When it comes to intelligence briefings, Obama isn’t even voting ‘present’
Marc Thiessen asks a good question in the Washington Post today: Why is President Obama skipping more than half of his daily intelligence meetings?
Writes Thiessen:
Clint Eastwood re-enacts a scene from the president's daily intelligence briefings. (AP Photo)
President Obama is touting his foreign policy experience on the campaign trail, but startling new statistics suggest that national security has not necessarily been the personal priority the president makes it out to be. It turns out that more than half the time, the commander in chief does not attend his daily intelligence meeting.
The Government Accountability Institute examined President Obama’s schedule from the day he took office until mid-June 2012, to see how often he attended his Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) — the meeting at which he is briefed on the most critical intelligence threats to the country. During his first 1,225 days in office, Obama attended his PDB just 536 times — or 43.8 percent of the time. During 2011 and the first half of 2012, his attendance became even less frequent — falling to just over 38 percent. By contrast, Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush almost never missed his daily intelligence meeting.
Thiessen relays a comment by a spokesman for the National Security Council, who points out that Obama still receives the information from the briefing daily. But, as Thiessen points out, the administration has portrayed Obama’s participation in these meetings as evidence of his deep “exploration of foreign policy and intelligence issues.” That’s rather at odds with the reality that he skipped almost 700 of these meetings in three and a half years.
And, of course, we would like for our president to get into just such an exploration of these issues with his resident experts on foreign policy and intelligence. Thiessen cites former security officials who say the meetings are an important way for Obama and his security advisers to ask questions of one another. When the president isn’t there, that isn’t happening.
This is certainly of a piece with the reporting from Bob Woodward’s latest book that “gaps” in presidential leadership mean, at times, “no one is running Washington.”
Of course, attending these meetings would make it harder for the president to fulfill one of his other priorities in, ahem, unprecedented fashion.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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394 comments Add your comment
They BOTH suck
September 10th, 2012
5:54 pm
Dick “McCain is going to walk away with this election” Morris
Is that the same guy?
That guy was a hack for Clinton and a hack now.
Mind you, he is a well paid hack, but he is what he is
@@
September 10th, 2012
5:56 pm
Who knew?
How Michelle Rhee Is Taking Over the Democratic Party
In a major shift, education reformers are now influential at the highest levels of the party once dominated by the teachers unions.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/how-michelle-rhee-is-taking-over-the-democratic-party/262082/
Pretty soon, DemocratICK…tick…tick voters will have no one on their side when it comes to education reform.
Teachers unions will be a thing of the past.
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
5:58 pm
FACTS, HISTORY UNDERMINE MEDIA CON THAT OBAMA WIN IS INEVITABLE
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/09/10/Facts-History-undermine-Inevitably-narrative
Auntie Christ
September 10th, 2012
6:00 pm
Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American
September 10th, 2012
5:44 pm
What Americans represent is Obozo failing to lead, and instead doing all he can to weaken the economy, enslave the people, and destroy the military.
*****************************************************************************
As I said in a previous post: Spot on depictions of a very angry, somewhat disturbed individual, whose only reason for being is to lurk about this blog, usually being the first to comment, posting nothing of significance, just tired, senseless insults to the President of the US.
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:01 pm
Ok, how about this one then:
PICKET: Internal e-mails: Axelrod intimidated Gallup before DOJ lawsuit surfaced against polling company
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/sep/6/picket-internal-e-mails-show-axelrod-intimidated-g/
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:04 pm
Auntie:
Any good American worth their salt would resent these insults to the leader of the country
Don’t share your sentiment. If someone holds the highest office in this nation, does he really need me to kiss his boo boos?
Is he THAT weak!!??!!
He’s a grown man fercryinoutloud!!!!
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
September 10th, 2012
6:04 pm
Auntie
Glad you were fooled by the fake objectivity of Meet the Depressed and Farce of the Nation. They did ask some “tough” questions of both parties, but tougher on the GOP. When the Dems answered they were assumed to be telling the truth. When the GOP answered they were presumed to be hiding something, so they got multiple follow ups. The questions were developed from their own ideological perspective, left wing, I’m afraid. If you think they were balanced, you probably thought Walter Cronkite was objectively reporting on the Vietnam war.
cc
September 10th, 2012
6:05 pm
“no one is running Washington.”
