John Kerry: You People Quit Criticizing This White House About The Paris March (Video Added: Josh Earnest Being Grilled By Ed Henry )
[guest post by Dana]
Secretary of State John Kerry called criticism that no top U.S. officials attended Sunday’s massive march against terrorism in Paris “quibbling” Monday, even as he announced a trip to the French capital later this week for talks on countering Islamist violence.
When asked about the White House not sending any high-ranking official, Kerry responded:
“I really think that this is sort of quibbling a little bit in the sense that our Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was there and marched, our ambassador [to France Jane Hartley] was there and marched, many people from the embassy were there and marched.
Except that Nuland was at the Washington march.
Kerry also announced his travel plans:
Kerry said he is going to France to reaffirm U.S. solidarity with America’s oldest ally. He said as soon as he heard about the march, he asked his team what the earliest time was that he could go.
“That is why I am going there on the way home and to make it crystal clear how passionately we feel about the events that have taken place there,” he said. “I don’t think he people of France have any doubt about America’s understanding about what happened, about our personal sense of loss and our deep commitment to the people of France in this moment of trial.”
…
“I want to emphasize that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment,” Kerry said. “It is an ongoing longtime relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression
–Dana
UPDATE: Ed Henry grills Josh Earnest today at 1:43 in. I almost felt sorry for the White House spokesman as Henry is relentless. As he should be.
Hello.
Dana (8e74ce) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:37 amyou’d think we could’ve at least sent some terrorists from gitmo over to Paris to represent us
happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:47 am#Jesuisunmangeurdegauffre
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:50 amExcept that Nuland was at the Washington march.
Nuland is the “F*** the EU” lady from the Ukraine boondogle. It might not have been (ahem) diplomatic for her to be there.
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:54 am3#huh? #jen’parlefrancaispas.
kishnevi (3719b7) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:58 amhttps://translate.google.com/#fr/en/Je%20suis%20un%20mangeur%20de%20gauffre.
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:02 am2. We probably have – they’re just playing an understated role at the moment.
Walter Cronanty (f48cd5) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:09 amDon’t you people know who he is!?!?!?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:10 amDianne Feinstein: Terrorist sleeper cells are in the U.S.
Hell, woman… we have one in the White House.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:14 amLeading with your behind.
AZ Bob (34bb80) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:16 ammerci, nk.
kishnevi (294553) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:23 amDianne Feinstein: Terrorist sleeper cells are in the U.S.
Translation: My husband has investments in police equipment manufacturers and security firms.
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:24 amEric Holder turned his back on the Paris march, actions speak louder than words, Holder’s deliberate snub demonstrated his allegiance to radical Islam every bit as clearly as Obama’s release of terrorist leaders from GITMO demonstrates his commitment to advancing the cause of violent fundamentalist Islam.
There is no ambiguity, only overwhelming evidence, and barely enough wiggle room for cowardly quibbling lapdogs like Kerry to soil himself with transparently idiot excuses. The truth is right there in plain sight (and has been all along) all it takes is open eyes and the will to put 2 and 2 together.
Yet we must ask again, How many times must a man turn his head and pretend he just doesn’t see?
ropelight (bfe794) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:30 amGreat…we have a SoS that doesn’t ‘get’ that 90%+ of ‘international diplomacy’ is about symbolism: specifically who you are seen to stand with, and who you are seen to stand against.
Since we openly did not stand WITH the international community in Paris, the narrative – in places where it doesn’t need to be the narrative – will be that we stand with the Islamists.
…then again, maybe that IS the message they want sent.
MJN1957 (6f981a) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:34 amWhat makes this mess much more irritating is that Obama and his underlings like Holder are anything but slow to appear at marches in support of causes or situations like those in Ferguson, Missouri.
Mark (c160ec) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:53 amSkerry the Cong lover is just another New England swell, where Jew H8 has been a popular hobby for generations…
what else would you expect from a swine like him?
redc1c4 (269d8e) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:59 amOl Jean Fraud Kerry knows from quibbling. And he’s a lower upper class gigolo (has the social standing and family background, but not the dough) who preys on wealthy upper class women. So he knows about being on a leash, but even a leashed dog will bark once in a while.
