NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Blogs > Entertainment blogs > Manhattan Diary > Mitt Romney accused of shooting first, aiming later

Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

Mitt Romney accused of shooting first, aiming later

Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 10:04 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

53 Comments

RSS

Archives

In 2008 John McCain made a theatrical but politically ineffective decision to suspend his presidential campaign because of the breaking financial crisis.

But the move was judged as deeply unpresidential and ultimately contributed to his defeat.

On Tuesday night, on the anniversary of 9/11, just hours after the deaths of four U.S. diplomats including the US ambassador to Libya, Mitt Romney released a hastily worded statement calling the president's handling of the Libya and Egypt attacks 'disgraceful.'

Only Sarah Palin and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus joined Romney in his condemnation, which soon had Republican foreign policy experts calling the GOP nominees' response 'an utter disaster.'

It began when a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday morning was condemned by Romney as an 'apology for America's values.'

In fact the statement had been issued before the embassy was attacked, contradicting Romney's apology claim.

Critics countered that Romney's actions have left him open to the perception that he was attempting to capitalize politically on the death of a US ambassador and less than 24 hours after his death.

It quickly became clear that the US Embassy's statement did not apologize for America's values, as Romney had asserted, but instead it defended religious freedom and the 'universal right of free speech.'

So Romney was quite wrong in his accusation that the Obama administration's 'first response' was sympathy for those who actually started the violence; in fact the clashes came after the first statement was published.

'There's a broader lesson to be learned here,' said Obama yesterday. '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. It's important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts and that you've thought through the ramifications before you make them.'

Asked directly if Romney's attacks were irresponsible, the president replied, 'I'll let the American people judge that.'

Critics, and many of them conservatives, are suggesting Romney's failure to support the President of the United States when our nation is attacked shows that he is willing to put his fate before the nations in order to win an election.

Cartoon by By Bill Schorr.

E-mail

53 Comments

15 - 53 | See all comments

seanomelb | Sep 17, 2012, 07:37 PM EDT

That's your lonely opinion.

Report abuse

allentown | Sep 16, 2012, 09:15 PM EDT

Seanomelb, I listened to Jonathan Haidt on Bill Moyers. Ooops. Don't read the book, because he doesn't have an explanation for your rants. Truly, your postings have been going downhill for some time.

Report abuse

seanomelb | Sep 16, 2012, 08:04 PM EDT

Allentown quoting Haidt!! What Allentown is not telling you that Haidt is an apologist for the teaparty. Poor old Allen is still singing from the the same old 'WASP" handbook 'We are more hardworking and honourable than anyone else' same old quasi-racist message from Allen.

Report abuse

Frosty38 | Sep 15, 2012, 10:29 PM EDT

from some of the poster on here they really should drop off here and don't VOTE for our current PRES and that ends all the nasty writing on here suite yourself. Nobody cares. Some of them must be a FOX NEwS WATCHER

Report abuse

Frosty38 | Sep 15, 2012, 10:24 PM EDT

peterson that is a lot of BULL and he mended a lot of fences and what if he does pay that person he has a good job. I remember when the Pres first came into the office and he had a date night paid for US1 to New York and what crap we heard about that. He the US PRESIDENT big deal on the dog

Report abuse

Frosty38 | Sep 15, 2012, 10:17 PM EDT

The one thing I did admire is the PES has CLASS and he has not had shoe thown at him. when he took office he went to many different countries including England and met with the queen I think he repair a lot. Also i don;t think when he was born in the USA that he mom thought i better get him a birth certificate from the USA that is asinine for anybody to think that

Report abuse

Frosty38 | Sep 15, 2012, 10:11 PM EDT

I have children living in Boston three and one grandaughter who works for the Gov and i think if Rommney can't keep his foot from going in his mouth we have no problem with who will win in Nov and for him to BIRTH the president of the United States is disgusting he has been around the nitwit TRUMP to long. If you did not here that he said in a Speech i was born IN THIS UNITED STATES SHAME ON HIM

Report abuse

allentown | Sep 15, 2012, 02:47 PM EDT

McNamara31, you attempt to balance in the 21st century the ferociousness of Muslim extremism with other religions extremists " Every religion has its extremists". Sorry Tiger, that won't fly. On another point, you speak about man's ability to reason with intellect. That is also debatable with the latest moral psychology studies of the author Jonathan Haidt: "The Righteous Mind, Why Good People are divided by politics and religion".

