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Byron York: Is There a 'Double Standard' for Obama in Terrorism Case?
Washington Examiner ^ | Wednesday, December 30, 2009 | Byron York

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.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bho44; bhochristmas; bhodhs; doublestandard; flight253; mediabias; obama
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Good solid piece by Byron York. Click the source link for whole article.

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.

1 posted on 12/30/2009 11:24:00 AM PST by kristinn
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To: kristinn

The Axelturfers are all over the conservative blogs pushing this meme. Their desperation is obvious.


2 posted on 12/30/2009 11:27:00 AM PST by Dems_R_Losers (U.S. Out of My Doctor's Office!!)
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To: kristinn

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.


3 posted on 12/30/2009 11:27:49 AM PST by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it*s the new black. Mmm Mmm Mmm.)
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To: kristinn

My advice to our so-called president 0bama is that if he can’t the heat, get the hell out.


4 posted on 12/30/2009 11:28:05 AM PST by Chi-townChief
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To: kristinn

It doesn’t take much to get Obama in front of a camera everyday...except something like this.


5 posted on 12/30/2009 11:28:16 AM PST by jennyjenny
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To: kristinn

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!!!”


6 posted on 12/30/2009 11:29:03 AM PST by A_Former_Democrat
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To: kristinn

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.


7 posted on 12/30/2009 11:29:03 AM PST by livius
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To: kristinn

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?


8 posted on 12/30/2009 11:33:09 AM PST by shield (A wise man's heart is at his RIGHT hand;but a fool's heart at his LEFT. Ecc 10:2)
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To: kristinn
Keeping America safe for eight years is worth a lot...


9 posted on 12/30/2009 11:33:39 AM PST by jessduntno ("The system is working just as it should..." - Jan "The Man" Napolitano)
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To: shield
I think it's appropriate to talk about the Patriot Act which was thankfully instituted under President Bush. Critical parts are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2009.

It was put on the back burner for Health Care!!

Earth to Obama: How about getting your priorities in order.

10 posted on 12/30/2009 11:40:19 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: kristinn
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."

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.

11 posted on 12/30/2009 11:45:29 AM PST by Will88
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To: kristinn
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."

Perhaps.

I can live with that.

12 posted on 12/30/2009 11:45:38 AM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. -- Texas Eagle)
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To: Chi-townChief
I agree on the get out part! BO is so casual about this incident he can't even wear a tie!

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?

13 posted on 12/30/2009 11:46:41 AM PST by myrabach
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To: kristinn

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.


14 posted on 12/30/2009 11:49:08 AM PST by nhwingut (Palin/Bachmann '12)
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To: kristinn; All
 
15 posted on 12/30/2009 11:51:17 AM PST by backhoe (All Across America, the Lights are being relit again...)
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To: ReneeLynn
What's just as laughable about the left's relativity is that Bush's "vacations" were at his home in Crawford, TX rather than some outrageously expensive and luxurious getaway where all sorts of exclusive accomodations were made on his behalf. But, both Obama and Bush had gone "home", donchaknow. LOL.

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"!

16 posted on 12/30/2009 11:54:03 AM PST by LucyJo
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To: All

Moments after the 9-11 attacks, the MSM was wailing “where’s Bush?” and bashing him relentlessly.


17 posted on 12/30/2009 11:55:51 AM PST by Rodney Dangerfield (The "Inconvenient Truth" was all a convenient lie.)
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To: kristinn

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.


18 posted on 12/30/2009 11:57:43 AM PST by Voter62vb
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To: LucyJo
What's just as laughable about the left's relativity is that Bush's "vacations" were at his home in Crawford, TX rather than some outrageously expensive and luxurious getaway where all sorts of exclusive accomodations were made on his behalf.

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.

19 posted on 12/30/2009 12:49:39 PM PST by SES1066 (Cycling to conserve, Conservative to save, Saving to Retire, will Retire to Cycle.)
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To: Dems_R_Losers

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.


20 posted on 12/30/2009 1:07:18 PM PST by griswold3 (You think health care is expensive now? Just wait till it's FREE!)
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