Skeptical Voter (12e67d) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:03 am== quibbling a little bit in the sense that our Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was there and marched, ==(JFK)
==Except that Nuland was at the Washington march.==(Dana)
LOL, sorta out of the loop there ya big goof, Jean Françoise Kerry!
elissa (687b43) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:30 amjust how much was this “march” committed to free speech when a local right wing (conservative) was asked not to show up?
sd harms (b0e09b) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:45 amGreetings:
Lest our President be the only one criticized in regard to Le Marché Parisienne, please accept the following.
I get a bit of my TV news from the France24 broadcasts, and I find it useful to inflict this observation of this week’s Parisien multiculturalism.
Immediately after the initial massacre, President Hollande stood behind what must be the world’s shortest podium to instruct le peuple Francais that this was the time for l’unité Francais which I’m sure warmed the cockles of his petit Socialist coeur, if you know what I mean.
But then, le realité inflicted itself on his pointy little socialist tete. What to do about Marine (the matriarch of the far, far, far right National Front Party) ??? So, as the powers and prestiges of his office circled all the leaders of the les partis du gauche Francais, Le Pen was noticeably excluded and not to any great upset on the part of the local media types. It was a kind of “all animals are equal but this one we know is not” moment if your are familiar with the writings of M. Orwell.
And so it went on for a good bit of the week. While this is certainly a marginal bit of issue, it kept managing to resurface as if someone had punched a bunch of pinholes in the tube of le dentifrice Francais. But, the last I heard, Madam Le Pen, not to mention her dear old pere, was still not only at the top, but the only one on the uninvited list.
It seems more obvious than ever that the likes of La Belle France’s Hollande, the no longer great Britian’s Cameron, and Deuschteland’s uber alles pantsuited Merkel see those parties on the far, far, far right, which are drawing more and more of their electorates, as more of a threat to their powers and rule than a bunch of Islamaniacs running around cutting heads and shooting people. I sure hope that they get what they deserve soon.
And a bit of addendum, if I may. Reports seem to be percolating up and out that Bibi (Le grand) Netanyahu was asked not to come but he, being possibly the pushiest of all Jews sur le monde, came anyhow, perhaps as a needed counterpoint to the former terrorist Abbas.
11B40 (6abb5c) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:01 amWhen will those among us who haven’t yet realized that this president could really give two sh*ts about issues like this finally get the message?
The issue would have to be characterized as “________ Justice” to register on his giveafuc* meter…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:14 amKerry said he is going to France to reaffirm U.S. solidarity with America’s oldest ally.
Not to go all Sammy on anyone, but an argument can be made that Spain is in fact our “oldest ally.” The Continental Congress had a steadfast friend in Bernardo de Galvez, the Spanish Governor of New Orleans, dating back to 1777. He helped supply the Continental Army, and he caused the British trouble in Florida and throughout the Gulf. All of this was done with the approval of King Charles III of Spain. We honored Galvez’s contribution so much that Galveston, Texas and Galveston Bay are both named in his memory.
JVW (60ca93) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:14 amJVW semantics—I think they really mean “oldest continuous ally.” We had a little falling out with our earlier good ally Spain in the late 1890’s.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:19 amYeah, but we almost went to war with France in 1798 too!
JVW (60ca93) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:20 amTeresa Heinz’ unused dildo haz feelings too.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:30 am22. 23. 24. I think it is more that the assistance from Spain isn’t taught or barely mentioned in
school books, and isn’t even remembered, and the assistance from France was more important – Benjamin Franklin spent time working on that thing, and that’s where John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were sent. (somehow the change in government between before 1789 and after isn’t noticed)
Then there was tour that Lafayette made to the United States in 1824 and 1825, and the publicity given to this by the National Guard Association after the Civil War, and of course, the reminders during World War I. And there was World War II and NATO after that, even though Charles de Gaulle forced the U.S. to move NATO headquarters out of France, and it went to Belguim.
