Posted on 12/30/2009 11:23:58 AM PST by kristinn
Some Obama defenders are sending around new articles from the Huffington Post and the Politico arguing that President Obama is being subjected to a double standard of criticism for his handling of the Detroit terrorism incident.
In "Obama takes the heat President Bush did not," the Politico's Josh Gerstein writes that when shoe-bomber Richard Reid struck on December 22, 2001, "it was six days before President George W. Bush, then on vacation, made any public remarks…and there were virtually no complaints from the press or any opposition Democrats that his response was sluggish or inadequate."
Now, Gerstein continues, despite "striking" similarities between the Reid case and the Detroit incident, Obama has become the target of "withering" criticism from Republicans and some in the press. How to explain the "double standard"? The Huffington Post's Sam Stein writes that the "bellowing" from Republicans over Obama's performance "seems as much about political posturing as legitimate national security concerns."
Here's another answer. The most basic underlying question in the public discussion of Obama's handling of the Detroit case is whether the president and his administration take the threat of terror seriously. During the campaign, Obama and other Democrats accused the Bush administration of playing to the nation's fears about terrorism. Obama promised a different, lower-key approach. So after the Ft. Hood incident, he downplayed the by-then obvious possibility that the murders of 13 people were an act of Islamic terrorism, and after the Detroit matter, he said nothing at all and made a point of playing golf after hearing about the botched bombing. Obama's aides even explained to at least one sympathetic reporter that the decision to play golf was a calculated, tough, and wise response to the incident and that the president was "projecting his calm" on the American people.
SNIP
You may agree or disagree about the wisdom of effectiveness of any of those actions. But did anyone, on December 22, 2001, doubt that George W. Bush was serious about using all the powers of the U.S. government to strike back at the terrorists who hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Did anyone doubt Bush's resolve?
Today, does anyone have such confidence in Barack Obama? That -- and not some "double standard" -- is why there are so many questions about the president's handling of the Detroit incident.
The liberal media is circling the wagons for Obama. They know his diffidence toward the war on terror coupled with his being on an extravagant self-indulgent vacation are making him vulnerable.
The Axelturfers are all over the conservative blogs pushing this meme. Their desperation is obvious.
Also a thread here http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2417799/posts about how Pres. Bush was attacked by the left for his vacations. So, they lie.
My advice to our so-called president 0bama is that if he can’t the heat, get the hell out.
It doesn’t take much to get Obama in front of a camera everyday...except something like this.
Bush had his hands full with outstanding leadership post-911.
There have been several incidents now in recent weeks, after 8 years of experience and intelligence knowing this is realtime, not make believe.
Yet the Impostor in Chief vacations in Hawaii while Head Ho Nappy tells us “All is well!!!! All is well!!!”
Good piece, and it’s true, nobody doubted in the least that GWB knew about it and was watching it. Also, if he had said anything about it, he would have been accused by the press of grandstanding and trying to make political hay.
One of Bush’s big failures was that he let the hostile press determine his public behavior and statements. But nobody ever had any doubt that he was fully in control of the situation.
All he is doing is fumbling around when he tries to read the speech he’s given to read...where’s this impostor’s teleprompter?
It was put on the back burner for Health Care!!
Earth to Obama: How about getting your priorities in order.
Well, duh, that's probably because W was in the process of invading Afghanistan to fight Al Qaeda on their home territory. There was no sense at that time that W was not doing enough to combat terrorism. The Shoe Bomber was a surprise, but still sort of a side show in those days.
After Fort Hood all Obama did was avoid the issue and refuse to call it what it was, and his lack of response to the Underwear Bomber was a continuation of that non-policy. Obama had done nothing effective or reassuring since Fort Hood. That's why he's being justifiably flamed now, plus Napolitano is an idiot and an incompetent.
Perhaps.
I can live with that.
The spin doctors are so hard at work, I'm really dizzy. As to if I feel safe.... NO, not when the pres is frolicking in the surf and “cooling” it up on the golf course while the US is under attack and his appointees are saying “everything worked fine”!
Egads, we can't stand another 3 years of this mess.
How long can he get away with blaming Bush and the Republicans before the mush brains of this country wake up and smell the roses?
It’s pretty simple...
Everyone knew Bush’s best attribute was wanting to kill the Islamic terrorists.
Everyone knows Obama is spineless wimp. And his actions played right into the meme.
York is correct about the resolve and motivation behind Bush's actions.
RE: Obama,"...the decision to play golf was a calculated, tough, and wise response to the incident and that the president was "projecting his calm" on the American people."
LOL. Sometimes you just have to wonder how they come up with some of this stuff, and how they say it without choking!
Obama is doin' a lot of "projecting...on the American people" alright. I just don't know that I'd describe what he's projecting as "calm"!
Moments after the 9-11 attacks, the MSM was wailing “where’s Bush?” and bashing him relentlessly.
The double standard was Obama running against George Bush and Bush’s policies re: terrorism while up against McCain, telling the voters he was going to solve all the problems with talk and speeches, end “cowboy” diplomacy, and save the world with his nuance.
Poor Obama and his media promised us he was going to walk on water and freeze it behind him so the world would skate adoringly behind him.
The back-peddling media should be a fun circus to watch as this Simpsonesque house of cards tumbles and ignites into a mushroom cloud.
The double standard was that we were told it was racist to invoke “hussein” during the campaign but had to sing it after the election.
The double standard was that Obama wants everyone’s secrets open to the public but his documents that should be avialble to the public are in Sandy Berger’s special file drawer.
I wonder how much of this is also due to how much the libidiots of the 'Press' felt about deep Texas and the differences between Clinton and now Obama? Clinton and Obama are both following the call of wealth to the Hamptons, Martha's Vinyard and now Hawaii, all places where the reporting rabble can get their own comfortable accomodations.
I wonder if any 'enterprising news hound' will get the energy consumption of Obama's digs and compare it to the Crawford Ranch and other homes of the current Administration bigwigs? I know, I shouldn't hold my breath.
Their desperation is obvious.
They should be desperate. The ‘progressives’ have always been weak on all security issues. They’re a bunch of p*ssies.
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