President Obama didn’t wait long after Tuesday’s devastating elections to give critics another reason to question his leadership, but this time the subject matter was more grim than a pair of governorships.
After news broke out of the shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, the nation watched in horror as the toll of dead and injured climbed. The White House was notified immediately and by late afternoon, word went out that the president would speak about the incident prior to a previously scheduled appearance. At about 5 p.m., cable stations went to the president. The situation called for not only his trademark eloquence, but also grace and perspective.
But instead of a somber chief executive offering reassuring words and expressions of sympathy and compassion, viewers saw a wildly disconnected and inappropriately light president making introductory remarks. At the event, a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian affairs, the president thanked various staffers and offered a “shout-out” to “Dr. Joe Medicine Crow — that Congressional Medal of Honor winner.” Three minutes in, the president spoke about the shooting, in measured and appropriate terms. Who is advising him?
Anyone at home aware of the major news story of the previous hours had to have been stunned. An incident like this requires a scrapping of the early light banter. The president should apologize for the tone of his remarks, explain what has happened, express sympathy for those slain and appeal for calm and patience until all the facts are in. That’s the least that should occur.
Indeed, an argument could be made that Obama should have canceled the Indian event, out of respect for people having been murdered at an Army post a few hours before. That would have prevented any sort of jarring emotional switch at the event.
Did the president’s team not realize what sort of image they were presenting to the country at this moment? The disconnect between what Americans at home knew had been going on — and the initial words coming out of their president’s mouth was jolting, if not disturbing.
It must have been disappointing for many politically aware Democrats, still reeling from the election two days before. The New Jersey gubernatorial vote had already demonstrated that the president and his political team couldn’t produce a winning outcome in a state very friendly to Democrats (and where the president won by 15 points one year ago). And now this? Congressional Democrats must wonder if a White House that has burdened them with a too-heavy policy agenda over the last year has a strong enough political operation to help push that agenda through.
If the president’s communications apparatus can’t inform — and protect — their boss during tense moments when the country needs to see a focused commander-in-chief and a compassionate head of state, it has disastrous consequences for that president’s party and supporters.
All the president’s men (and women) fell down on the job Thursday. And Democrats across the country have real reason to panic.
(Source: NBC Chicago)
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33 Responses
One can’t expect better from a chosid of William Ayers, the founder of the “Weather Underground”.
“Commander-in-Chief”??? What a sick joke! If he couldn’t react appropriately for this, what can we expect from him if chas v’chalila there is another “9/11”?!? It is so ironic that those who oppose his policies are labelled as racists, when it is precisely his supporters that are the racists. His “groupies” would NEVER have voted for someone with the EXACT, same qualifications if he had white skin. This country is sliding into the abyss.
OBAMA! RESIGN NOW!!!!!!!!!!
WE WANT “BUSH” BACK
you got what you put in a bum
any comparisons to the way President Bush reacted after 9/11 – in a somber yet encouraging manner????
What is the Congressional Medal of Honor? I am stunned that people continue to reference an award that America DOES NOT AWARD. There is no such thing as a CONGRESSIONAL Medal of Honor. It is THE MEDAL OF HONOR! As for our president I have never been ashamed to be an American before he was elected. My family fought in conflicts ranging from the American Revolution through WWII with pride! Of course being from the South whenever I critize POTUS I am immediately labled as a racist.
just realized why the president is sensitive. a muslim soldier with the name Hasan and the name Hussein are alike!!!(barak hussein obama-malik nadal hasan)its scary! no?
THEY FORGOT TO PUT IT ON HIS TELEPROMPTER!
i’m suprised nbc reported this, it seems more fitting for fox
Who is advising him? The answer is that there is nothing to advise here. The president needs to speak his heart, and no amount of advising can do that. The American people saw what “we” already knew before, that his heart is not there. Talk is cheap until when it counts, and then, no amount of advice can put passion and feelings into a man. What a difference between him and Bush Jr. on nine eleven.
This article is nonsensical. Your antipathy towards Obama is clouding your judjment, and to all but diehard Bush loyalists makes you look less than credible.
And before some of you go off half-cocked, I write the same message to Palosi types when they go beyond legitimate political and philosophical differences with Bush and delve into conspiracies of evil.
Here is what the President said:
“We don’t yet know all the details at this moment. We will share them as we get them. What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence. My immediate thought is with the wounded and the families of the fallen. These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It’s difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil” He added “We honor their service, we stand in awe of their sacrifice.”