Sammy Finkelman (6b5229) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:32 amSammy raises a good point. It would be interesting to review how Spain was treated in American history books prior to the Spanish American War and before the loss of Spain’s influence and presence in Cuba and the rest of the Americas. We all studied history long after that.
The two New York newspapers run by Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst used their best yellow journalism to stoke the fires of war at that time. To have a “splendid little war” a country needs an enemy.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:58 amI think the reality that France said they “were at war with militant Islam” was something that Obama would not be party to, as seen in the persistence by him and Holder in saying that we are at war with terrorists who distort and use Islam for their own purposes.
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/12/2015 @ 10:00 amIt has also been pointed out that to appear with that many other leaders would make Obama “just one of many” and not the main attraction, and that is not very attractive to him.
“Dear, I had that golf game, so I missed your mother’s funeral. But “I want to emphasize that our relationship is not about one day or one particular moment. It is an ongoing longtime relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression.”
Yeah. That should work just fine.
Peter B (8cddca) — 1/12/2015 @ 10:05 amI think history focuses on France because the French had far greater philosophical impact on the Founders and the American Revolution than Spain or Spanish philosophers. Our Founders took the concept of divided government from Montesquieu, concerns about established religion from Voltaire, and the importance of limited government from Rousseau. We talk about France being our oldest ally because it helped a fledging nation, but its philosophers helped form the principles of the Revolution long before the nation existed.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 10:25 amThis would be Obama’s Katrina moment if the media was consistent.
AZ Bob (7d2a2c) — 1/12/2015 @ 10:47 amOne of several, AZ Bob!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 11:26 amFor the media… In truth, tagging Bush with responsibilities for Katrina response and all other aspects was horsesh*t
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 11:28 amYes, we should have sent a high ranking official… And then Josh Earnest gets snippy and makes the excuses in a disastrous presser: “White House officials tell CBS News that the reason President Barack Obama didn’t go is because the president’s security would have significantly interfered with the crowd that was estimated at nearly 3.7 million people.
“I think it’s fair to say we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there. That said, there is no doubt that the American people and this administration stand four-square behind our allies in France as they face down this threat and that was evident throughout last week,” Earnest said.”
Dana (40f6af) — 1/12/2015 @ 11:28 am== there is no doubt that the American people and this administration stand four-square behind our allies in France as they face down this threat =
Ah yes. The threat that must not be named.
elissa (6f3d07) — 1/12/2015 @ 11:36 am“the American people and this administration stand four-square behind our allies in France as they face down this threat and that was evident throughout last week,” Earnest said.””
Dana – Somebody should have pressed Earnest to define the threat and whether it was the same one that Obama claimed was on the run in 2012 or the JV threat from 2014 or lone wolves or random workplace violence.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/12/2015 @ 11:41 amSometimes it’s really important just to show up. Symbolism matters.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/obama-s-optics-problem-on-display-with-paris-no-show-20150112
People often talk about Obama not attending Margaret Thatcher’s funeral. This National Journal article reminds that neither President Johnson nor VP Hubert Humphrey attended Winston Churchill’s funeral! And it took months for Johnson to mend relations with London.
elissa (6f3d07) — 1/12/2015 @ 11:54 ama drive by by the president.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7KxXZbCcAAFF1R.jpg
elissa (6f3d07) — 1/12/2015 @ 12:11 pmC’mon, John Kerry spoke to the French people in French and tacked on a stop to Paris at the end of his current trip after the administration realized it screwed the pooch.
ISN’T THAT ENOUGH???????
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/12/2015 @ 12:26 pmObama did not want to offend muslims especially the ones in saudis arabia who plan to write him a large check for a speech when he leaves office like the japs did for reagan.
nuke mecca (2a696e) — 1/12/2015 @ 12:28 pmI have 2 words 4 u in response, daleyrocks– MAGIC HAT
elissa (6f3d07) — 1/12/2015 @ 12:31 pmI’m certain, certain! that no one was sent to represent the United States because the President is so very concerned about spending money unnecessarily while there are still poor people in America!