. . . and that has been the case since January, 2009.
One of the very few legitimate functions of the federal government is the defense of America and its citizens. Common sense dictates that the President be aware of all potential threats to our nation. The Kenyan is far too occupied with steering America into communism, promoting class warfare and financing his re-election campaign to be concerned about the safety of the nation.
They BOTH suck
September 10th, 2012
6:06 pm
Stephenson
THE DOJ has not yet filed a lawsuit against Gallup. If they do, we will surely find out exactly what the Administration did or didn’t do.
With that said, how do you explain polling from other pollsters?
Not saying that you are implying that Gallup is being intimidated, but I have read that elsewhere
kayaker 71
September 10th, 2012
6:13 pm
Auntie Christ 6:00,
“Senseless insults to the President of the US?” Senseless insults. Now that’s really rich. This arrogant buffoon that you will vote for in November, for whatever reason I cannot fathom, has tried and nearly succeeded in destroying what we know as America. If he wins re-election, there is certainly no doubt. You might want to live in a Bozo America but there are a majority of Americans that see your hero for what he is ….. a narcissist half white/black socialist who seeks to make this a second rate country…… by choice. Auntie Christ, I don’t want to be second rate. Neither do the majority of Americans who have enjoyed this country and the freedoms that it gives us. I am not angry, I am not disturbed and I certainly don’t lurk around any blog. You are just as complicit in this sham as this sorry excuse for a president that we pretend to have. You are just to blind to see it.
cc
September 10th, 2012
6:18 pm
southpaw @ 2:32 pm:
He isn’t interested, but I’ll have to say this: The most dangerous man is the man who doesn’t know what he doesn’t know!
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:20 pm
Of course I don’t put much stock in these polls nowadays. They seem to be more for the purpose of shaping/influencing opinion rather than reflecting/reporting opinion; more for making news than reporting news.
Auntie Christ
September 10th, 2012
6:20 pm
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer’s ineptocracy
September 10th, 2012
6:04 pm
Auntie
Glad you were fooled by the fake objectivity of Meet the Depressed and Farce of the Nation.
*************************************************************
Glad to see another commenter from the right who thinks by making up clever little monikers like Meet the Depressed or Farce of the Nation or Obummer, oblamer, the kenyan etc will lend gravitas to their posts. Sorry, doesn’t work, just make you look like a sixth grader, which your comments do already. You don’t need the clever puns and word play to do that.
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:04 pm
Auntie:
Any good American worth their salt would resent these insults to the leader of the country
Don’t share your sentiment. If someone holds the highest office in this nation, does he really need me to kiss his boo boos?
Is he THAT weak!!??!!
He’s a grown man fercryinoutloud!!!!
***********************************************************
If you had served in the military you would have learned you salute and respect the OFFICE not the person. An NCO may have little regard for a Colonel, but salutes nonetheless because you respect the office/rank, not because Colonel Smith would have his feelings hurt. The same holds true for the Presidency. I haven’t always voted for the man holding the office, but I didn’t dedicate my life to insulting them.
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:25 pm
Not to mention that Carter was up by 4 over Reagan in Sept. 1980 (thank God the electorate wasn’t that dumb in the end) and Dukakis (of all people) was up by 17 over Bush in 1988…..
and the fact that Clinton (who never got over 50% of the popular vote) was the only Democrat president to be re-elected since FDR.
yuzeyurbrane
September 10th, 2012
6:28 pm
Kyle, it seems like even most of your conservative posters read your article the way I did.
Auntie Christ
September 10th, 2012
6:31 pm
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:25 pm
Not to mention that Carter was up by 4 over Reagan in Sept. 1980 (thank God the electorate wasn’t that dumb in the end) and Dukakis (of all people) was up by 17 over Bush in 1988…..
**************************************************
Yet despite this fact, every right winger on here breathlessly rushes to post every 1/10 of 1% move in the polls if it shows favorably for romney, as if it is proof positive Obama is going to lose.
MarkV
September 10th, 2012
6:32 pm
I wonder if kayaker 71 was foaming at the mouth @6:13 pm.
