While most Americans reacted to the news that terrorism threats have caused the closing of numerous embassies in Africa and the Middle East with consternation, those America lovers at Fox News saw a political opportunity and ran to exploit it. All weekend, across their programming, Fox News hosts and pundits seemed at least as interested in using the news to paint President Obama as weak and making us more vulnerable than they were in discussing the nature of the threat, itself.
As Think Progress noted, “Under President George W. Bush, the nation experienced attacks against 13 U.S. embassies and the administration repeatedly closed embassies in response to terror threats.” Yet Fox's talking heads seemed to develop a case of amnesia as they repeatedly suggested President Obama’s decision to close the embassies somehow emboldened terrorists and is a reflection of its failed foreign policy.
For example, on Fox News Sunday yesterday, there were the following comments made by Fox News contributor Bill Kristol, host Chris Wallace and former Republican Senator Jim DeMint (first video below):
BILL KRISTOL, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Four years ago President Obama gave a much heralded speech as outreach to the Muslim world. And now, four years later we are closing embassies throughout the Muslim world. The year ago the president said Al Qaeda is on the run. And now we seem to be on the run….
WALLACE: Senator DeMint, does the administration’s policy—I mean look, they don’t need any excuse to hate us. They hate us. And they are going to continue to hate us, the bad guys in that part of the world. Has the administration’s policies in any way contributed, however, to this?
DEMINT: Chris, it’s hard to tell. But I can tell from you—from talking to people all over the world who have come through the Heritage Foundation. And we have had discussions. There is a perception of weakness of this administration.
On Fox & Friends this morning (the second video below), co-host Steve Doocy said, “Some are wondering whether or not you look at what happened in Benghazi, where they killed four brave Americans, …and who’s been held accountable? Nobody.” In case anyone missed the point, a banner on the screen read “EMBOLDENED BY BENGHAZI.” Then, after Doocy went on to ask whether or not the closure might be an over-reaction, he echoed Kristol: “Al Qaeda on the run? We’re on the run.”
But for me, nothing beats the sneering, jeering Saturday night commentary of Jeanine Pirro, the former judge and prosecutor who was nonetheless blind to the overwhelming evidence about President Obama’s birth certificate, married a man who later served a federal prison sentence on tax fraud charges and admitted to having fathered a child with another woman, and came under federal investigation herself, for an alleged plan to bug her husband’s boat when she suspected him of cheating again.
Yes, THAT Jeanine Pirro lectured President Obama about his judgment in the third video below. Holding up a sting of paper cut-outs, she said, “I’ll bet Barack Obama’s favorite cut-out was a tiger. A paper tiger. …It’s Obama’s feckless foreign policy that’s diminished our stature on the world stage. That policy mimics a paper tiger: seemingly dangerous, but in truth timid and weak.” After baselessly suggesting that the attacks on the Benghazi embassy, the Boston bombing and Russia’s refusal to turn over NSA leaker Edward Snowden were all somehow connected to this terror threat, - and even working in a swipe at Obamacare – she, too echoed Kristol’s “on the run” remark before adding, “It looks like the United States can’t protect us so we have to leave Muslim countries, which is exactly what they wanted in the first place.”
Did I mention that Pirro, according to her Fox News bio, is supposedly a legal analyst and has absolutely no credentials in foreign policy or national security? Yet she used what’s supposed to be a legal show to reiterate the right-wing political sentiments of so many other Fox News talking heads.
Coincidence? I report, you decide.
I am not defending anything but rather pointing out that both sides are far more interested in the other sides evils then their own.
I marvel that Obama has continued and even expanded many things Bush did with far less outcry.
People say Bush was worse, but that is not really the point. The same way Fox is seemingly only outraged about racism against white people, liberals are seemingly far less outraged with Obama secret government and killing people without a trial and secret courts making secret laws then they were with everything Bush did.
It feels like the perfect scam. It is almost as if politicians pretend to be adversaries for the sake of the masses thinking they have a choice…but then act the same and their side has far less outrage….
One of the things that makes conservatives calling Obama the most liberal president ever weird is, they are almost the same person according to actions.
At least to the evidence they have far more in common then not….
“Remember the color code that the Bush administration used under Tom Ridge, Bush’s own Secretary of Homeland Security anytime they felt a terrorist threat was possible? Red was the highest level of danger. Usually it’s when the other term they like to use “chatter” was the reason for the red code. That or anytime they felt it served their need to have the public ignore the negative news coming out of Iraq.”
Or when John Kerry (i.e. Bush’s 2004 election opponent) was threatening to pull away in the polls — remember, Tom Ridge himself admitted this truth AFTER the 2004 election.
Wait, Obama is making sure our embassies are safe against a planned attack- And is putting extra emphasis on possible impromptu “window of opportunity” strikes, like Benghazi likely was? Yeah, that makes him weak!
God, Fox News is pathetic.
Which means no matter what he does, they’re going to attack him. The reasoning becomes almost irrelevant after a while.
When this was the case it was responsible government in action to inform the public with those at Fox News. Today it’s a sign of weakness? Nothing would please the suits and leggy blondes at Fox more than another terrorist act. It’ll be great for ratings and Obama bashing since the Benghazi story has petered out for now unless Hillary becomes the nominee, then it’ll return in full fury.