The frugal Dana (f6a568) — 1/12/2015 @ 12:54 pmThe New York Daily News front page, as Elissa reported, was crutical of Obama not showing up. It’s not lefty – it seems to half and half. It often critizes local Democrats but not so much the White House. I think a lot of the time it tries to reflect what it thinks its audience thinks, and it is also competing with the New York Post. In this case, probably npbody in the White House or the Democratic Partry gave the publisher or somebody a call, and anyway they have an “excuse” – their competition.
The New York Daily News went: ( 3 lines in red on top:)
Below that, you see a picture of the crowd, with pictures of President Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry and Eric Holder inset on top of the picture, and lower, in very large white letters, which are underlined:
The lead editorial is also about this/
The New York Post has, in part (it also has about the Golden Globes) in block letters, with the subhead underlined,
With a box, that includes a picture of Obama on the right and the following words:
The New York Times had a big front page headline:
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:01 pmParagraph 7 says:
It sounds like maybe this was said before it turned out he didn’t show up at the rally
We also have, starting from the second half of paragraph 10:
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:05 pmThe reason nobody was there wass probably:
1) Nobody in Washington realized how important pr how big this rally was going to be. After all, there hadn’t been a similair one after terrorist attacks in London, nnor did the President George W. Bush assemble a load of foreign dignatiries afetr September 11th.
2) Then it was probably the absence of security arrangements, or the knowledge that this would force France to change some of the arrangements.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:08 pm“The New York Daily News front page, as Elissa reported, was crutical of Obama not showing up. It’s not lefty – it seems to half and half. It often critizes local Democrats but not so much the White House.”
Sammy – How many local Republicans are there for the Daily News to criticize?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:10 pmI love it when Sammah guesses.
JD (86a5eb) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:11 pmOkay, how many of you out there do not “get” the “Sorry Charlie” allusion”?
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:12 pmAnd NO Google cheating.
Being on the receiving end of a Sen Horseface lecture should be a badge of honor. Lurch was an abysmal failure before he got a chance to prove how abysmal of a failure he would be.
Earlier, I thought this represented a micro-aggression on the d-bag Admin’s part. It actually is more of a macro-aggression.
JD (86a5eb) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:13 pm“the American people and this administration stand four-square behind our allies in France as they face down this threat and that was evident throughout last week,” Earnest said.””
Actually, I believe that Mr Earnest was using a chess-board metaphor and mis-spoke – what he intended to say was ““the American people and this administration stands four squares behind our allies in France as they face down this threat and that was evident throughout last week,” Earnest said.”””
Mr Earnest’s continuation sentence had to be dropped for lack of time. He was to have added “The King must stay at a safe distance and lead from behind.”
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:17 pmdaleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:10 pm
Well, there was Congressman Michael Grimm.
Nevertheless, they endorsed his re-election.
Editorial: Very Grimm choice: One is bad, the other is worse
In the end, he pled guilty, but said he wouldn’t resign, until House Speaker John Boehner gave him a talking to.
The editorial finished:
Now the all but certain Republican nominee is Don Donovan, the Staten Island DA who did not indict anyone in the Eric Garner case.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:25 pmI understand the reference to the commercials, but except that it is afamiliar phrase it doesn’t seem to really mean anything.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:26 pmAs the French understand – “Qui s’éxcuse s’accuse !” …
Speaking as a Francophile Francophone Scotophone (whose spoken French does not have perceptible traces of a Scots accent (unless I want it to)), from what I have heard of M. Kerry’s spoken French, it was *much* more diplomatic *not* to have him there (unless he could be kept silent) …
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:30 pmAttempting to lead from behind is called kibitzing.
ropelight (bfe794) — 1/12/2015 @ 1:31 pmSammy:
You would be right if you had stopped there.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 2:17 pmWe call it backseat driving, ropelight, but only when we’re being charitable.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 2:17 pm“Well, there was Congressman Michael Grimm.”