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:33 pm
Read the headline of Kookman’s blog. Made me chuckle. For some reason he thinks Obama is “winning”. Interesting because I thought the election was in November and no one actually voted yet. It’s sort of like saying I know one football team is going to beat another football team just because the betting line says so.
They BOTH suck
September 10th, 2012
6:35 pm
Stephenson Billings
While I certainly think the polls will be close when the debates start next month and anything can happen after that; it is foolish for anyone to bring up the Carter / Reagan scenario.
Carter had a 35% approval rating. Obama does not.
Even the most ardent Romney supporters do not think he is Reagan.
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:36 pm
White House: Publicly defining a red line for Iran is not ‘fruitful’
Neither was setting a definitive date for withdrawal, but that didn’t stop Obama from doing just that.
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:37 pm
I just think it shows that it’s not proof positive that Obama is going to win….
H.E. Pennypacker
September 10th, 2012
6:37 pm
Dukakis and Carter polls are getting a lot of play for those upset with recent data. A quick search of the Google shows Limbaugh, Drudge, Breitbart and others using this meme to keep conservatives from coming down with the vapors.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/09/09/flashback-dukakis-led-bush-17-points-after-1988-dnc
mike
September 10th, 2012
6:40 pm
I see not much has changed here at the “Lonely Right” club. Why aren’t Americans lining up to vote for George W. Bush, Jr., er, I mean Mitt Romney? Could it be because of the clown show of a primary season? How about the alienation of women? Could it possibly the alienation of Hispanics? How about Mitt’s ridiculous budget proposal? Or maybe Ryan’s even more ridiculous budget proposal. Maybe it’s the attacks on Medicare which is supported by over 80% of the populace? Just maybe, and this is just a maybe, the American public remembers who got us into this mess in the first place? Pick one.
Beverly Fraud
September 10th, 2012
6:40 pm
How many daily intelligence briefings is Osama bin Laden going to these days?
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:40 pm
The fact that Obama has such a (supposed) high approval rating doesn’t make me feel any better about the state of the electorate. Maybe the people polled confuse “job approval” with “likability”… or maybe (gulp) they buy his whole blame game.
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:40 pm
Auntie:
An NCO may have little regard for a Colonel, but salutes nonetheless because you respect the office/rank, not because Colonel Smith would have his feelings hurt.
More like fear of punishment.
Auntie Christ
September 10th, 2012
6:42 pm
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:36 pm
Neither was setting a definitive date for withdrawal, but that didn’t stop Obama from doing just that.
****************************************************************
Seem the right wing just can’t be satisfied. @@ criticizing Obama for a time table, while the right wing site noted below criticizes him for sticking to BUSH’s withdrawal date. God, I wish you people would get a dictionary and look up HYPOCRISY, or at least dum assery. To wit:
But the timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops in Iraq was decided during the Bush administration with the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by U.S. and Iraq officials on Nov. 16, 2008. The Iraqi parliament signed SOFA on Nov. 27, 2008.
http://www.rightwingnews.com/iraq/obama-takes-credit-for-bushs-iraq-withdrawal-timeline/
Stephenson Billings
September 10th, 2012
6:43 pm
Yup, it’s over. The “convention bump” in the polls means Obama is going to win. If I were you Democrats, I wouldn’t even bother going to vote….
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:43 pm
mike:
Pick one.
Pick your own pigeonhole, buddy. I’m not a fan.
They BOTH suck
September 10th, 2012
6:44 pm
Stephenson
Long way to go and Romney could win in the manner that Reagan did, however there are as many differences as similarities. That is all I am saying.
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:45 pm
Auntie:
But are you aware of the fact that Obama was renegotiating for a longer stay in Iraq…all the while telling his supporters he had set a date for withdrawal.
He was hoping you didn’t notice.
TRUTH
September 10th, 2012
6:47 pm
Wow, this one is truly desperate and sickening, Kyle. Let’s see, I think President Obama said it best, “I can walk and chew gum at the same time…” This ALL you got, man? Oooo, and I bet since he was not physically present at these briefings (because maybe he’s using his advisors, you know like the Secretary of Defense (which would include the service branches, VP, Joint Chiefs, NSA, DIA, et al.) surely, I would bet that this President gets his information directly or through one of his many staff to BRIEF him. You present this story as if he were going to impulsively make a snap decision the instant he hears that Putin was seen running shirtless through the Kremlin’s backyard. I can’t even begin to imagine how far you had to reach to get this earth shattering piece of information…(OMFG)….
