I thought it would be too cold for Obama to golf.
America's best cartoonist, Keep On Truckin's Robert Crumb, did submit a drawing of Mohammed's hairy ass, flies and all, which was published in Liberation. He got his start as an underground cartoonist in the 70's, drawing pretty much the same sort of thing that got 12 people killed in France.
This icon was interviewed by exactly one American reporter. He told The New York Observer, "You don’t have journalists over there anymore, what they have is public relations people. That’s what they have over in America now. Two-hundred and fifty thousand people in public relations. And a dwindling number of actual reporters and journalists."
The public relations people would kill the Mohamed cartoons. Stories here are driven by money, not any desire to tell the truth. That's why The Morning Call is a cheerleader for J.B.Reilly, while The Express times waves the pom poms for its new landlord, developer Mark Mulligan.
Dem Strategist Douglas E. Schoen: "I have been disappointed by President Obama many times during his six years in office, but perhaps never more so than this weekend."
Daily Mail: "Obama told the French on Friday that 'the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow' – but he didn't stand with them in Paris."
CNN: White House official "did not address how other prominent world leaders were able to work around the security requirements."
What Was Appeaser-in Chief Doing During Free Speech Rally?
Watching the football playoffs, silly. Too cold to golf. The White House has not admitted it was a mistake not to have someone of higher stature at a rally to stand together with our oldest ally. The Atlantic asks, "Isn't that what vice presidents are for, to represent America at solemn foreign events and moments of occasion?"Last updated 2:53 pm
85 comments:
Do we know where he was ?
Plenty of US representation so don't get all Fox news all of a sudden...
I'd prefer our president was not strolling around the streets over there, totally unprotected. That is what I hear the VIPs were doing.
44 world leaders were not strolling the streets unprotected. His absence is inexcusable.
He was at the White House, and Biden was at Wilmington.
Don't need him traipsing around France. The US had a delegation. While the Fox News whackos would love to see him as target one in Paris, most of us sane citizens prefer not.
Oh by the way there Sean O'Hare Hannity, Obama has taken the least vacation days of any President since the 1970's. So the golf thing is really getting old. But hey, don't let that stop you. It has never stopped Faux News.
This appeaser in chief deserves all the criticism he gets. He has played 208 rounds of golf since becoming president, including a round right afte he annunced the beheading of an American. I don't need any media pundit t tell me his priorities are all wrong, but you apparently need to hear from time to time that the emperor is wearing no clothes.
This appeaser got Bin Laden, cleaned up the Bush wars and has rained down more drone death on terrorists than any one lese.
IU will take him any day over your chicken hawks.
While Charlie does his talking points and praises Putin. Obama is knocking these guys off from the air. I guess he should just talk tough and sound angry. However, then he would be a Republican candidate for President.
Obama has done a very good job. Much better than his predecessor. Unless you count temper tantrums.
Nutanyahoo is the biggest terrorist on the planet. No decent world leader should stand with him on anything.
This was an attack by extremist religious conservatives. Obama, and all thinking persons know that the mix of religious belief and conservative 'values' is the root of all evil in the world. We don't need 'solidarity' rallies, we need to eradicate all these religious conservative hate groups around the world, and there are plenty right here in the USA.
he's learned his lesson - never send a boy to do a man's job
I could tell by the tone of the proceedings at that rally, that Obama would be uncomfortable participating. To me the protest was a statement of unity among peaceful World leaders against Radical Islam. Obama and Eric Holder can't even utter the words Radical Islam never mind protest against it. I figured he was most likely golfing.
He has always struggled with the presidential role of his office.
This was France's 9/11 and it was about supporting an ally (and yes France and most of Europe are the US allies) and by not being there himself and sending holder or God forbid, Biden, shows just how little respect he has for them.
Sometimes perception is more important than form.
The Bush administration created this mess. They should be over there apologizing.
All over the place. You should have ended with "Get off my lawn."
By the way, I don't think it was a good idea for the US President to be a part of that rally.
44 world leaders were not strolling the streets unprotected. His absence is inexcusable.
Because those 44 world leaders were in NYC on 9/12. Get a grip, Fox sycophant.
Unity rally?
What Europe needs to do is sweep their neighborhoods..do away with shariah law in sections of cities that has come to be treated as an equivalent to federal laws in those countries. Particularly concerning in Germany and the UK, with smaller scale situations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Women suffer under Shariah Law, and it is barbaric and backwards as the religion that spawned it.