Sammy – Boy, howdy, that makes their criticism of Democrats super duper unusual doesn’t it?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 1/12/2015 @ 2:19 pmAlastor 50 – You could write for a living, and maybe you do.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 2:19 pm55. Nobody in Washington realized …
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 2:17 pm
I think this is very probably true.
Nobody in Washington realized at first how big this was going to be. And the rest was the extreme U.S. security requirements. I don’t think this was because Obama was afraid to show he was on the side of rejection of terror.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 2:54 pm“I don’t think”
JD (948503) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:02 pmObama supporter and CNN host Fareed Zakaria says the White House made a “pathetic” mistake in failing to send a high-ranking official to the Paris unity rally. He also mentioned the Winston Churchill funeral, saying LBJ sent the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of State and a “huge delegation” to make up for not attending.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:04 pmSammy, your conclusions seem to rely on what you’ve read in the New York Times. That’s a fairly narrow range of opinion. Have you considered reading other newspapers?
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:06 pm#56, DRJ, although kibitzing and backseat driving are largely synonymous, kibitzing is directly associated with chess (previously mentioned at #50), and those rude enough to make disparaging comments or offer unsolicited advice from the sidelines while the issue is yet undecided are guilty of a serious breach of chess etiquette.
ropelight (bfe794) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:10 pmThe second most efficacious step America could make to curtail the threat of Islamic terrorism would be to shutdown the New York Times.
ropelight (bfe794) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:14 pmExcellent point, ropelight, but chess requires far too much strategery for West Texans like me.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:16 pmAt the risk of further mixing our metaphors, you’re either riding in our car or you aren’t.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:17 pmWell, DRJ, as the Beatles once said, Baby, you can drive my car.
ropelight (bfe794) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:29 pmAs it turned out though, they didn’t actually have one.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:35 pmWould you buy a used car from Josh Earnest?
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:39 pmwould you catch a pass from this man? http://t.co/DaJ6QuptGc
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:41 pmDRJ/Ropelight/Gazzer/nk–maybe it’s time to work in a swift boat metaphor if the cars are running out of gas.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:01 pmThe White House now says it was a mistake not to send someone.
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/white-house-admits-to-mistake-for-on-paris-rally/
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:03 pmLet’s drive off that bridge when we get to it, elissa.
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:03 pm62. DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 3:06 pm
I read other newspapers.
The New York Times has a lot of detail, so there is very much in it, in spite of the fact it sanitizes the news.
And i is very searchable, much better than the New York Daily news or New York Post. The Wall street Journal is much more behind a paywall. I’m not sure any time I link to it, if what I link to can be seen.
And if something is in the New York Times, it’s even better.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:20 pm61. And Sadat’s funeral has also been mentioned.
At that time, to go to Egypt could have bene thought to be very dangerous. There was an active terrorist group there that had just assassinated Sadat.
So President Ronald reagam sent Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter – three, count ’em three – former Presidents of the United States.
Of course, ex-presidents are expendable.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:22 pmI wish this bus was head off a cliff.
mg (31009b) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:23 pmhttp://flapsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Obama-bus.jpg
Do you ever write letters to the editor or ombudsman, Sammy, when you think the paper of record is making a mistake in interpretation or is sanitizing the news?
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:25 pmIt’s wusses, all the way down!
htom (4ca1fa) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:26 pmEvery once in a while I’ve sent something, mostly to the public editor.
I don’t think I really got any response except for the time when I commented on Martin Gardner’s age in an article vs a vs his date of birth in the same article, and suggested an “explanation.”
I once (in 1990) had a letter printed in the New York Daily News, complete with an italicized word. (which I produced on my Epson LQ-500 printer)
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:39 pmI don’t bother when they sanitize the news.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:40 pmI’ve also commented, or used to.
The otehr day I did send an e-mail to a columnist who gave his e-mail address. No response.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:40 pmIf I ever own a newspaper, Sammy, I’m hiring you as the exclusive copy editor of the front page news. I mean this sincerely. You’d be great as a copy editor or fact checker. Proofreader too, but that would be a waste.
nk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:45 pmI think I was responsible for the correction at the end of this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/science/20tier.html?_r=0
I didn’t remember right. It was not his date of borth, but his age then, and his age in 1956.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:46 pmOK. keep at them, Sammy. The NYT editors, reporters, and columnists need to hear from you both as a New Yorker and as a loyal reader when they screw up.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:48 pmDRJ #50 – when I was writing for a living, it was usually code (mainframe computer geek Assembler code) …
In Secondary School in Scotland, my classmates suggested that I would have a future as Mis-Interpreter-in-Chief at the United Nations … by taking the insults and unreasonable demands being offered from one side to the other there, and translating them in ways that shift the meanings while respecting the words used, one can transform an insult or unreasonable demand into something innocuous (and vice versa, of course) … my classmates’ premise was that, by taking the ‘energy’ out of the negative communications, there could be many less wars and conflicts …
Alastor (2e7f9f) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:52 pmnk (dbc370) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:45 pm
While I once paid for a class on proofreading (wasted money) that sounds like a mismatch or a joke. Horrors!
And yet, I do spot spelling errors, and typing mistakes.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:55 pmYou missed your calling, Alastor.
As for me, I’ve learned never to attribute Obama’s “mistakes” to a plan or goal. He’s clearly inept at being President, and I should have learned this when the story came out that he came up with his healthcare plan on impulse when he was preparing for a debate with Hillary. The man is lazy and addicted to his own BS, and from now on I’m going to assume that everything he does is a direct result of these qualities.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 4:58 pmthere should be no expectation that Eric Holder, a partner in the law firm that was the pre-eminent provider of pro bono legal services to suspected terrorists held in Guantanamo Bay, would ever call the “people who commit terrorist acts miusing Islam” what they are: Islamic Terrorists.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:13 pmhaving to make a decision on whether to defecate or lose my sight… Juan Williams just said Obama made a “mistake” in not traveling to Paris in a show of unity.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:15 pmA “mistake” that is better characterized as A “pattern of behavior”or A “continuous display of extremely poor judgement”
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:26 pmor “serial fu*k-ups”…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:27 pmI’ve added the video of Josh Earnest being grilled by Ed Henry at the press conference today. It gets particularly good at 1:43.
Dana (8e74ce) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:37 pmThe Extraordinary Lightness of Being Earnest.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:47 pmEd Henry was awesome… like a terrier with a rat.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:50 pmThanks, Dana. Ed Henry was excellent. He was relentless and did not allow Josh to skate or filibuster. Yet he had a decent look on his face and did not appear angry, and at no time was he nasty or smarmy or disrespectful to Earnest. Compare this to, for example, the execrable David Gregory, who was vicious, hostile, and usually sounded demented when he used to “interview” people on Meet the Press.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:55 pmEd Henry has a son named ……Patrick Henry. How cool is that!?
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 5:59 pmParis is
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:00 pmBurningLearning“Apparently, Obama should’ve gone to Paris, France.”
– Noah Ritter
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:12 pmPalin notes that this is the same president who was nominated for a Nobel peace prize just two weeks into his presidency…
Dana (8e74ce) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:13 pmThe Wapo loses credibility as it felt compelled to print an article citing how many times President Obama has apologized… sort of:
The list is amusing. Of course, no mention of bitter clingers comment, etc.
Dana (8e74ce) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:28 pm“Bitter clingers” was in 2008, before he was electec president.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:33 pm94. I thought it was cats that played with mice and rats (and birds!) and dogs went after cats.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:34 pmWe don’t know if Hollande invited Obama, and if so, when.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:35 pmsammy–you thought wrong.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/rat_terrier/index.cfm
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 6:40 pm#65
There didn’t used to be backseats in West Texas pick up trucks.
steveg (794291) — 1/12/2015 @ 7:26 pmThe only thing behind the seat was a rifle rack with a lever action Winchester for coyotes and whatever else was on the varmint schedule.
