News: Ambassador to Libya assassinated; 4 total dead

Yep. Even as I was pointing out his other fallacy, I fell for that one.

 

In his statement released "in the heat" of the crisis late Tuesday, Romney didn't criticize Obama. He criticized the administration, which had seemed to approve the statements sent out by the embassy in Cairo (all public statements must be approved by the State Dept), and statements which he believes gave the appearance of an apology in the midst of an attack.

It was clearly political opportunism. He saw something coming from the administration that he didn't approve of, and which also fed into his general narrative of the president's general foreign policy strategy, so within a few minutes of seeing those comments, he released a statement echoing those concerns. It then took the administration hours to back away from the very same comments Romney had criticized.

So by disavowing the embassy comments, the administration actually AGREED with Romney, because all he had done Tuesday night was criticize those specific comments. The chief line of criticism against Romney today was that "his priorities are out of whack", "he doesn't show compassion for those in harm's way", "he was worried about some minor statement in the middle of a crisis", etc. But we have evidence that in the heat of that crisis, the administration was just as worried about those comments as Romney was.

 

He didn't criticize Obama??? Good grief. So if I say posters who buy that silly Republican argument are jacknuts who don't have a grip on reality, does that mean that you can't complain because I didn't say your name? That's a silly argument intended to allow Romney to slither away from yet ANOTHER ridiculously foolish statement (series of statements). The guy simply can't control himself. And he clearly was going after the President ... his subsequent statements make that VERY clear. Romney is a fool. A rich fool, but a fool nonetheless. And he's apparently desperate now too, because someone who isn't desperate doesn't come out of their mouth with something like this WHILE the embassies themselves are still under duress. Oy vey.

 

He criticized Obama specifically in his press conference Wednesday afternoon. His statement released Tuesday night was directed at the administration (i.e. the embassy/State Dept comments). Of course, by proxy, that's also a criticism of Obama. Which was his intent. But what doesn't hold is the argument that since "Obama didn't do anything specifically wrong here", he's absolved from any criticism relating to misguided statements issued under the watch of his administration.

Again, do reference the link above, because the administration was clearly just as wound up about the optics of these comments as Romney was, and this, mind you, was in the middle of a crisis in which they were still trying to confirm whether a US ambassador had been killed.

 

What's amusing is that he had no idea it would go over like a lead balloon. He's a ********ing rube.

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighty theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen.

 

The fact that people here and in the media are still talking about Romney shows that the concern really isn't for the victims, or why local police/military forces couldn't stop the attacks, or how to secure our foreign missions, or what this says for stability in what we thought was a newly-minted addition to a burgeoning democratic Arab region. It's just Talking Point #6,329 on Day #478 of the campaign. Let me know when everyone decides they're ready to move on to #6,330.

 

You are parsing now, and we both know that. By proxy? Seriously, Romney doesn't know the State Department from his elbow. The administration he was talking about was the Obama administration. When he realized that he made a boo boo, he simply re-stated his argument another way in an attempt to re-formulate the argument the next morning. But make no mistake, he was saying the same thing both times ... it's Obama's fault. That's absolutely disgusting by him. The dude is pathetic.

And your reference link is worthless. Neither Obama personally or the rest of his "adminstration" were concerned with the statement for the same reason that Romney was. So acting as if it is 6 of one, half dozen of another is simply silly. The administration was trying to handle a real life crisis, developing on the ground, and trying to contain it using proper verbage. Romney .... well YOU know what Romney was doing, whether you want to admit it or not. The notion that Romney and the Obama administration were making the same complaint about the statement is absurd. Bottom line in all of this is that Romney lowered himself into the sewer, yet again .... and he is rightly getting called on it. The guy is a disaster.

 

You're amazing. Romney runs to a podium before he has 2 facts to rub together on the issue in an attempt to score some cheap political points ... again WHILE the attack itself is still going on, and yet somehow it's the big bad media's fault that it has become a story. LOL Gosh, I love conservatives.

 

If you read the next post, you would see my mentioning that it was obvious Romney was also trying to criticize Obama. But you acted all indignant by implying that "Romney can't talk, because Obama did nothing wrong". No, Romney could certainly talk because he had a major issue with some statements the administration released. And so did the administration. The next day, he folded those criticisms into a general devaluation of Obama foreign policy. But to act like Romney was acting out of turn Tuesday night when the White House was simultaneously doing the same thing is hysterically hypocritical.

 

I thought we were still talking about Romney here because you keep talking about it.

 

So you're saying Romney wasn't criticizing Obama, except he was.

No I didn't. Stop being a lying liar who lies, liar.

Is there anything you can't conflate?

 

Do explain why you think the administration was concerned with the statement.

Of course the media is milking it. I had CNN on all day and Blitzer couldn't shut up about it. As if Romney's midnight statement is our most important takeaway from the last two days.

 

Basically. He did maneuver it pretty well. He was able to fire up the foreign policy discussion by using statements that came from the Obama administration.

 

Because it's their job to be concerned about the statement.

It's not Romney's job and it's not his place.

Your skill for moving goalposts is extraordinary. Truly, truly extraordinary.

EDIT: And the assertion that he used the opportunity to talk about foreign policy is also untruthful. He did not do that.

 

Wow, if anyone wins the award for goalpost-moving, it's this one. First it's the substantive content of Romney's comments, then it's his timing, now it's who the statement belonged to. Now we're crying about how "it's not his place", and "he shouldn't be criticizing us when we say stupid stuff " because "only we get to criticize ourselves or admit a mistake". Mercy, that is some weak, weak saucey sauce.

As far back as I can remember, statements issued on matters of national security are always within a candidate's rights to comment on.

 

OBama said on CBS today:

"There’s a broader lesson to be learned here, and you know, Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later. And as president, one of the things I’ve learned is you can’t do that, that it’s important for you to make sure that the statements you make are backed up by the facts, and that you’ve thought through the ramifications before you make them. "

Are those of you who are so critical of Romney criticizing Obama in the wake of the tragedy going to be critical of Obama for doing the same?

 

You can't seriously think that is equivalent.

 

I'm amused by the concept of Mitt Romney getting up every morning and asking his advisors what has happened in the world while he was asleep, so that he can find some way to criticize Obama for it.

 

No, because Obama is criticizing something Romney actually said.

 

FYP

 

And, in so doing, says something I completely agree with.

I can't imagine that Obama would have referenced Romney in interviews about these attacks had not Romney inserted himself into the situation in such an awkward way. In so doing, he's made himself out to look like a foreign policy dunce, which, of course he's done before.

Obama is a very good politician. Not Clinton good, but pretty damned good. His CBS quote combines a very smart, even-handed, and just plain presidential statement about a very serious situation with a matter-of-fact statement about how his opponent doesn't seem to operate by the same set of guidelines. Thing is, if you disagree with the gist of Obama's argument - that you need to be very thoughtful in foreign policy - Mittens comes across looking fine. Of course, how the hell could you disagree with what Obama says? I mean, I get that a certain percentage of Americans subscribe to a 'just bomb the ********ers into oblivion' mindset. So they might appreciate a president who just goes off, half-cocked. Goodie for them. But, thankfully, I think a pretty small percentage of Americans feels that way. Most of us want someone who comes across as being professional, competent, thoughtful, and of course strong, in foreign policy. Romney is none of those things.

 

You keep using the obfuscation if you think other people are stupid enough to think the same way. Rock on.