Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama
Update: Peggy Noonan organizes circular firing squad
If there ever were a doubt, no matter how small, that the mainstream media is deeply in bed with the Obama campaign, the reaction to the killing of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and several other Americans should put such doubt to rest.
Beginning early this morning, when news was just breaking, the left-blogosphere and mainstream media, led by MSNBC, has attempted to shift the focus from the Obama administration’s failure to protect our embassies and for its apologies (both before and after the attack on the Cairo Embassy) to whether Mitt Romney was wrong to criticize Obama last night.
No, I’m not kidding.
Here was Chuck Todd on Morning Joe:
This meme then was picked up by a blogger at MaddowBlog:
Wouldn’t be surprised if Romney’s sleazy move on Libya backfires. Exploiting US deaths is ugly, unwise on.msnbc.com/Sbfjyp
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) September 12, 2012
And by Greg Sargent at WaPo, with whom I got into a discussion:
@theplumlinegs Wow, desperate much to shift focus?
— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) September 12, 2012
@theplumlinegs good luck w blaming Romney – what was Obama doing yesterday, we know not taking steps 2 protect Embassy
— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) September 12, 2012
The meme then was picked up almost everywhere in the MSM, as this post at National Journal shows:
A ham-handed and inaccurate response from Romney njour.nl/U7scLxThere is a reason why politix stops at water’s edge
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) September 12, 2012
Here was Romney’s press conference in which the media swarmed to attack him over his criticism of Obama last night. To his credit, Romney did not back down.
Obama did not take any questions during his short statement.
So now the focus of the MSM is whether Romney made a mistake, not the dead Ambassador, not the Obama administration failures, not the complete disarray of U.S. MidEast policy, not the rise of Islamists, no none of that.
Update: Some tweets I retweeted this morning ….
The world is on fire and the MSM’s most important issue today: The timing of Romney’s statement about it.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) September 12, 2012
The developing Narrative: How dare Romney address Obama’s foreign policy while Obama is in the midst of failure? @noltenc
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 12, 2012
Romney is holding his own against Obama’s press corps.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) September 12, 2012
He’s amazing! –> NBC’s @chucktodd Takes Obama-Shilling To New Level: Reading Romney’s Mind shar.es/utAZy via @sharethis
— John Nolte(@NolteNC) September 12, 2012
Look, media. They dragged an Ambassador’s body through the streets. At this point, you’re kind of burying the lead with horserace coverage.
— Emily Zanotti (@emzanotti) September 12, 2012
Obama attacks Romney for criticizing the same apology Obama just disavowedbit.ly/SbtNOM
— Sheya (@Sheya) September 12, 2012
AND, looks like has-been Peggy Noonan is trying to form a circular firing squad. I’ve always said this is a two front political battle, and Noonan today proves it:
Mitt Romney demonstrates Reaganesque commitment to American resolve in our might. Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan trashes Mitt. WTH?
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) September 12, 2012
Why is Peggy Noonan criticizing Romney saying he’s done himself no favors in last few hours?
— David Limbaugh (@DavidLimbaugh) September 12, 2012
AND, Ben Smith and BuzzFeed jump on the meme, touting two unnamed former Bush and McCain camps foreign policy experts without giving any indication how senior they were or what their politics are now, in order to present the criticism of Romney as bipartisan, Foreign Policy Hands Voice Disbelief At Romney Cairo Statement:
Mitt Romney’s sharply-worded attack on President Obama over a pair of deadly riots in Muslim countries last night has backfired badly among foreign policy hands of both parties, who cast it as hasty and off-key, released before the facts were clear at what has become a moment of tragedy….
“They were just trying to score a cheap news cycle hit based on the embassy statement and now it’s just completely blown up,” said a very senior Republican foreign policy hand, who called the statement an “utter disaster” and a “Lehman moment” — a parallel to the moment when John McCain, amid the 2008 financial crisis, failed to come across as a steady leader.
That will be the new angle. This is Romney’s Lehman moment, it’s over, he might as well suspend his campaign.