Now there is backseats with TV and internet access.
Somehow West Texas still turns out some of America’s best gunfighters..
Thank you
In the new York Times, today, somebody thought there were 48 states. Only it is not amistake by the New York Times, but somebody they quoted. Still, the New York Times often corrects or clarifies factually inaccurate quotes or ones with unfamiliar or uncommonly used words or terms.
I searched online for “48 states” and ’48 states -lower” and whatever I tried, I couldn’t find it. I had to go back to the printed paper, and I found it in less than half a minute, on page A10 (because I knew it could only be certain articles, and I remembered more or less where it was on what kind of page)
Then I could find it online. (I needed “48 state” not “states”
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/us/politics/obama-to-call-for-laws-covering-data-hacking-and-student-privacy.html
But that should probably be “50 state laws” unless two states don’t have any laws at all on data breaches.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:21 pmEnough about Jean Francois, how about a hot Italian!
http://t.co/qPvvX7lrIV
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:30 pmsteveg,
I like crew cab pickups and plan to buy one as my next vehicle, but pickups have always had backseats in Texas. It’s called the bed.
Speaking of which, Hyundai thinks it has reinvented the pickup. Hyundai is wrong.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:45 pmThat Hyundai looks like something a foreigner would design, DRJ.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:50 pmThe New York Times doesn’t know everything, Sammy. For instance, you wouldn’t learn why Jon Leibowitz said there are 48 state laws from reading your New York Times’ link, but you would if you looked here:
And, yes, I know that isn’t 48 states. It’s 47 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 U.S. territories.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:51 pmIt looks like a shiny El Camino to me. I don’t think America wants another El Camino.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:52 pmReminds me of the intro of the Tundra. A full size truck with a 4 cylinder? Somebody didn’t understand America.
Gazzer (c44509) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:57 pmre #20: why are calling Abas a former terrorist instead of just plain (or current) terrorist?
seeRpea (3cc998) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:01 pmre #100: ‘security concerns’ is a bogus argument. There are plenty of times when the PoTUS has gone out in public on short notice. And the security for this gathering was second to none given who did attend and participated.
Only if you think of yourself as ‘King of the World’ would you have been concerned about secur …
seeRpea (3cc998) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:06 pmoh – wait. Never mind.
Do you think he will actually have the nerve to stage that summit in February, where he will present social service providers as a defense against terrorism?
Patricia (5fc097) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:28 pmIn which Martha interviews Marie about the upcoming summit:
Oh, I feel some juicy mockery and humor coming on from bloggers.
elissa (d9a964) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:36 pm109.
kishnevi (294553) — 1/12/2015 @ 9:54 pmNo, designed by a panel of regulators.
Didn’t some Cadillac Escalades come like that? http://www.seecars.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cadillac-escalade-extkey.jpg They would be good for having a couple of your gang there to lay down covering fire as you made your getaway, I suppose.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 2:29 amI think it is morally dubious to mock those who cannot purchase a clue.
DNF (5e8377) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:45 amFergus is walking alone down a dark street in Belfast, when a man grabs him from behind, puts a knife against his throat, and asks “Catholic or Protestant?” Fergus thinks, If I say Catholic and he’s Protestant he’ll kill me; if I say Protestant and he’s Catholic, he’ll kill me. He says, “I’m a Muslim”. And the man says, “Faith and begorrah, Moshe Feinberg sure has the luck of the Irish tonight”.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:49 am120. ROTFLMAO
DNF (5e8377) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:09 amGood one, nk!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/13/2015 @ 5:04 amSammy, cats go after mice, but rats are too big for most house cats,
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 1/13/2015 @ 5:09 amhence dogs, specifically terriers, for rats.