Why would Obama show up at an opposition rally?
Obama = Lame Duck
Let him golf all he wants.
This is classic -
The President who was going to unite the world, can't attend a rally against terrorism.
Wasn't it just a few days ago that the President told France "we stand with you today, we stand with you tomorrow..."?
I guess he meant only those two days.
'So don't get all Fox news all the sudden". -- New York papers are have printed the same thing!--However NO One could possibly protect anybody in that congestion.The AG was wrong person to send, and even he did not show his face . Perception to the world IS cowardice,real or not. The Palestinian leader and Israel represented feet apart ,saw it myself on France 24- Real World News --early ,as it happens.
Air Force One: $179,750 per hour to operate, according to a 2012 Congressional Research Service report.
This cost does not include military planes used for security and special equipment on board.
Don't forget to factor in the passenger and cargo aircraft that often accompany the president's plane.
Then there is a question of security on the ground that must be planned, often weeks in advance of a trip, that involves a designated security team to go in advance of the President's arrival.
While it may seem that our President can just hop on his private 747 and go when and where he wants, that isn't reality. Especially when security among a throng of French citizens could not be guaranteed.
However, Biden could have gone and been expendable. That's what Kennedy did with Johnson when he was advised not to visit 'Nam because of security fears.
So you are upset Obama did not go to a staged photo op: https://twitter.com/borzou/status/554605138426736640
Yeah, and if he went the criticism would have been it was a staged photo op. Damned if you, damned if you don't.
Obama is totally expendable.
9:35 -
I would have felt better about the cost of AF1 and the related security necessary for an official visit to France than I do about those same costs for another family vacation in Hawaii.
Don't get all George Stephanopoulos on us.
Obama's entire Presidency was nothing but a great big photo op.
Whatever happened to the Super Majority?
@9:38
I agree with you. Further, I don't believe AF1 should be used for any domestic vacation flights. Supposedly, the taxpayer only foots the bill for "official" business, but we're all aware that its easy enough to add something "business" in order to write off a vacation.
"This appeaser got Bin Laden, cleaned up the Bush wars and has rained down more drone death on terrorists than any one lese."
As it happens, he didn't. Navy Seals "got" bin Laden, and the story is that Obama dithered away so much that there was nearly no operation at all. He is the weakest President we have had in recent memory, and is thre reason why the Dems should not bother fielding a candidate.The presidential race will be over with the R primary. Instead of defending this sad excuse for a president, you should be hanging your head in for this modern Neville Chamberlain.
Seems President Obama did put out a big signal to our Europeans allies.Trying to understand what this signal is goes way over my pay grade.It seems very odd that Joe Biden and John Kerry did not override the President on this new foreign policy strategy.
"Especially when security among a throng of French citizens could not be guaranteed."
In other words, the president of the United States is a pussy. Forty-four world leaders, including the Prime Minister of Israel, had the guts to stand up for free speech while Obama watched the Golf Channel.
9:37,
Don't be a moron. I was no fan of Bush II and thought he was an embarrassment and a Cheney puppet, but never once did I think he or any President was expendable.
In other words, the president of the United States is a pussy.
Really, Bernie? I think you are intelligent enough to know that there is much more decision making going on in exposing the U.S. President to unnecessary risk. Not the least of which would be having Biden in the big chair.
If Kennedy had taken the advice of leaving his car top up on that pleasant weather day, you would have called him a pussy?
If 44 other world leaders could be there, Obama could be there. his absence is just another demonstration of his incapacity as a leader. I am intelligent enough to understand that Obama's absence is a snub.
President Obama has ordered many more drone strikes on extremists than Bush did as he sees it as one of several weapons in our arsenal that can be used pretty precisely with much less collateral damage and cost (blood and treasure) than the wars started by Cheney and his little boy. Of course the Navy Seals ACTUALLY killed Bin Laden, but the commander in chief ordered the mission after determining it was worth a shot despite the advice of some of his advisers....in other words he led. Finally, while there were some mistakes in judgment made during the early stages of the Syrian civil war as to how much to help the rebels, there was also a very legitimate concern with leaving a power vacuum in that government. Lay citizens can second guess easily...actual governing with ALL the information at hand is hard.
It is fascinating that so many people, including seemingly intelligent bloggers, are so easily brainwashed by lies.
As of December 2014:
compared to past presidents, Obama has taken relatively few vacation days. At this point in his second term, former President George W. Bush had taken a whopping 405 vacation days. Before him, Bill Clinton took a total of 174 days for himself. Another big vacationer was Ronald Reagan, who took a total of 390 days during his time in office. In comparison, Obama has only taken 161 vacation days to date.
As it happens, he didn't. Navy Seals "got" bin Laden, and the story is that Obama dithered away so much that there was nearly no operation at all. He is the weakest President we have had in recent memory, and is thre reason why the Dems should not bother fielding a candidate.The presidential race will be over with the R primary. Instead of defending this sad excuse for a president, you should be hanging your head in for this modern Neville Chamberlain.
WOW! Such a sad statement.
You sound as sure as the Repubs in 2012 when everyone was convinced Obama was a one-term President. At least you'll have new material when President Clinton gets sworn in in 2017.
In other words, the president of the United States is a pussy.
You have completely lost what little credibility you had. Total fail.
If 44 other world leaders could be there, Obama could be there. his absence is just another demonstration of his incapacity as a leader. I am intelligent enough to understand that Obama's absence is a snub.
Yes, because the other 44 are as symbolic a target as the President of the United States. You are just being stupid.
11:29, 11:33, this has NOTHING to do with Obama's vacations and EVERYTHING to do with a detached head of state who completely missed the importance of an American presence to support s right that is the cornerstone of democracy.
One of the trolls here is so bothered by Peter Cochran that he or she insists on impersonating him.
Yet you choose a picture of Obama golfing, make jokes about it, and invite right-wing blowhards to perpetuate the myths. You are furthering a myth here as well concerning the reasons for Obama's pass on Paris.
By the way, which leaders were in NYC the days following 9/11 again? Netanyahu was there, wasn't he?
Keep floundering around, trying to make excuses for the Appeaser in Chief.
Netanyahu described the 9/11 attacks as "good" and was seen smiling while watching the events unfold. http://www.haaretz.com/news/report-netanyahu-says-9-11-terror-attacks-good-for-israel-1.244044 This is what a cartoonist at one of Israel's top newspapers drew about Bibi...http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/world/middleeast/israeli-cartoonist-compares-netanyahu-to-9-11-hijackers.html?_r=0
The President can golf and spend cuddle time with Reggie Love if he wants. After all, al Qaeda is on the run. Michelle will be launching a definitive hashtag strike shortly. Mission accomplished! It's time to stand unified for better school lunches and Final Four brackets. #hashtag
Keep floundering around, trying to make excuses for the Appeaser in Chief.
To the Fox brainwashed, discussing facts is "floundering around". The Fox brainwashed don't want to hear facts or a difference of opinion. They have talking points which are continuously stated and restated until the intellectually weak or intellectually uninterested believe it as fact.
Appeasement and vacation are two PERFECT examples.
Good to see FauxNews boy up and it. He's toasty warm in his footie p-jays, cheering on teh Pussy in chief.
Git upstairs pjboy. Mommy's got your spaghettios ready. And today, you get meatballs!
-Clem
"Bin Laden's dead and we have al Qaeda on the run."
Translation: "We have achieved peace in our time."
Message to future cartoonists from Barack Obama:
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet Mohammed."
Translation: "You got what you deserved, Charlie Hebdo."
The only Benghazi-related arrest and imprisonment was that of a cartoon film maker whose art had nothing to do with the Benghazi attack.
Al Qaeda is on the run.
If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.
This is the most transparent administration in history.
You said Russia, Governor Romney. And the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back.
This (2010) is the summer of recovery.
Clem - Even coming from you, that was weak. Aren't you the McDonalds shift manager? I thought someone mentioned that. And I bet you drive a 1997 Corolla with McCain/Palim sticker. Amirite?
12:12 seems to have me confused with someone claiming Obama takes an excessive number of vacations. I have not made that claim. I have claimed that the "leader" of the free world, such as he is, should have been present at a ally meant to send a message about the importance of free speech. He pussied out, and let 44 other world leaders, including Russian leaders, shame him and us.
Guy can't win. If he had been there and there was an attack on those world leaders and our president suffered Injuries or death, the news cycle would have been about how there was no need for our president to be there.
Yes, what happened in france was tragic.. Sucks for all the people who die, but let's not act like that Charlie Hebdo doesn't sometimes publish the most racist things.
these responses can, like all criticism of the One, be lumped into one of two catagories:
Racist!
or
Bush was worse!
So what 1:13 is saying is that Charlie Hebo deserved what they got for publishing the "racist" stuff.
1:13, 44 world leaders would not have been there had there been any real security concern. He has again allowed this nTion to look weAk. Maybe he should draw another red line.
This is Bush's fault and you're all racists. If Obama had a daughter, she'd wear t-shirts that promote rap groups with misogynistic and cop-killer lyrics.
http://www.bet.com/news/music/2015/01/05/malia-obama-rocks-pro-era-t-shirt.html
Apparently, Malia thinks the only good cop is a dead cop. Nice job mom and dad. Is she eating a healthy lunch?
Just in from various news wires.
"Whitehouse admits error in not sending someone with higher profile to Paris".
Boy, that Fox News crowd is really powerful.
The White House admitted poor judgement and pledged to fix things, quickly. Higher level diplomat Michelle Obama is being sent to Paris to critique French cuisine and launch a hashtag war against hurtful speech. She's going to address the world at the Arc De Triomphe just as soon as the StyroFoam columns are flown in from Denver.
It just amazes me when someone disagrees with a liberal the 1st thing they do is blame fox news- which is the highest rated cable network on tv, or they call their opponent "intellectually weak." Bernie, is by no means, a "right winger." He makes a valid point- the leader of the most powerful nation in the world was a no-show. The man who promised "hope & change" has turned out to be the most partisan president in modern history. Everything he does is based on ideology. I VOTED FOR HIM IN '08, AND I'VE BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTED. Unlike Reagan or Clinton, he dislikes governing...
I voted for him in '08 as well, and can tell you I have been disappointed since then. He held such promise, and I really hoped he would be a man who could unite people, instead of driving them farther apart. But what really has put me off is his weak approach to foreign policy.
He's been a major disappointment- very partisan and very weak. Our allies around the world don't trust him. Dropping drones is the only consistent thing in his foreign policy.
Obama's absence was a SERIOUS blunder. Someone interviewed this morning brought up an interesting point. She said, that photo (of the world leaders walking arm in arm) will become an important part of history. It will be seen the rest of our lives in print, and elsewhere, when reference is made to terrorism. To NOT have Obama, or Biden in the photo is pretty sad.
I'm not buying the security concern excuse. A British website is showing a photo that indicates the 'March of World Leaders' was actually a staged photo-op. It took place on an empty Paris street, with ONLY the world leaders and their staff participating. The group was about 5 deep. In addition, there were dozens of security on the same street with at least a 100 yard distance from the leaders.
People REALLY need to research and analyze news these days. That includes considering info from news outlets around the world. Our own mainstream media, including FOX, has has been compromised, in my opinion. We have become an agenda-driven people, unfortunately.
Fred Windish
"they do is blame fox news- which is the highest rated cable network on tv,"
When your audience is all angry old white people, you don't need a lot to be highly watched. They are a disgrace to be called a "news" network. Part of America's ever growing problem of hate is lid at that crazy Australians doorstep. Everyone knows, give the people what they want and when you feel life sucks you want to be told who's fault it is and Fox is willing to oblige.
Hey guys how about all those Fox-y blondes and their short tight skirts. Fox know what they are doing.
I hope Dent thanked you for printing the RNC memo he was given. Now here's a cookie.
"when your audience is angry old white people" well then, check the ratings for msnbc. again, liberals going crazy. Even jake tapper, hardly a conservative, said it was a mistake.
Before everyone gets their panties in a bind, where was the "solidarity march" after over 3000 people were killed on 9/11? Countries expressed their solidarity from afar and NATO made a proclamation. Just because the French have experienced a small scale terrorist attack, while tragic like all others, it does not begin to rise to the level of 9/11...THAT was truly an attack on the world...78 nations represented had fatalities that day. Kerry is on his way to Paris and Bebe Netanyahu has never met a camera he didn't like. If Obama had done the photo op, he would have been criticized for that too by his haters.
4:39 &4:4:48 are seemingly unaware they've lost this one. The Appeaser-in-chief has admitted it was wrong. Now move along. I'm sure you can rail about this on Facebook.
No Bernie, the White House said some one at a higher level should have been sent...not the president himself. Let's get it right.
Obama could not be any more expendable.
I'm just not emotionally invested in the clown that said, "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period" as the rest of you Kool Aid addicts.
"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period."
Does anyone actually really care what the White House says anymore?
Family vacation cost US tax payers 10 million dollars --this stuff should stop as Executive Privileges,go ,this is non sense-he or anybody else IS NOT WORTH THAT MUCH .
5:17, I got it right while you talked about drones, vacations and made the usual personal attacks. Now run along.
I don't think that Obama needed to be there, but he should have made sure someone higher up than the US ambassador to France participate. He should have sent Kerry. And, it is true that statistically Obama has taken less vacation time off than Bush. However, Bush's "vacations" were primarily on his ranch (his "Western White House") or at Kennebunkport. They weren't in Hawaii, Spain, or Martha's Vineyard. They were at homes either he or his family owned. The cost of Bush's "vacations" in terms of travel expenses and Secret Service details had to be far less expensive than Obama's. And Obama's 200* rounds of golf is ridiculous. Sure, Ike golfed a lot more, but these are different times. During a recession and its aftermath taking advantage of playing a rich man's sport is hardly demonstrating the same level of sacrifice that all of us had to endure. Obama has a HUGE ego. He loves being the President with all of its perks. And he will milk them until his last day in office.
I'm the one who published the comment at 1:13pm.
I'm not saying that the people who died at charlie hedbo deserves it. I'm just saying that they're known for posting some very racist cartoons. Here are some examples:
When the pope visited France, they posted a comic of the pope getting his hands kissed by French people with the following headline:
The Pope in Paris:
The French, also as dumb as Niggers.
During the war in Zaire, they posted a cartoon of an elephant with bullet wounds, a severed trunk, and a rocket stuck in its side with a bubble over the elephant saying:
"These niggers are pissing me off"
I am not saying that they deserved it..not one bit. But let's not act like the people who publish these cartoons don't have racist tendencies.
Yes, it is free speech, but if the morning call suddenly did something similar and called blacka in the Lehigh valley niggers or portrayed Muslims in the valley as terrorist, we would not be sitting here saying that it is OK for them to express themselves like that.
Just my 2¢.
The whole point of these cartoons is to provoke people, something you obviously don't get. Robert Crumb, the underground cartoonist I referred to, drew cartoons that on their face seemed to attack Jews. They actually did the opposite, and the same is true of the French cartoons. This country, despite its supposed live of free speech, does a pretty good job of stifling it. Doonesbury is just one small example. Mainstream media sources like The Morning Call are more interested in making money than being provocative. Hell, they don't even perform the basic function of telling the truth, lest they anger people like J.B. reilly. That's why blogs are so popular.. It's sad to see someone defend mediocrity and condemn art. You really have much in common with the terrorists who decide what we should see.
Hi Bernie,
Why are you such a faggot?
If Israel had gone back to pre-1967 borders like the Nobel Peace Prize winner Obama said in his great Cairo speech, then France would not be experiencing such instances of workplace violence.
Obama's foreign policy is beyond reproach, it is other countries who simply will not do what they are told and that is why there is such a great mess (which Bush did nothing to fix).
Netanyahu was completely self serving in attending, since the French formally asked him to NOT do so.. Once there, he elbowed his way to the front of the pack for the photo op and then left. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.636557
It's how the George Stephanopoulouses and the rest of the hero Democrats operate nowadays --- yack on all day about diversity but yet beat the absolute crap out of anyone who dare disagree with the Progressive Liberal rubbish.
Race card = Righteous
Six long years later, people who voted for Obama owe the rest of the Citizenry a sincere apology.
I will apologize for Obama after you apologize for the hate and ignorance spread by Fox News.
I don't watch Fox News, so I am, unfortunately, not aware of this "hate and ignorance" that is allegedly spread.
Race Card = Righteous
Okay, ready for the Obama Voters to live up to their end of the deal!
God help me, for once I agree with Bernie. Obama should've been there there or at least sent Biden or Kerry. As far as security, it was widely reported that the pic of the world leaders was a photo op. They were in a secure area, no people around, and ton of security.
The French were ready for anything. Hell if the terrorist were going after a world leader Netenyahu is high up on the list because he's Jewish and the Israeli PM. Plus statistically speakin, Obama is In more danger in the US than abroad (based on presidential assassinations).
As far as comments about where those world leaders were after 9/11, they supported US with their biggest assets, troops in Afghanistan War. Sure the French didn't help in Iraq, but that was due to lack of reason, evidence to do so.
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