President Obama slammed rival Mitt Romney Wednesday for criticizing his administration over the violent attacks in Egypt and Libya that left four dead in the Libyan city of Benghazi, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.
"Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later," Obama told CBS News on Wednesday. "As president, one of the things I've learned is you can't do that. It's important for you to make sure that the statements you make are backed up by the facts, and that you thought through the ramifications before you make them."
Obama said he’ll "let the American people judge" whether Mitt Romney made Palin-esque remarks on Obama's leadership, which have been widely condemned, even by prominent Republicans, for their premature and aggressive nature.
In response to an earlier statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Romney accused the Obama administration of being "disgraceful" and apologetic for American values in regards to an inflammatory film on Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
The embassy in Cairo released a statement on Tuesday denouncing "the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions."
The timing and context of Romney’s rant came under fire. The embassy statement came out hours before protesters stormed the Cairo embassy and before U.S. officials confirmed four diplomats were killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
While no one was hurt in the Cairo incident, the deadly attack on American officials in Libya suggests a more sophisticated operation. The possibility an al-Qaeda inspired Islamist militant group carried out the attack hasn’t been ruled out, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The timeline of these recent events, and how they continue to unfold, could play an important role in the upcoming November election.
The final presidential debate between Obama and Romney scheduled for October 22 will focus solely on foreign policy issues.
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Yup, and Obama waited overnight, another 10 hours of today, did some quick political polling of the political yin and yang, then finally got around to seconding Romney's campaign comment last night that our Embassy in Cairo should have been condemning the rioters breaching the confines of our embassy, chastising the Egyptian government forces for not keeping order, and certainly not apologizing for American principles of freedom of speech and insistence on civil order. Then our President left Hillary in charge in D.C., and got hastily out of Dodge for some fund raising, political campaigning, and rubbing elbows with Hollywood celebrities in Las Vegas.
Where was mitt on his yaht with a caymen flag waving from his yaht, maybe he had his money on the yaht counting it, he went behind close doors at his fundraising & made rude statements about you Keith, he is not for the poor or middleclass which catagory are you in?, either way he is not for you or me, don't be neive, ain't nobody chasing no body get your facts straight before you open your blah mouth, he didn't dodge out anywhere where do u get your information from FOX NEWS then your mind is in the gutter like your lying constiuants. you & the republican party are not in touch. OBAMA 2012-2016
For anyone who feels a need to see a parallel between Mitt Romney's meltdown and Grandpa Keith's regular wicked-witch-water-encounters here, the above post is pretty much prima facie evidence.
Here's the timetable on the release of the statement from the United States Embassy, six hours before the attack. It condemned the attempt to provoke Muslims with the attacks on their prophet, period, and in no way could it be construed as an "apology" by our government to the terrorists. Well, unless you're a desperate candidate way over his head in a presidential campaign with poll numbers indicating the electorate has apprised itself of that reality .
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57511601-503544/obama-romney-shoots-first-aims-later/?tag=stack
The only "distancing" President Obama did regarding the claim was to point out it came from people on the ground, and he was inclined to cut them some slack from his position within the campaign.
Steve Schmidt, senior campaign strategist to Sen. John McCain in McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, told CBS News Wednesday that Romney's "comments were a big mistake, and the decision to double down on them was an even bigger mistake."
And seriously Grandpa, you promised us the Romney camp was going to focus on the economy...
Ah, here we go...
http://twitter.com/robgillin/status/246046468379643904/photo/1
Monday's call from Al Qaeda's #1 for jihad against all Americans in revenge for the drone missile killing or his debut, a Libyan from Al Qaeda in Libya was the shot fired this week that precipitated events. The ginning up of Muslims over a an insulting film on the Internet is hardly anything more than an attempt to give cover to the terrorist actions against American and allied personnel. The Brits have had to take the same gruff lately, and you don't see their embassy personnel making apologetic statements. Even the UN personnel have been under attack. Previous attacks on US diplomatic personnel also occurred in June. This area is a hotbed of anti-Western values and interest by the resurgent Al Qaeda and other off shoots of the that terrorist organization due to the vacuum of strong government controls post Arab Spring. And Barrack Obama has been full out fund raising and campaigning instead of putting his nose to the grindstone, and keeping a quick and sure hand ready to react. With all the warning signs, where was the preparation for this series of events going on in the Middle East...just like with Issac, the recent hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast, he was too busy campaigning to get around to issuing a national emergency declaration for the region until 2 days after landfall (Bush had issued his national emergency declaration for Katrina 2 days PRIOR). Obama continued on his campaigning schedule on college campuses (to notably thinner and less enthusiastic audiences than in 2008) for a week after Issac's landfall before he took the time to visit the Gulf State area to view the damage, meet with Governors of the States affected, and give words of solace. Bush was in the Gulf State area 3 days after Katrina's landfall. And our liberal media, who savaged George Bush over his supposed slow reaction to the events of Katrina, were absent from duty regarding Obama and his actions regarding Issac. There is pattern here, Where are the crys of outrage that the US overseas were not better prepared and protected for what was sure to be coming at them over not just an uproar amongst the fundalmenatlist Isalmists over one more issue of supposed blasphemy (there have been so many), but the serious issues of declining order, poor govenment controls, and instigating forces of Isalmic terrorism calling for jihad, expecially arround the aniversay of 9/11?