Oh yeah, obviously Bush voted present because the “Shadow President Supreme” Dick Cheney told him too.
C’mon, Man!!!
Auntie Christ
September 10th, 2012
6:48 pm
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:40 pm
Auntie:
More like fear of punishment.
*******************************************
I’m sure our military personnel, who have demonstrated repeatedly the highest standards of professionalism, don’t mind you insulting that standard of professionalism with your flip, uninformed comment.
kayaker 71
September 10th, 2012
6:49 pm
Auntie, 6:36,
Cutsie liberal sayings will not turn this country around. Little liberal platitudes will not do it. We have been there for four years and look where we find ourselves. We are broke. We have had over 8% unemployment for 43 straight months. We are presently 7th….. SEVENTH… in world productivity since 2009. Our growth rate is stalled at 1.7%. Business is scared to death of this clown and what he will do to their bottom line. He has lied and lied and lied again to the American people and still, you stand by him, for some idiot ideology thinking that the alternative of more jobs, a better economy is not as important as electing this peter principal clown to a second term. I am amazed at the supposed intelligence of some people, or lack it.
Beverly Fraud
September 10th, 2012
6:50 pm
Bush landed on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean and said “Mission Accomplished”
Obama accomplished the mission and landed bin Laden in the middle of the ocean.
Sans aircraft carrier.
JDW
September 10th, 2012
6:54 pm
@Kayaker 71 …
Please allow me to refresh you memory…
Q4 2008 job losses equaled 1.5 MILLION
Q4 2008 GDP decline was 8.9%
Business credit was non existent
DOW ended the year at 8776
Today…
4.5 million jobs created over last 29 months more than the entire Bush debacle
GDP growing at around 2% per year
Corporate profits at all time high
DOW 13,000 plus
Talk to me some more about cutsie…cutsie tax cuts, cutsie enforcement of legislation, cutsie vetting of intelligence info, cutsie “Mission Accomplished” parties and cutsie water boarding.
Damn I am with you enough “cutsie”…I am glad to be on the road to recovery and don’t plan to go back.
JDW
September 10th, 2012
6:56 pm
@@@…”But are you aware of the fact that Obama was renegotiating for a longer stay in Iraq”
And when he didn’t get what he needed he pulled the plug…unlike Republicans past.
kayaker 71
September 10th, 2012
6:57 pm
Beverly, 6:50,
Bozo just gave the order, after he had waffled twice before when intel told him that the time was right. Did you watch 60 Minutes last night. Scott Pelly interviewed on the of the SEALS that was on the mission. It had nothing to do with Bozo any more than Bush had anything to do with Saddam. SEAL TEAM 6 are the heroes….. no one else.
Auntie Christ
September 10th, 2012
6:58 pm
@@
September 10th, 2012
6:45 pm
Auntie:
But are you aware of the fact that Obama was renegotiating for a longer stay in Iraq…all the while telling his supporters he had set a date for withdrawal.
He was hoping you didn’t notice.
**********************************************
What I noticed or didn’t notice is not the issue, nor what Obama negotiated. Your criticism was leveled at Obama for announcing a timetable, yet not a word of criticism about bush setting a date for withdrawal. Why exactly was it deserving of criticism when Obama did the same thing Bush did? Can you say Hypocrite?
kayaker 71
September 10th, 2012
7:04 pm
JDW, 6:54,
For every job that Bozo has “created”, one has left the work force. GDP is at 1.7%….. it was supposed to be at 4% due to the stimulus but guess what….. didn’t work. Hell, Mexico is at 4% and those countries in Europe that are under water financially are better off with growth rate than we are. Less people as a whole are working in this country than in 2009. The figures came out today…… we are 7th in world productivity. We were 1st in 2008. Don’t give me all these liberal platitudes about how great we are doing. It just makes you look more stupid than ever.
