It’s an issue when Republican Presidents are Silent about natural disasters, but not one when a Democrat is silent about terrorist attacks** and popular uprisings* against anti-American tyrants
Five years ago, there was much bellyaching in the media about how the callousness of the President of the United States for not making a public statement about the tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands, displaced an equal number (if not more) and causes untold damage to property and the landscape, even changing the coastline in some regions. When then-president Bush did not speak out, it was deemed a sign of his indifference, evidence that the recently reelected president was out of touch.
Now, it’s conservatives gnashing their teeth about the silence of a different president in the wake of an attempted terrorist attack on a U.S. Jetliner and an uprising against a government which has made thumbing its nose at his overtures its favorite past time.
Wonder if those on the left and in the media who faulted George W. Bush for his “callous” reaction to the tsunami five years ago will level similar criticisms against his similarly silent successor.
*and brutal suppressions thereof.
**UPDATE: er, sorry, meant “man-caused disasters.”
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Bush got blamed for inaction, but the first thing he did was send a carrier and a hospital ship.
This was criticized as well because he did not “coordinate” with the UN who took several days more to get anything on location.
Comment by JP — December 28, 2009 @ 12:11 am - December 28, 2009
JP, methinks, back then media folk were looking for an excuse to criticize the Republican. Yep, he did act; he just didn’t make a public statement.
And I wouldn’t necessarily fault Obama for not making a public statement if it were clear he was doing something. Though on Iran, a public statement could do a world of good. And he need not even praise the protesters, just criticize the regime for their brutal suppression–though right now it does seem it’s more attempts at brutal suppression.
Comment by B. Daniel Blatt — December 28, 2009 @ 12:18 am - December 28, 2009
make no mistake; the green revolution is not americas puppet. just because they resist the regime doesn’t mean that they are any less anti american, anti imperialist and pro nuclear than the government itself. your post title makes it sound like that the uprising is because ahmedinejad is anti-american. could you be any more self centered?
Comment by gamelan — December 28, 2009 @ 12:58 am - December 28, 2009
Dan, with lefties it’s all about “the narrative”… all the time. That’s the only reason Bush was criticized so much for Katrina (when the poor response was mostly Nagin’s and Blanco’s fault). And the only reason Obama gets so many passes. The Narrative… which must always favor leftism.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — December 28, 2009 @ 1:02 am - December 28, 2009
gamelan, you’ve so totally missed Dan’s actual point… could your comments be any more nutty?
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — December 28, 2009 @ 2:57 am - December 28, 2009
I suppose if one were dumb as a brick, one could read it that way.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — December 28, 2009 @ 6:11 am - December 28, 2009
The very first thing the preisent should have done was make a statement. This was an act of terror on the United States not a disaster in another country. THIS WAS OUR COUNTRY!!!!
He is only interested in being on TV when he is the focal point. He does not care a hang about our citizens.
Playing golf and lollygagging around in Hawaii is so typical of this president.
I am not saying he should be back in DC, but making a statement (live) was required. Today he is supposed to make one, it is TOO LATE!!!!!
Once again we are shown you get what you vote for…….
Comment by PatriotMom — December 28, 2009 @ 7:20 am - December 28, 2009
Obambi rolled over, looked at the teleprompter, found it was blank and went back to sleep.
Comment by heliotrope — December 28, 2009 @ 8:56 am - December 28, 2009
Oh, it gets better. Obama and the Obama Party are now shrieking that bombing US airliners is not a threat to national security.
Perhaps Obama is thinking that, since the plane was flying to Detroit, all the people on board must have been Obama Party welfare addicts who would be perfectly happy to die for the Messiah anyway, so it’s no biggie.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — December 28, 2009 @ 12:00 pm - December 28, 2009
Gods… Denial is not jsut a river in Egypt.
Comment by The_Livewire — December 28, 2009 @ 12:41 pm - December 28, 2009
@gamelan….
Really? What would you know about the protests within Iran? For 6 months the people have shown exactly how they feel. For 6 months they have endured suppression, brutality, rape, murder in the streets… including axe murders in front of witnesses at the hands of an illegitimate regime. For 6 months they have endured an increase in the brutality of this regime.
Are these Iranians anti-American? Well this is the only people who held a candlelight vigil after the 9/11 attacks. The chants that we saw after the Friday sessions by Khamenei at the mosque or wherever they took place were not by the majority of the people, but by regime stooges, mostly Basijj. During the past 6 months they have been crying out asking Obama “are you with us?” and all they got was silence.
We do not know enough about Mousavi, except for the propaganda about his other nefarious intentions. Mousavi is only a vehicle for the regime change. It is doubtful that he would stay in power very long. The same goes for Kharoubi.
The people want an end to the power of the Mullahs. Each night they cry out “Death to the Dictator”, “Death to Khamenei”…. their chants have been changing and their chants are getting louder. This is exactly what happened 30 years ago.
We have to trust the people in this situation. We have to trust that they will act responsibly in regard to the nuclear weapons. I am sure that they want nuclear power, but not sure that they want the nuclear weapons.
The people have shown at times that they are not out to kill people like the regime. They let the basijj go, they let the police go…. they have protected those who have been injured. They ask these same people to join with them… the more that do join with the protesters, the better the opportunity for real reform in Iran.
Enough with your particular lies, since you know nothing about what is really happening.
Comment by StraightAussie — December 28, 2009 @ 4:20 pm - December 28, 2009
@heliotrope…. blank just like his mind…. and blank like his real intelligence….
Comment by StraightAussie — December 28, 2009 @ 4:21 pm - December 28, 2009
Fewer people to carry on State-run health care.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — December 28, 2009 @ 4:22 pm - December 28, 2009
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — December 28, 2009 @ 12:00 pm – December 28, 2009
That leftie is a total idiot. Haha… no big deal. Here is the real situation. About 4 days prior to the incident a message for the western world was given by a top Al Qaeda operative… it was a direct hint that there would be a bombing….. The intended murder-suicide bomber got himself to Amsterdam where he had to get on board the flight to Detroit. He stayed on the other side of the gates which meant he did not go through security a second time. However, what has emerged is that he was seen with another man… a man who attempted to get him on the flight by pretending he was a refugee from the Sudan, even though he was Nigerian….. all these Africans look the same… right? Easy….. The bomb materials were exactly the same as that used by Richard Reid the shoe bomber, except that he had more of the explosive material. It was stitched inside his underwear. He also managed to smuggle a syringe on board by pretending that he had diabetes 1. The man managed to cause an explosion and a fire, but not an explosion to create a bomb. It was pure luck that this attempt to blow up an aircraft failed.
That a left-wing nutcase would say it was nothing just goes to show that such people should not be allowed to make comments in the first place…. since they are largely irrelevant and have a false sense of what is real in this world.
I note also that the man responsible for this incident has stated that others have been trained to do the same thing. Folks this is serious…. there will be more attempts to bomb USA flights.
It is all about the deadly strikes in Yemen that have taken out top AQ operatives in recent weeks. If anyone thought that there would not be retaliation then they are just plain crazy.
Comment by StraightAussie — December 28, 2009 @ 4:31 pm - December 28, 2009
Funny how our trolls are quiet now…
Comment by The_Livewire — December 29, 2009 @ 10:14 am - December 29, 2009
We can talk about all the problems this administration is creating intentional or not we have bigger problems coming our way. Problems for all of us. You need to go to americanthinker.com and read the democrats scheme.
Comment by jann — January 9, 2010 @ 4:20 am - January 9, 2010