‘a very senior Republican foreign policy hand’ on Romney statement:”utter disaster” … a “Lehman moment”buzzfeed.com/bensmith/forei…
— Robert Wright (@robertwrighter) September 12, 2012
Could this turn into Romney’s “suspending the campaign” moment?
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) September 12, 2012
UPDATE 2:20 p.m. – Just when you think it could not get any worse, The Right Scoop has the transcript and audio of reporters coordinating questions prior to the Romney press conference.




Comments
[...] East.The press politicizes — because it can no longer help itself — even as it cries “politicizing is bad” to one side but never the other.Roll over, Mencken, roll over in that grave. Although, he might [...]
The left lives for moments like this. There is no right answer to avoid their attack. They need to be told clearly they are a joke. Let the mocking being. We just need to stay the course and let them flounder in whichever way pleases them.
There have been indications in recent months that radical, armed Islamic groups have gained a foothold in Libya since the fall of the Qaddafi regime.
One of the groups to emerge in post-revolution Libya, Ansar al-Sharia, claimed responsibility Wednesday for the attack in Benghazi…
Maybe if Obama had not been skipping a staggering amount of intelligence briefings for golf, campaigning and fundraisers he might have been aware of stuff like “There are known knowns.”
This is Joe Biden’s fault for continuous Osama-spiking. Of course the MSM is going after Romney — what else can they do?
So… the left is jumping on Romney for condemning a statement issued by the American Embassy in Cairo and reiterated while the protesters were storming the ground because the story of what happened at the consulate in Libya hadn’t unfolded yet?
The deaths in Libya don’t change what was said in Cairo.
They are condemning Romney for condemning an embassy press release that the White House also condemned. The mind reels.
You missed one point, the press release from the Egyptian embassy came before the the ambassador to Libya was killed, and thus could hardly have been trying to justify an event that hadn’t yet occurred.
Ron Fournier:
“There is a reason why politix stops at water’s edge.”
So as not to impede the apology tour peace dividends of Obama’s Cairo speech?
I got your “new beginning” with the Muslim world hanging right here, Ronny Sweetheart.
LukeHandCool (who woke up depressed and thought it would be a nice, typical depressing day … and then came across this maddening madness. Preemptive apologies, apologies for not being guilty, apologies after-the-fact for something we’re not guilty of … this fetishized apologizing does not work!!!)
Hmmm. I don’t seem to remember this ‘water’s edge’ policy in effect for Democrats during the Iraq war. In fact, I struggle to think of a single Democrat who didn’t disparage Bush’s foreign policy during an active war. Funny the way political norms shift and shimmy, eh?
Oh, your memory must be failing, Our ‘Enry.
Many a Democratic Hollywood star embraced the Peggy Noonan Doctrine’s “discretion is the better way to go” tenet and jumped on a plane just to jet back to American terra firma before badmouthing American foreign policy. That’s the way I remember it! Same with Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, etc.
Didn’t Harry Reid jet back from somewhere just to declare “The war is lost” to the appreciation of the families of our troops (who are sticklers for “water’s edge” protocol, just like the mainstream media, obviously) still fighting in Iraq at the time?
Pull the rug out from underneath our troops like Harry Reid, (and the MSM is cool with that), but for God’s sake don’t recklessly criticize an appeasing apology that the White House itself has completely disowned.
It all depends on your personal, subjective definition of “water’s edge,” I guess.
Roll the the videos of Chuck Todd, Greg Sargent, et al, outraged at Harry Reid’s infinitely more important declaration that “The war is lost.”
Roll ‘em.
Particularly galling was Senator John Kerry (he’s a Viet Nam vet, you know) calling our troops terrorists, rapists, and such at the same moment they were dying on the battlefield.
My brother-in-law, raised a Democrat, is a Vietnam swift boat vet … and he really doesn’t like to hear the mention of Kerry’s name for the reason you state.
Noonan appears to have “grown in office” and increasingly supports the UN/DC elites and stands against American citizens.
In that world, it is never a problem to insult Christians, and always a problem to insult Muslims.
How could you forget the hubbub when the CJCoS called Bill Maher & asked him to pull Religulous? Oh, wait…
And would somebody please lead the breathless, melodramatic Peggy Noonan to her life’s calling as an actress in some RINO daytime soap opera.
On politics, I’d rather listen to Susan Lucci.
Thank you for this post! I was looking at the headlines at memeorandum.com, and they were all abt what a terrible job ROMNEY did on this issue. Really?? An ambassador of ours is murdered, the consulate burned down, AND the Embassy in Cairo is overrun, and all they can do is attack Romney? Unbelievable.
I thought Romney’s comments this morning were far better than Obama’s. Not even close maybe because there wasn’t an apology anywhere in Romney’s comments.
one of the protesters at the anti-American rally knows a thing or two about al Qaeda: Mohammed al Zawahiri, who is the younger brother of al Qaeda’s emir, Ayman al Zawahiri.
He was released from an Egyptian prison this past March.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/zawahiris-brother-cairo-embassy-assault_652217.html
The CIA renditioned Mohammed al Zawahiri from UAE in 1999 and sent him to Egyptian prison, a terrorist thought to have involvement with terrorist actions, such as the 1985 Egypt Air hijacking, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and the 1998 African embassy bombings.
Who’da thunk Barack (America will never be at war with Islam) Obama would support the removal of Mubarack, known terrorists would be released from prison and once again attack Americans.
Steve Benen, Ron Fournier, Greg Sargeant and other journolisters generally would benefit from an embed with the Marine protection force guarding the Cairo embassy.
It’s a chance for them to become real reporters, and an opportunity for the rest of us to reform the thought leaders of the MSM.
Great idea! I second that!
Excellent idea. It ought to be mandatory.
Poor Marines! There’s no reforming these hardcore lefties.
[...] Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama (legalinsurrection.com) Rate this:Share this:DiggEmail Pin ItPrintShare on TumblrLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. [...]
[...] Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama- If there ever were a doubt, no matter how small, that the mainstream media is deeply in bed with the Obama campaign, the reaction to the killing of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and several other Americans should put such doubt to rest.Beginning early this morning, when news was just breaking, the left-blogosphere and mainstream media, led by MSNBC, has attempted to shift the focus from the Obama administration’s failure to protect our embassies and for its apologies (both before and after the attack on the Cairo Embassy) to whether Mitt Romney was wrong to criticize Obama last night.No, I’m not kidding. [...]
[...] Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama. The media regards Obama with the devotion that Islamists grant to the Koran. Any criticism and [...]
[...] Romney tried today but Big Media is out to protect Obama. Romney must understand that he will not beat the Big Media filter he will have to overcome it. Florida voters will hear Mitt Romney if Romney speaks clearly and [...]
Every stain on this president is a stain on his guard dog media. This is 9/11/12 in the year of Barack Obama and his subservient media ilk.
The media matters turkeys are working their propaganda
They say the embassy came out with the statement before the attack. It seems a statement came out before the attacks, though there were already disturbances. But then, they tweeted after the attack, that they were confirming their earlier “apology”, while also condemning the attacks. So they are wrong … Romney was correct .. the first American response was apology, even though it was confirming the earlier apology.
According to Megyn Kelly’s timeline, even though Obama’s WH camp came out to say the “apology” had not been “approved”, less than an hour later the WH came out with another tweet, again confirming the apology. Then Romney came out with his condemnation of the apology.
So Romney was exactly correct at the press conference. And he was right, there should be no inkling of confessing to guilt over our free speech. And he was correct that the WH was sending mixed messages. Even distasteful speech is strongly protected, certainly never to be silenced by threats of violence.
But Obama spoke in the weak terms of one off apology, we believe in “religious tolerance”. Perhaps he meant to whisper … “I’ll have more flexibility AFTER the election” to deal with these blasphemers of Islam.
Two embassies attacked…one ambassador killed and his body dragged through the streets…two former allies who we turned our backs on only to get what we have now…which is beginning to look alot worse….
There’s an old saying running round conservative cirlces describbing Obama as Carter Redux (ala the inneffectiveness at the iranian hostage crisis and turning the back on yet another old ally, the Shah).
Question: WTF was the marine security detatchment for the Lybian embassy? And if there was only a few there wtf was their ROE?
Regardless Obama is fast becomming Jimmy Carter day by day…only thing I can say is Welcome Back Carter!
I expect this to get a hell of alot worse.
The report I heard was that the Libyan consulate’s security was handled by Libyan nationals, not Marines, and that the two Marines who were killed were sent over from another location when the trouble began.
I also heard a report that ‘Libyan officials’ moved consulate staff to a nearby building for safety reasons and then told the protesters where to find them.
I’d like to know if the Libyan national security personnel and the ‘Libyan officials’ were coordinating the killings or even one and the same.
Romney’s sleazy move? Was Romney on Letterman last night too?
It’s times like this we need a President.
The US embassy in Libya was previously evacuated of most personnel.
1) Why?
2) What advanced notice were they given and when?
3) Given the advanced warning they clearly considered the intelligence serious enough to evacuate personnel prior to the event, why weren’t a full compliment of Marines stationed at the embassy loaded for bear in light of that intell given their pulling out of embassy staff?
4) What did Obama know and when did he know it?
5) If Obama hadn’t received a briefing in a week, who made that fatal decision to keep Obama out of the loop? President Obama, Jacob Lew (Chief of Staff) or Valerie Jarrett (Senior Advisor)?
6) Since intelligence was clearly known of the attack before hand as evidenced by the evacuation of the US Embassy staff, what was the purpose in allowing it to happen anyway instead of disrupting it?
Questions someone should be asking, never mind the MSM who aren’t interested in ferreting out the facts if they get in the way of the narrative.
MSM cannot understand that there is a political challenge to their messiah and it annoys them.
That press conference by romney was very impressive. The biased reporters were obviously trying to make him the issue, rather than the gross imcompetance of obamas state dept, but romney gave very clear and sensible answers, kept his col and more than held his own. It is especially impressive in contrast to Obama, who has taken no questions on the embassy attacks at all.
I love it when the one reporter used the tired “some people say xxx” ploy to inject her own bias into the question. When you have a real source you quote it, when you say “some people”, it is to disguise a comment that repeats your own bias.
My God. The media in America is 100% fully in the tank for Obama.
I never used to believe my conservative friends that there was a liberal bias. Not only is there a liberal bias, these MSM are openly coordinating against Romney.
This isn’t bias, these MSM are just unpaid staff for Obama’s campaign. Absolutely disgusting. Will never trust another damn word of any of these MSM scumbags again.
Alex, you are wrong (j/k, read on). The MSM are not unpaid staff for Obama’s campaign. They are paid with access to Obama and administration officials, access that translates into ad money via unique hits, copies sold, TV ratings, etc., plus there is a virtual revolving door of former MSMers going to work for the Obama administration.
The one-time concrete wall between media and the Democrat Party turned to glass, then to Saran Wrap, and has now completely disappeared.
[...] Our ambassador’s body was dragged through the street and the media cares more about protecting Obama. [...]
When is anyone in the media ever going to ask this POS, I mean POTUS a real F-In Question? I have a BHO headache and the diagnosis is it will linger for a while, but should clear up around November 6th!
[...] And the band plays on. Posted in Media Malpractice, Politics , Barack Obama, Benghazi, Cairo, Chris Stevens, Mitt Romney, Sean Smith | No Comments » [...]
Someone over at Right Scoop called these so-called journalist/reporters “presstitutes” – good description.
This blog fits with the other blog about Hollywood. Regardless of what some of the press said, the killers said they attacked because they didn’t like our movies.
[...] Questions Her Favorite Sex Object Posted on September 12, 2012 7:30 pm by Bill Quick » Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama – Le… AND, looks like has-been Peggy Noonan is trying to form a circular firing squad. I’ve always [...]
Peggy…FYI, Ronaldus Magnus(for whom you worked)is reaching down from On High and slappin’ the snot outta ya. Shameless is what you are.
William A. Jacobson: Dead Ambassador dragged through streets
Turns out that Muslim people were trying to save the ambassador.
Allahu Akbar means God is Great!
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3b4_1347839892