Mitt Romney Who? Obama Has Been Gaffing All Week, Says Op-Ed
Mitt Romney is getting all of the negative press following his comments on Libya and the US response, but some media hawks are stepping forward pointing out the gaffes made by President Obama this week as well.
Noah Rothman at Mediaite wrote an op-ed hanging journalists for beating up exclusively on Mitt Romney for his Libya remarks (other reports have suggested that flub may have been arranged by the media) whilst ignoring President Obama’s more-than-a-few gaffes this week. On Wednesday, Obama was asked in an interview with the Spanish-language network Telemundo about the US Embassy attack in Cairo, and whether we consider Egypt to be an enemy or an ally. Well, Egypt are not our friends, “but we don’t consider them an enemy,” Obama replied. Furthermore, if Egypt shows that ‘‘they’re not taking responsibility,’’ then Obama would consider it to ‘‘be a real big problem,” reports Boston.com.
“This remark displays a flippant nonchalance about American security policy and a downright antipathy for history and the work of generations of Obama’s predecessors,” writes Rothman of the subtle flub.
The second gaffe occurred at a rally in Las Vegas during a speech to supporters and volunteers. Addressing those who contribute to his campaign just hours after American service personnel in Libya were confirmed dead, Obama said:
“And obviously [our] hearts are broken for the families but I wanted to encourage those folks at the State Department that they were making a difference. The sacrifices that our troops and our diplomats make are obviously very different from the challenges that we face here domestically but like them, you guys are Americans who sense that we can do better than we’re doing….I’m just really proud of you.”
Of this comparison, Rothman argues, “the media will be correctly accused of putting its thumb on the scales if they do not treat this statement with a similar measure of distress.” Rothman further questions the trustworthiness of the mainstream media if they continue to let gaffes from the president slide when they do, in fact, happen. “At this point, the credibility of the political media just about depends on it,” he argues.
Later, after the Obama administration “clarified” the president’s comments on relations between Egypt and the US by saying that some are “reading too much” into his remarks, Rothman scoffed: “As all know, it’s always necessary to issue a clarification when you are properly understood the first time.”
Do you agree with Rothman? Do Obama’s gaffes go largely unnoticed by the media?
