do was give a weasel response of “well, I wouldn’t have used those words…” If Romney can’t stand up to Limbaugh, how exactly will he stand up to Putin?
And now, Romney is further undermining the office of the President by criticizing Obama for a statement on the attacks that a) was put out before the attacks and b) wasn’t even a statement by Obama. It’s just more evidence of this fact-free Republican approach.
Romney’s foreign policy would be disastrous. A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for restarting the Cold War and sending more soldiers to be injured and killed in Iran. A vote for Mitt Romney would cause the debt to skyrocket and alienate even our most strident allies.
PC
September 12th, 2012
10:28 pm
“Remember which party ended slavery?”
The only similarity between the Republican Party of the Civil War and the Republican Party of today is the name. Do you remember what the mandate of the Confederate Army was? States’ rights. Gee, where have I heard that before…
“Remember which party got the civil rights for blacks taken care of?”
The party that ended Jim Crow laws, you mean? Laws which imposed voting restrictions that targeted minority voters? Hmm, that sounds like something the Republican Party is now advocating for.
More than that, this is pre-Southern Strategy, or have you forgotten about how Nixon convinced the racist Dixiecrats to abandon the Democratic Party and join the Republicans?
independent thinker
September 12th, 2012
11:41 pm
Romney campaign goinjg down like the Titanic.Most Repubs running from his statements today. Even liyan Ryan jumping ship and running ads to keep his house seat! Those tax returns come out and all that will be left is air bubbles.
PS rumor has it that El Rushbo and The Koch Brothers made that movie out of desperation.
The Latest Lie: "Obama Sympathizes With Muslim Rioters" | FavStocks
September 13th, 2012
4:48 am
[...] with three other Americans. The Romney campaign released a statement, on September 11, saying Obama sympathized with the rioters. Then today he doubled down, saying the White House stands “in apology for our [...]
Muslims -- religion of peace??
September 13th, 2012
6:39 am
Yeah, and these Muslims were simply protesting a movie that is being produced in the United States about Muhammad. When was the last time you saw mobs in a Western nation storm an embassy tear down its flag and proclaim their God to be the one and only God ?
JKL2
September 13th, 2012
8:54 am
getalife- romney should apologize now.
“I’m sorry I had to bitch slap the president to get him off his a$$ and do something about this attack on our country.”
obama is a complete embarrassment and should be doing the apologizing.
Joe Hussein Mama
September 13th, 2012
9:11 am
Muslims — “Yeah, and these Muslims were simply protesting a movie that is being produced in the United States about Muhammad. When was the last time you saw mobs in a Western nation storm an embassy tear down its flag and proclaim their God to be the one and only God ?”
Baghdad, 2003?
Junior Samples
September 13th, 2012
9:16 am
we were all told that obama would heal our reputation, make peace with the middle east and generallyt make this better over there… meanwhile embassy’s are destroyed and lives are lost. maybe it’s time for obama to do another apology tour like he did when he was elected? the first one didn’t seem to work.
Ivan
September 13th, 2012
9:30 am
“maybe it’s time for obama to do another apology tour like he did when he was elected? the first one didn’t seem to work.”
Maybe he didn’t bow enough?
stock icons
September 13th, 2012
11:06 pm
Certainly. I agree with told all above. Let’s discuss this question.
By the way, what do you think about this icons site?