“I really think that this is sort of quibbling a little bit in the sense…”
Mike S. (f5d617) — 1/13/2015 @ 9:15 am– John F’n “Stonewall” Kerry
110. DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/12/2015 @ 8:51 pm
In this case, it’s not a case of the New York Times not knowing why Jon Leibowitz said there were 48 state laws (instead of what you might think is correct, that is 50) but the New York Times not telling
I suppose Jon Leibowitz made the District of Columbia into an honorary state. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and certainly Guam were/are not lumped in.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:05 pm43. Today the New York times mentioned the issue. They had two reasons to: the Whiute House issued an apology, and this was a whole bog controversy among other people. Not just other newspapers.
Sometimes the New York Times covers something because it is a big issue among political opponents and on the Internet.
They still didn’t give it that much attention. The New York Times had an article running across the bottom of page A10.
They had 3 front page articles related to the Paris attacks:
These sites include Jewish schools, and they want more electronic surveillamce to curb juihadist recruitemnt in prisons and other places.
Also:
I don’t think the New York times has covereed this until now. It may have.
And also:
The New York Post had a big headline:
Also a picture of the cover and the start of a story:
(the cover was released on Monday)
The New York Dilyy News has a picture on the right of President Obama holding a team uniform that says POTUS 1 and below it a picture of yesterday’s front page New York Daily News with the headline: “You let the world down”
The big headline, underlined white letters on mostly black, with the first three words very large, is:
Now there is small lettering in the upper right corner next to Oabam;s face which goes:
The Wall Street Journal has two headlines related to this:
and
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:27 pm79. 83.
Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 3:01 PM
To: nytnews@nytimes.com
You had an article today on page D2 by John Tierney.
It stated that Martin Gardner (the famous former mathematical games columnist for Scientific American who published a good number of puzzle books) turns 95 this week.
It ALSO states that he was 37 in 1956.
Now, if he turns 95 this week, that means he was born in the last third of October 1914.
But if he was 37 in 1956 when was quit Humpty Dumpty he must have been born sometime between January 1918 and December 1919.
Where did the extra 4 years go?
I suppose the answer could be there is a mistake here, and he was 37 when he joined Humpty Dumpty and not when he quit.
But wouldn’t that be the easy solution?
What’s the tricky solution?
===================================
Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 4:49 PM
To: nytnews@nytimes.com
The solution:
Martin Gardner time traveled and was stranded for 4 years or so till he could get back, and when he went back he got back to the same time. Therefore it is his 95th birthday but he was only 37 years old in 1956.
cf: Time Travel and Other Mathematical Bewilderments by Martin Gardner.
Surely somewhere maybe he wrote something in the first person.
====================================
Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 4:51 PM
To: nytnews@nytimes.com
This would work if Martin Gardner was a comic book or other fictional character.
============================
From: Greg Brock
Subject: Re: Martin Gardner age puzzle
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:06:04 -0400
Yes, we had the age incorrect (42, not 37) and are printing a
correction tomorrow — on his 95th birthday.
Best regards,
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:30 pmGreg Brock
Did you actually send the 2nd and 3rd (time travel) emails, Sammy? Please tell me you didn’t.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/13/2015 @ 3:35 pmI think, DRJ, that it is extremely good use of Sammy’s time to interface directly with the NYT and to point out to them where they make errors and how or why they may have gone off the rails on a particular article. The NYT needs to be alerted about, made to understand, and then be responsive to their loyal readers’ concerns. Sammy is providing a needed service to them.
elissa (6a9829) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:01 pmSammy, you have surprising depths. I don’t know if you appreciate it or not, but your time travel emails were the best possible kind of humor. Entirely relevant to the point, not offending anyone, and not only getting a chuckle out of your audience but also engaging his thought process.
nk (dbc370) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:10 pm#99: dana, It is now clear that the prize was awarded due to a misunderstanding. Obola’s peace is the peace of “submission”. The absence of his “peace” is death. Don’t question the prophet.
bobathome (d4306f) — 1/13/2015 @ 4:33 pm