@@
September 10th, 2012
7:06 pm
Auntie:
Bush didn’t base his re-election campaign on a withdrawal date. You do see the difference, don’t you?
@@
September 10th, 2012
7:08 pm
JDW:
When he didn’t get immunity for our troops, he pulled the plug…and rightfully so.
Bullet County
September 10th, 2012
7:09 pm
Kyle, here’s a POTUS after attending all the briefings you mention: “I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.” (G.W. Bush – 3/13/02) and here’s a POTUS before attending even one such briefing: “What I have said is we’re going encourage democracy in Pakistan, expand our non-military aid to Pakistan so that they have more of a stake in working with us, but insisting that they go after these militants. And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act, and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al-Qaida. That has to be our biggest national security priority.” (Barack Obama 10.7.2008). The results speak for themselves, but you draw your own conclusions regarding the POTUS that is more effective and the POTUS that was derelict in his duty.
They BOTH suck
September 10th, 2012
7:10 pm
@@
False equivalency……………
TRUTH
September 10th, 2012
7:11 pm
I’m stilled stunned at this blog. Your candidate is now embracing parts of Obamacare (gasp, and clutch your precious Republican pearls…), that he then wants to replace with a plan ALL HIS OWN. They call it “ROMNEYCARE!!” I fully expect riots in the streets and general mischief all around. (SMDH…) I want to be the first to call for his long form, protracted version of his birth certificate, with witnesses to live birth affidavits attached, thereto. I want to see the transcripts from his church Bishop to make sure he was not being taught Radical Mormonism, he should be a 100% Christian. I want to know why his father was a Mexican immigrant, was that why George Romney released 12 years of tax returns??!!! Surely he is bringing the value of the Presidency down. He went to Harvard Law, an elitist, liberal school that teaches him nothing important. In the words of the Donald, show me his transcripts. Because in his transcripts show a poor performer and one who got in with public assistance (affirmative action) because he grew up po’ in Michigan (They were crazy rich). Shoot, all he got to do there was measure the height of trees. Ann Romney even said that they emphasize with people suffering through this recession although they don’t feel any pain financially. OMFG!!!!
I hope that illustrates just how immensely crazy the Right has and is sounding, on anything. I and most Americans could care less the President isn’t “present” to all briefings, I know it would be nice if he could be there, with all that intelligence a’gatherin and typin’ and stuff. But with this thing called technology, briefings can be reduced to writin’ and sent via that e-mail on that Star Trek communicator thing called a smart phone or a desktop computer system ($250 or free with a purchase of Tic Tacs from the Racetrac)…. But the man has handled foreign policy, SWIMMINGLY WELL. Just ask Osa…my bad, he dead. OK, ask that pirate…oh he dead too, and the other is locked up for like…..life.
C’MON MAN!!!
OBAMA 2012
Bruno
September 10th, 2012
7:11 pm
In case JamMan makes his way over tonight, here’s some rocking Tommy Bolin (Stratus–the long version):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih5Hp1so14Y
Bruno
September 10th, 2012
7:13 pm
TBS–I’ll keep you posted on the Joe Bonamassa tix. He’s at the Columbus River Center on Fri, Nov 30. Can’t promise anything, but I’ll see if I can snag some backstage passes.
Linda
September 10th, 2012
7:14 pm
The fact that the Obama DOJ & With Holder is suing one of the oldest pollsters in the country (Gallup) might or might not stink to high Heaven.
The fact is that the Obama Adm. has not created one single, solitary net job since 1/09. Zilch! Nada!
The fact is that unemployment continues to be the worst, not just since the Great Depression, but in the history of our country.
The fact is that the American people know what’s going on. If the pollsters are being intimidated, then so are the pollees. Who in their right mind would tell an anonymous caller, claiming to be a pollster, that they intend on voting against Obama?
The polls are probably the most inaccurate since the Godfather was elected.
mike
September 10th, 2012
7:14 pm
Why isn’t Mitt doing better in swing states like Ohio? Here’s why:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLo0Jwj03JU&feature=player_embedded
They BOTH suck
September 10th, 2012
7:15 pm
Bruno
Nice selection.
Charlie Wilson thumped Chastain Park, Saturday night.
He opened with this number and it was on………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFLyjyqdJVQ