Too Bad The Democrats Slammed George Bush For Golfing…Oh. Wait. Added: Giving The President More Cover
[guest post by Dana]
Fending off criticism of the president’s decision to hit the greens immediately after his James Foley press conference, the White House attempted to give the president cover today. Principal deputy press secretary Eric Schultz played defense:
“[S]ports and leisure activities are a good release and clearing of the mind.”
Perhaps sensing that might not be good enough to assuage critics, Schultz added:
Foley’s death has “absolutely captured the president’s attention.”
“Just because the president is in a different location doesn’t mean he isn’t doing his job,” he also said, repeating a common refrain that the White House offers when facing criticism about presidential vacations.
The president is free to be as disrespectful and tone-deaf as he wants because simply put, he can. If none of the scandals his administration is laboring through haven’t yet shamed the man, then I wonder if it is even possible to do so. It’s still shocking to realize that the barbaric killing of an American citizen didn’t even penetrate enough for him to grasp that at the very least, an appearance of respectfulness and seriousness was called for. At the very least…
But speaking of that, it would appear that at least someone on that side of the aisle sees hypocrisy another way to cleverly justify the president’s bad behavior:
“We used to pillory George Bush for going to his ranch and we were wrong,” (David) Axelrod said of Obama’s predecessor. “The demands and pressures of the presidency are relentless, and we ought to want our presidents to get small breaks to relax, even in-and maybe especially in — the midst of crisis.”
–Dana
UPDATE: Since we are on the subject of giving the president cover, I’ve added yet another example. Unfortunately, this one puts others at serious risk.
On Wednesday, the White House leaked a classified special forces operation to rescue American hostages in Syria. The reason: political cover. The cost: so far, unknown.
But this much, we know: The politicized leak of this operation cut through the fog of war to let our enemies know exactly what happened that day in the desert, and because of that, future attempts to free American hostages will be more difficult to plan, farther between, and more dangerous to carry out.
On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby confirmed reports of the U.S. military’s failed clandestine hostage rescue operation in Syria. The operation was designed to rescue a number of Western hostages, including American journalist James Foley, that were being held by Islamic State terrorists in Syria. Details of the failed raid were leaked by senior White House officials earlier that day after the Obama administration came under intense scrutiny about what actions it had taken to free Foley following, who was beheaded . The leak was designed to provide political cover for President Barack Obama, who has been taking fire from the press for failing to take more decisive action against the Islamic State in either Iraq or Syria.
BOOSH!
nk (dbc370) — 8/22/2014 @ 5:28 pmIt happens to me every time I argue with an Obamite. One minute in, they stop talking about him and start talking about Bush.
nk (dbc370) — 8/22/2014 @ 5:30 pm“going to the ranch” in nowheresville texas is way different than hobnobbing with high-class hookers like Beyonce or hanging around the Hamptons or on exclusive beaches in Hawaii
way way way different
for reals you can’t even compare
happyfeet (8ce051) — 8/22/2014 @ 5:37 pmTrue. You can’t compare.
The one thing I still like about Chimpy McHitlurburton is the way he wiped the smiles off the faces of the WH press corps when they found out they’d be spending their summer vacations in Crawford, Tejas.
Crawford. Gateway to Waco. The very name evokes danger, excitement, and romance.
Steve57 (99bd31) — 8/22/2014 @ 5:59 pmsad, deluded BDS people.
barack obama
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/22/2014 @ 6:04 pmseems to think legacy’s safe
armslength disconnect
the Windy City
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/22/2014 @ 6:07 pmit gave us teh sweet Lou Rawls
to prep us for THIS?!?!?!
President Obama is so focused on keeping the situation in the forefront of his mind that he is about to issue an Executive Order declaring that a triple bogey will henceforth be known as a Foley, just so he is reminded several times each day.
malclave (1db6c5) — 8/22/2014 @ 6:11 pmIf some one needs to be updated with latest technologies then he must be pay a quick visit this web page and be up to
how to hack msp 2014 (7ae3e7) — 8/22/2014 @ 6:44 pmdate every day.
Reagan went to his ranch a lot, too. The difference was, of course, that his foreign policy largely worked.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 8/22/2014 @ 6:48 pmAlso, Kevin, Bush and Reagan went to places they owned in very rural areas. TFG is 5 star swanky resorts all the way. Plus both of those guys often spent holidays like Thanksgiving at Camp David so the SS agents could be near their families.
Gazzer (b21aba) — 8/22/2014 @ 7:02 pmGazzer,
Democrats care so much about everyone they don’t have time to care about anyone.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 8/22/2014 @ 8:06 pmKeep in mind that all of this should be placed against the backdrop of his “shout out” glibness at the start of his speech right after the Fort Hood massacre, or his selfie goofiness at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, much less his jetting off to a fundraiser in Vegas right after Hurricane Sandy slammed the Northeast.
Democrats care so much about everyone they don’t have time to care about anyone.
Obama is a living embodiment of studies and surveys that reveal liberals actually are less generous — in donating money, time and even blood — less giving, less tolerant than people who lean to the right. That people of the left don’t realize that or accept that is one of the most contemptible aspects of them, even more so since they believe they have a lock on love and humaneness while their political opposites don’t.
Mark (14a4db) — 8/22/2014 @ 8:27 pmAlso, Kevin, Bush and Reagan went to places they owned in very rural areas.
Exactly. If Obama were traveling on a regular basis to, say, a residence he owned in Chicago, then the comparison between him and the supposed vacation time of the Bushes and Reagans would be applicable.
Mark (14a4db) — 8/22/2014 @ 8:30 pmMalclave, not to be disgusting, but Obama has decreed, that a SLICE will forevermore be called a Foley.
Gus (70b624) — 8/22/2014 @ 9:37 pmMulligan was already taken. Obama usually invokes the Mulligan, immediately after his Foley. He must HATE the IRISH.
The democrats never need to worry about attacking republicans about anything. The msm will never call them on the inconsistencies. They can say anything they want (see harry reid) and never have to worry about any flashback from the propagandististas.
Jim (145e10) — 8/22/2014 @ 10:12 pmCindy Sheehan, everyday, sitting in a ditch in Crawford. We watched it over and over and over again. She had, what did they say? The moral authority? I think that may have been Dowd. Poor Sheehan was dropped as a hot potato when she started questioning the Dems.
Maybe it’s time for some poor Obamacare victim to sleep in a ditch in Martha’s Vineyard. That will never happen, though, because it’s Martha’s Vineyard where the 1 percent play and the press is nothing more than a fascist tool of the administration.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 8/22/2014 @ 10:48 pmAg80, there is no shame or honesty left. The left has gone the FULL COMMIE.
Gus (70b624) — 8/22/2014 @ 10:54 pmRemember when Bush gave up golf for the remainder of his presidency out of respect for the victims of 9/11? Man, I miss that guy.
Robintn (c10e60) — 8/23/2014 @ 5:13 amObama’s got himself a pretty fancy prison out there on Martha’s Vineyard. He’s safe from us but stuck on that island.
I wonder if this whole thing is working out the way he had it planned.
creeper (545a20) — 8/23/2014 @ 6:23 amOh come on. You, Amerikkka, are so damn needy. A bunch of whiners.
Your emperor sans clothes is the Borg’s Mascot. What do you expect?
Your butcher should care?
Like the Native of yore humbly thanking Bear and worshipping before taking his life that the tribe eat?
‘Eff off losers.
gary gulrud (46ca75) — 8/23/2014 @ 6:41 amThe problem is not where a President spends his time, it’s how he spends it. No amount of spin can paper over the growing sinkholes in Obama’s presidency.
crazy (d60cb0) — 8/23/2014 @ 7:41 amGen. Eisenhower, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Carter, Mr. Reagan, and the younger Mr. Bush all owned country properties. The elder Bush owned a coastal property; Mr. Nixon owned two. They acquired these properties ‘ere taking office. (There are some questions you could raise about Lyndon Johnson’s fortune and perhaps the younger Bush as well (inasmuch as it appears connections were a big part of it)). I fail to see what the problem is with them working from home part of the year, especially given contemporary communications technology.
Art Deco (ee8de5) — 8/23/2014 @ 8:36 amThe problem is not where a President spends his time, it’s how he spends it.
Agreed. It was Michael Kinsley’s observation a generation ago that extra increments of time can have a sharply circumscribed (if not negative) influence on a President’s performance. He remarked that he was at odds with everything Ronald Reagan ever did but thought the man did quite well ‘handling his job’. Arthur Schlesinger made congruent remarks. One of the remarkable things about Reagan (in an amongst all the peculiar things you might note about him) is that he had a talent for delegating authority and the sense to put in a meticulous personnel and recruitment operation (which Richard Nixon never did). So, Reagan was getting the job done with eight hour days and Messrs. Carter and Johnson were not with 18 hour days. Mr. Carter was famous for getting bogged down in minutiae. John Roche, who had a great admiration for his boss, nevertheless said he allocated his time poorly (recalling an incident where he walked in on the President conferring with an adviser and picking bombing targets in North VietNam).
Art Deco (ee8de5) — 8/23/2014 @ 8:44 amWhen Americans watched that brutal ISIS video, they felt a burning rage and anger. Obama felt like playin’ another 9 holes
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:27 amWhen Obama signed up, he misread the “vocation” field… he thought it said “vacation”
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:30 amI’ve updated the post with yet another example of giving the president cover. This one, however, with possible dire consequences.
Dana (4dbf62) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:30 amNice of Axelrod to retroactively admit his role in maintaining Bush Derangement Syndrome–there are a lot of reporters and columnists of the lefty variety who are far too hypocritical to consider doing likewise while ignoring similar behavior by Obama.
M. Scott Eiland (8d3966) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:31 amThere ain’t enough “cover” in the world to protect TFG’s narrow behind. It’s said that radical Islamic terror orgs have nearly doubled the last 6 years.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:35 amM. Scott Eiland,
I thought it was nice of him – at first. But then I realized, he’s had plenty of years to do that and only did it to give the president cover. In my book, this is not genuine regret or recognizing hypocrisy. Instead, it’s recognizing an opportunity to manipulate people with a false contrition in order to get approval for an action that the president is being criticized for.
Dana (4dbf62) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:37 amThe Chairman of the JCoS made it very clear that the release of this information was a policy decision and neglected to say that he concurred.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:43 amnobody really *believes* obama is hard-working or serious
some people are just very invested in pretending
happyfeet (8ce051) — 8/23/2014 @ 9:50 amI think we were the last to find out:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/22/us-syria-usa-raid-idUSKBN0GM26620140822
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/23/2014 @ 10:09 amSomething to keep in mind when the Narcissist-in-Chief accuses Republicans of putting party before country. It would be a step up to have a President who puts something other than himself before the country.
For President Mean Girl, it’s me, me, me, before other people’s lives, let alone national security, the economy, maintaining alliances, the list goes on.
Steve57 (99bd31) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:19 amGus (70b624) — 8/22/2014 @ 9:37 pm
He does HATE Bill Clinton who was renowned for his use of the Mulligan.
askeptic (efcf22) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:21 amAgreed, Dana–it’s like watching a lot of liberals who savaged, say, Reagan or Bush the Elder coming out of the woodwork to say, “Reagan/Bush the Elder was a decent and competent leader compared to (Republican figure of the moment).” No cost in saying nice things about a political enemy who is safely retired (or dead), after all.
M. Scott Eiland (15aac4) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:27 amWhen Americans watched that brutal ISIS video
What video was that?
In Wake of James Foley Beheading Video, Journalists Rush to Self-Censor – all the president’s men rushed to cover up that nasty bit of nega PR and
Beheading video poses challenge for social media
the junior varsity went even further. Post a video and that’s a banning.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 8/23/2014 @ 12:03 pmAs long as he is golfing he is not committing high crimes and treason. So his golfing is a break from a normal work day.
highpockets (f65e70) — 8/23/2014 @ 2:47 pmAbsolute idiots. Calling him Empty Chair is an insult to chairs all over the world.
Perhaps they have no understanding of “sources and methods”; they should get some clues before they kill more people (I’ll guess a dozen from this one, ISIS will not be careful or take second looks before striking.)
htom (412a17) — 8/23/2014 @ 6:30 pmAs long as he is golfing he is not committing high crimes and treason.
What evidence do you have for this?
Kevin M (b357ee) — 8/23/2014 @ 6:44 pmIt’s vaguely amusing that the left’s response to the President’s need to lower his handicap is somehow akin to the former President’s vacation time in Crawford.
That is not really the point. Not understanding why is the tragedy.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:09 pmthe DOJ works for me?
you the DOJ’s pimp daddy yo?
proper.
happyfeet (8ce051) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:17 pmIt would be nice if the government started working for me rather than itself. I pay the salaries, after all.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:24 pmActually he got that one right. The DOJ does work for the president. That’s what the constitution says.
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:29 pmoh.
I thought the DOJ worked for justice
happyfeet (8ce051) — 8/23/2014 @ 11:46 pmWhich Justice did you think it worked for? Thomas? Sotomayor?
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/24/2014 @ 12:12 amjust, you know, regular old justice
you know like Batman
happyfeet (8ce051) — 8/24/2014 @ 12:20 amBatman works for himself.
Did you think the DOS works for “state”? And the DOI works for “interior”?
The constitution says every single employee in the executive branch of the federal government works for the president, whoever that might be. It’s a pity that so many of them don’t realize that when the president happens to be a Republican.
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/24/2014 @ 12:42 amYour style is unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from.
cartier love bracelet (5daa0a) — 8/24/2014 @ 3:11 amMany thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark
this page.
maybe he’s better off on the fairway:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/08/depends_on_the_meaning_of_isis.html
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/24/2014 @ 6:21 amHere’s some help for the Republicans against my charge that running a rich guy is killing them.
gary gulrud (46ca75) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:29 amHolder belongs in the dark of solitary contemplating Blackness.
http://hotair.com/archives/2014/08/24/video-milwaukee-county-sheriff-wants-eric-holder-to-apologize/
gary gulrud (46ca75) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:35 amOh crap, we’ve lost. You urban ‘tards are hopeless in any fight.
gary gulrud (46ca75) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:40 amAgreed, Gary.
mg (31009b) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:48 amThe super suave republicans continue to put out fires with gas.
One would think G.M. would resurrect the Olds Scramble Golf format for President Sandbag.
mg (31009b) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:56 amHe could choose his lying partners to play with and keep score.
OK, our president is a lazy child. I get it. We all get it. Why can’t he just *BE* lazy, and stop spewing all the dangerous self-justifying crap that puts Our Finest in danger?
I’m thinking SPECIFICALLY of SEAL Team 6, ambushed after Vice President Flappy-Jaws identified them as “those great guys who killed Osama at President Obama’s orders” (trying to make OBumbleDunce look like he’d done something useful for a change). The word “vainglorious” comes to mind. So does “stupid”.
A_Nonny_Mouse (ea6e37) — 8/24/2014 @ 5:01 pmthe opportunity to get Foley back was lost on the fairway:
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/focus/article1450512.ece
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/24/2014 @ 5:28 pmR.I.P. Richard Attenborough
Icy (b4a830) — 8/24/2014 @ 5:37 pmAt the risk of a Sammalanche, this is why we’re going nowhere, and have been for a while now,
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-tentacles-of-qatar-from-isis-to.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/24/2014 @ 6:08 pmAssociated Press to the rescue!
Qatar hits back at claims it backs Islamic State, Hamas
‘Qatar does not support extremist groups, including ISIS, in any way,’ says Qatari FM, adding it is ‘repelled by their views.’
happyfeet (8ce051) — 8/24/2014 @ 6:11 pmthe preceding link shows how shallow that statement is, pikachu, they have more dance card than Gillian Hough (I think that’s her name)
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/24/2014 @ 6:33 pmCan you point out where in the Constitution it says the Department of Justice works for the President? My copy of the Constitution seems to be missing that part.
Thanks in advance.
Steve57 (99bd31) — 8/24/2014 @ 6:42 pmnothing like violating OPSEC for political gain…
IMHO, large numbers of people in DC should be stood in front of a wall and shot for endangering the lives of American service members with their loose mouths, but i’m hopelessly old fashioned that way.
redc1c4 (abd49e) — 8/24/2014 @ 7:23 pmthe chief executive controls all the executive branches, which is why he has the appointing authority for their secretaries…
with oversight allegedly provided by Congress.
redc1c4 (abd49e) — 8/24/2014 @ 7:24 pmMaybe I’m late to the game. However after James Foley was beheaded, I found out that, apparently there are about 20 journalists being held by Islamists in Syria and Iraq. Is that right? CNN thinks so.
Regardless, if it is more than the one we do know about after Foley’s execution, why not? What the heck is going on? Is the left media so far in the Obama tank that they let their own suffer and die without mention?
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:40 pmwell Austin Tice was the one, pointed out in that Vanity Fair piece, not Sotloff, nor Foley, someone named Peter Curtis was released by Nusra Front today
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:50 pmThere are no specific executive departments mentioned in the Constitution, red, that was the point I was driving at when Milhouse said it was the Constitution that says the DoJ works for the President.
All executive branch departments are entirely creations of Congress, not the Constitution. They work for the people, not the President. If they aren’t working for the people, as determined by their representatives, they can be destroyed by the same entity that created them.
Hell, even the position of Attorney General is a creation of Congress, not the Constitution. Congress created that position a few years after they ratified the Constitution.
Steve57 (99bd31) — 8/24/2014 @ 8:54 pmprotect or run from
Colonel Haiku (43bfc3) — 8/24/2014 @ 9:10 pmThe Confessed Eater of Dog
and snorter of coke?
Article 2, section 1. “The executive Power shall be vested in a President.”
You’re welcome.
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/24/2014 @ 11:54 pmNo, there are no specific departments mentioned. The internal organization of the executive branch isn’t a matter for the constitution; the president and congress (who fund it, after all) can work it out between them. But the constitution specifically says that all executive power belongs to the president, and nobody can exercise any except as his agent. That means that every person in the executive branch works for the president, and only the president. The president works for the people; his employees work for him.
(The vice president does not work for the president, and is therefore not part of the executive branch, as Sarah Palin knew and Joe Biden didn’t.)
Milhouse (9d71c3) — 8/25/2014 @ 12:02 amHello by the way! Always full of invention and discoveries: You really have a gift! Kisses
Melody (0e93a4) — 8/25/2014 @ 4:37 amvoyance gratuite en ligne par mail
Smock Puppet, "Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses." (225d0d) — 8/26/2014 @ 2:22 amActually, this is a very accurate statement. Because, if you think about it, no matter where the f*** his is, he’s not doing his job. So it is a simple corollary that, just because the president is in a different location doesn’t mean he’s not doing his job. His location has no effect whatsoever on that.
as usual they are focusing on the wrong place:
http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2014/08/26/obama-approves-air-surveillance-of-isis-in-syria/
narciso (ee1f88) — 8/26/2014 @ 6:16 am