All you ideological zealots need to get a life, and realize that the Rambam’s admonition about the “middle” applies to you too.
Have a Good Shabbos
I sent an email to http://www.whitehouse.gov about his total insensitivity and lack of respect to the military. Everyone should send a message
I think the shooter and Obama have something in common.
There both Muslim.
Well, you have to admit, at least he is not
echad ba’peh, echad ba’lev.
There is nothing in his lev, so there is nothing in his peh.
The disgrace is that the dead are not yet buried and the political attacks have already begun. Even if you do not approve how about some kavod hameis?
#13, One of the problems of his “prepared” statement is that it conforms to “political correctness”. It uses the word “killed”, not “murdered”, and surely not “massacred”. The “memutzeh” (middle way) should have been “murdered” I guess. It also uses that sick (because it make me sick to my stomach every time I hear it) word “violence”. “Violence is usually reserved for mother nature (tevah, created by G-d) as in a “violent storm”. Humans might be violent but this murderer seems to me to be a cold blooded “CALM” murderer. The problem is that even with a prepared speech (which is by definition advised) is greatly lacking, and his deliverery of these words and his expressions, even less then that.
#17, The President is the one who was “political”; see my comment to #13.
da (# 15) – You prove my point – disgraceful
#1 – You should at least quote something in this article that doesn’t make sense to you before labeling the entire article “nonsense”.
#13 – Read something before you bash it. How does this article show how YWN’s “antipathy towards Obama is clouding your judjment, and to all but diehard Bush loyalists” and that YWN are a bunch of “ideological zealots” when the article ends “Source: NBC Chicago”?!!
And when you say “Palosi”, I assume you are referring to Nancy Pelosi?
Ben Melech (# 18) – On the “other frum blog” there is an interesting entry reporting a comment from a doctor who used to work with the perpetrator – I think you should read it – the guy apparently was highly respected by his Army colleagues, and gave no indication at work of anything being amiss. This supports the theory that mental pathology may the issue here.
I also would like to say, as much as it annoys Flatbush Bubby, that I now work in a law enforcement environment, and we would use the words “killed” or “homicide” – words like “murder” and “manslaughter” have technical legal definitions in substantive criminal law (and vary from state to state and under the U.S.Code), and whether this case turns out to be either – or neither due to a bona fide finding of criminal insanity, remains for the criminal justice system to determine.
Are you really surprised??
mw 13 (#20)
I stand corrected, thanks – I should have directed my comments to the author, and not YWN (Sorry YWN); and I do mean Pelosi – however it’s spelled, she drives me just as nuts as do the Rush Limbaughs of the world. Ha L’vei Benini – and I mean that b’klal
#21 But it’s interesting that many radio stations didn’t think about legal ramifications, but went with their feelings and called him “the murderer”. After all he is the president of the United States, not an onlooker.
TxExPat: The name of the award is the Congressional Medal of Honor. Do some research before you lecture publicly.
Yonasan et al: The issues was not so much the words, as the 3 minutes of lightheaded joking before even mentioning it.
#4 I’m with you. Let’s get Bush back in office.
# 16 cute comment – sadly it’s so true
Hey, remember, Obama is Mr. Cool, the life of the party! Do you need a standup comic for a levaya? Send an email whitehouse.gov!
Obama should apologize to the Hasan family on behalf of the US military for hurting his feelings and driving him to this terrible deed. I’m sure that CAIR will provide a good lawyer to get compensation for his loss of earnings while hospitalised and unable to work through later disability. The policewoman who shot him down could also usefully be sued.
This incident only goes to show how vitally important it is to stay focused on shutting down Israeli settlements which are so obviously the root cause of what happened at Ft Hood.
Yes, radical Islam is a mental pathology.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/06/weekly-address-tragedy-fort-hood
Is it too early too say yemach sh’mo? I think not.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the idiots who voted for our glorious leader.
I have a feeling that if the reverse had happened, if an american would have gone in to a Muslim center and had opened fire killing 12 of them, the president would have canceled that very “important” Tribal Nations Conference to convey the nations deepest sympathies to the families of the dead. He would have gone on to lecture America about the need for peace and love for all people of the world regardless of their race or religion. And the Dems would have lauded him as the great healer that the world so desperately needs.
mark levin (#33), i’ve been saying Yimach Shmo as of a year ago, when this rosho got elected