Report abuse

No Name | Sep 15, 2012, 01:37 PM EDT

After decades of instability, religious foment, and manipulation of citizens by leaders in Muslim nations, how could any semi-informed person actually hold Barack Obama responsible for anti-American protests and assaults on our diplomatic staff in that region of the world? Was Carter responsible for the Iran hostage crisis? Was Reagan responsible for the Iran-Iraq war or Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 or the taking of American hostages in Beirut? The secret arms sales to Iran? -- Ah, wait a moment; Reagan was responsible for that one. And then the Bush influence on that part of the world....

Report abuse

BrianO | Sep 15, 2012, 12:55 PM EDT

When Obama was elected it was said America would be seen in a better light, Now the middleast is in turmoil, American embassies under attack, An Ambassador assassinated. This president is either incompetent or a traitor, Thankfully we can end his destructive term through the election.

Report abuse

eiriamach | Sep 15, 2012, 09:22 AM EDT

I agree with McNamara31 except to add that there's plenty of religious extremism today, long after the Inquisition. And the Islamic positions on birth control and abortion, for example, are far less extreme than the views of Paul Ryan and others on the far Right. The Qur'an allows abortion to save the life of a woman and early abortion in cases of rape, and Muslims practice birth control by mutual agreement between spouses. If we elect much more GOP, we will quickly see American religious extremism sharply limiting our traditional freedom of conscience on such matters. On freedom of speech, Rachel Maddow's interviews with Richard Engel, MSNBC's Chief Foreign Correspondent (in Cairo and Yemen recently), have been highly informative about why Muslims think that the US government sponsors anti-Muslim media attacks like the Nakoula "Innocence of Muslims" video that was dubbed in Arabic and broadcast in Egypt last Sunday. As Maddow said recently on MSNBC, what's needed in this situation is "not defending free speech, but explaining it in a way that makes sense in the rest of the world."

Report abuse

McNamara31 | Sep 14, 2012, 01:23 PM EDT

allentown... Every religion has its extremist element (Crusades/Inquisition) however we have also been given "reason and intellect" to adjust our thinking to the times we are living in. With all the facts in, its clear Nakoula new exactly what he was inciting and McCain knows the answer is not for America to go to war (again) this time with the entire "Arab Spring" world, but rather protect our people and bring this to some reasonable end. Social media has made the world a very small place with instantaneous results for people who choose to create havoc and death. Countries, governments have to find new ways to operate within an environment that is not going away. What we don't read are people (opportunists) adding flames to the fire.

Report abuse

allentown | Sep 14, 2012, 12:33 PM EDT

McNamara31, you post that McCain has a prehistoric view of the Arab Spring. However, in both your Post 1&2 you never say that Muslim extremists have a prehistoric view of their religion that they would murder people over any negative comment about Mohammed, and because of that we all have to shut-up about saying negative things about Mohammed and the faults of the Muslim religion.

Report abuse

McNamara31 | Sep 14, 2012, 09:46 AM EDT

Part 2: Politicians like McCain, still have a prehistoric view that this spreading Arab Spring fed by social media (as Arabs see how the rest of the world lives) can be stopped by “strong rhetoric” and a big stick mentality. The spring or quest for their own democracy across the Arab world could take decades to complete and because of that, America’s energy policy should finally get its act together and become self sufficient. Now in an instant, crackpot’s and criminals can upload messages that They Know will trigger violence and death. This is beyond the values and concepts of free speech when people are murdered because of the irresponsible actions of people who should be held accountable for the very actions. What Nakoula deserves is to be helicoptered into Egypt and slowly lowered into the crowds to meet the people he so purposely incited. I’m sick of people on all fronts smearing lying and vilifying and then hiding behind free speech when these actions cause violence and death of innocent citizens.

Report abuse

McNamara31 | Sep 14, 2012, 09:44 AM EDT

Part 1:Nakoula a Coptic Christian with a criminal past produced a film that denigrated Islam and Muhammad and that he knew would incite violence across the Arab world. He then falsely blamed it on an Israeli born Jew and subsequently posted comments for all to see under the movie on YouTube in Arabic stating: "It is a 100 percent American movie, you cows." Terry Jones of Gainesville, Fla., who sparked outrage in the Arab world when he burned Qurans on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, said he spoke with the movie's director on the phone Wednesday and “prayed” for him. (I like to know who he prayed to)Then presidential candidate Romney jumps on the train to defame Obama in the middle of a spreading crisis. Then the crowd over at the “sewer of journalism” Fox, start spinning their smears and lies and inciting their base that believes all the untruth’s reported on Fox. All of the above, where what we call “Free Speech” however the world has changed; at one time dictators controlled what the people in the Middle East read and saw on TV.

Report abuse