Now, with this current simmering issue overseas, Obama will get a rise in the polls, as all incumbent Presidents do when foreign affairs crisis take place as the nation rallies round their government and their Commander in Chief. However, I submit that just as in Obama's prior issues of distraction with campaigning with Issac, and his prior reticence to get out front on issues of national security, Obama appears timid at best, and if I was an ally like Israel, I wouldn't count on him showing up when the chips are down, that's for sure.
As to Steve Schmidt, he is nothing other than a political operative...he was the guy the McCain campaign put in place to muzzle Sarah Palin when she was drawing in the crowds after she was picked as McCain's VP and hitting the campaign trail, was he not? And then wrote a tell all book which blamed Palin and her closest advisors for the McCain campaign slunp ("The fundamental's of the economy are strong" post Lehman brothers collapse - John McCain, Sep, 2008) And Romney didn't have any use for Schmidt on his campaign, so he's signed as a paid turncoat to follow the editorial policy of MSNBC, which is to support Obama, and savage Romney on every occasion possible. And that is the only reason people know what he might think on anything, because no one in Republican circles wanted him on their staff.
You are going to have to do better than that, Cab Driver!! And in the interim, since the Romney campaign's early Tuesday night and later Wednesday monrning statements before Obama got around to addressing these issues, Hillary is getting things done now, and Obama is off fund raising still and campaigning still, and he finally woke up and got around to disavowing the Embassey staff's early apologetic statement involved in the Cairo incudent, which you know as well as I do had been cleared at higher levels before being released.
Obama already had a huge rise in the polls...
Or maybe it was just Romney shooting himself in the foot and the bullet passing through the hull of the boat he was riding in...
Did you ever hear that whenever there is trouble abroad for Americans the populace rally to the President in support, Cab Driver? That will change when Obama finally steels himself up to getting before the media in a press conference, where he has to answer hard questions, such as why are Egypt and Pakistan and perhaps even Israel now no longer considered allies of the US, if not enemies? Why when we had due warning of the possibility of attacks, especially in Libya where we and the Red Cross has earlier undergone attacks this summer, were not our Ambassador and his staff better protected in Libya? Why is it that in the immediate aftermath of the rioters storming our embassy in Caro, Egypt, to which we provide $2 billion plus a year in foreign and military aide, no condemnation of those actions were forthcoming from the President of the United States, and still now no statement, while he is off campaigning and fund raising? Obama has a lot to answer for. And if Obama wants to duck the questions just now beginning to be asked by such journalists as CNNs Suzzane Malvaux and the Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine contributors, his brief moment of support will be over before he knows it. I predict in the aftermath of the Sunday News Shows there will be an entirely different color to the polling. The first question is why did he continue on his fund raising and canpaigning swing thru the Rocky Mountain States instead of face up to the job description, and get before the media and the American People. Oh, I forget, Obama hasn't held a White House session with the media since he blew the most basic question this spring on the trouble with the economy, which you don't hear him speaking much either now today, do you?
Why has no one asked Gov Romney whether he condemns the anti-muslim movie in question ? His response will tell us whether he too should be classified as a weak apologist he claims Pres Obama is, (then hypocritically as well), or that he is just a religious xenophobe.
Does anyone remember Obama when he said the Cambridge Police acted stupidly.
Talk about shoot first aim later
Just saying....
I'm just saying" they did & people agreeded with PBO, now what else do you have to ask this time let it be an intelligent ? yes PBO shot straight & aimed straight, & yeah you are saying nothing, funny your remarks has no bearing, at least he got results & the target" just saying"...
People that have no common sense open their mouth and say nonsense, president Obama has been diplomatic and get the job done via diplomacy, Romney/GOP doesn't understand how diplomacy works,four more years president Obama.
The ostrich is a very diplomatic bird, adekola. He hide his head in the sand when trouble is about. Obama hides in plain sight, on the campaign and fund raising trail. He is a base coward unless he stops campaigning and steps up to his job and takes questions from the media in a Press Conference, and sooner rather than later!
Where is the post topic on this blog of the incredibly amateurish statement of our amateur President that "Egypt is neither our ally nor our enemy"? Seems to me that if we are going to continue to provide over $2 billion in diplomtic and military aid to Egypt they ought to be considered an ally, no? And they were considered an ally previously, as they were are trusted neghbor of Israel over the past 20 years or so, and a mostly technologically advanced secular nation in the hotbed of Islamist fervor that was the Middle East, whose consumers bought a lot of our products (especially our laptops and cell phones). I found that statement by the President very distrubing...and we will undoubedly pay for it down the road. But in his favor, he was speaking off the cuff, without carefully scripted and teleprompted clues as to what he thought on the question. BTW, Obama won't have that usual crutch he so much depends on in the debates up coming, either, will he!
your boy romney will get crushed on the debates, yes he will have his crutch as you say he has more going for him than romney will ever have, just a pathological lier, can't help himself, remember lies do come back & haunt you & romney is on his way down on disaster blvd. you ain't found no disturbing statements from pbo, the only disturbing statement you heard is from the lier romney-you two are alike go on back & watch your favorite lier's fox news for that is all you have going for you & we will see who sets off the debates with true answer it want be romney-for he want have any answers. obama 2012-2016
What did romney on labor day got into his boat was supposed to be getting prep for the debates, but he chose to go on one of his boats , so that is what he thinks about you he cares nothing about you, people like you really are "pitiful, if you are among the 47% of the people romney is talking about you-get it together buddy keith for you don't know what you are saying & your statement is wrong, wrong. romney keeps putting his foot in his mouth-heard the lastest about your romney behind close door fund raiser, you need to.