Ft. Hood: Obama's 'flippant' speech
Conservatives say Obama's first words on the Fort Hood rampage lacked gravity. Fair assessment or expedient attack?
President Obama's reaction to the Fort Hood shootings has provoked controversy.
(Gary Fabiano/Pool/Corbis)
President Obama's first public comments about the Fort Hood killings — appended to a scheduled press conference at the Interior Department on Thursday — have triggered criticism from the right and comparisons to George W. Bush's decision to continue reading "The Pet Goat" to schoolchildren after being alerted that America was under attack on 9/11. Did Obama show poor judgment—or are conservatives protesting too much? (Watch Obama's first public comments about the Fort Hood killings)
Obama's approach was disturbingly flippant: It was surprising to watch the president give a hearty "shout out" to bureaucrats gathered for the conference before shifting into a more appropriate tone, says Linda Chavez in Commentary: "He treated the event like a pep rally, rather than a tragic occasion [for] a wider audience than those gathered in the room." Surely, I'm not the only one reminded of Bush's response to the 9/11 attacks.
"Obama's Pet-Goat moment"
The "Pet Goat" comparison is unfair...to George Bush: "You can debate if Bush should have immediately ran out on the kids and then made his speech," says Paul Cooper at News Real, "but there is no debating the strength of his first public words on the incident." Bush got right to the point, saying: "Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended."
"Obama's Ft. Hood reaction is far worse than the left's smear of Bush's 'pet goat' moment"
The comparison is strained at best: Likening this to Bush's "Pet Goat" moment "seems like a stretch," says Dan Amira at New York Magazine. "The 9/11 attacks were an ongoing threat, and required immediate action from the president to coordinate a military response. Every second he continued to read to children was a second without a commander-in-chief." By the time Obama spoke, the Fort Hood gunman had been neutralized. Obama's "offense [is] not much more than a failure of decorum."
"Was yesterday Obama's 'Pet Goat' moment?"
It's Obama's critics who are showing disrespect: "Some conservatives are sure searching for a way to turn the shooting at Ford Hood into yet another way to attack Barack Obama," says Ron Chusid at Liberal Values. They fail to grasp "how disrespectful to the troops their sick attempts to play politics with this really are." Shame on them.
"Bizarre attacks on Obama's response to Fort Hood shootings."
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SEE THE WEEK'S FULL COVERAGE OF FORT HOOD:
• Fort Hood: The Al-Qaeda question
• Fort Hood: What the world is saying
• Red flags at Fort Hood
• Sunday Talk Show Briefing: Religion's role in Fort Hood (Video)
• Fort Hood: Crime or terrorism?
• Who is Nidal Hasan: A timeline of the suspect's life
• What Kimberly Munley's heroism means
• Fort Hood: The combat stress debate
• Fort Hood: Breaking opinion
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158 Comments
Posted by libertarian, Saturday, November 7, 2009, 9:42 pm Obama sucks.
Posted by Mary, Saturday, November 7, 2009, 11:04 pm I feel like our president is cold and nonemotional about events that should draw words from his soul....not the teleprompter! I don't expect him to cry or break down....but for God's sake does he even feel the same about this great country as his constituents do? Military men and women lost their lives in Texas on Thursday a great tragedy for their loved ones and for our country does it take a planned, read speech to assure that only the very most precise politically correct words are spoken? They ring cold and empty.
Posted by DancingFeather, Sunday, November 8, 2009, 3:45 am Obama is a muslim in christian clothing. Do I need to say more?
Posted by Alan, Sunday, November 8, 2009, 5:59 am I am surprised that Obama did not make the comment that the law enforcement personnel acted STUPIDLY. Regardless this man that made this attack on innocent people turns out to be a Muslim, a brother to Obama. Remember, he has made the comment that we are not a Christian Nation.
Posted by Tareq, Sunday, November 8, 2009, 7:27 am An act of terrorism is coordinated by a group. This is an individual no different than John Russell or others who committed mass murder in uniforms. The only difference is that he is a Muslim. People are making big deal of this incident. I guess they want to say Muslims should not do this but its ok if you were a Christian or else!! Multiple shooting incidents are not uncommon in the United States. Fort Hood personnel have accounted for more suicides than any other Army post since the U.S invasion of Iraq in 2003, with 75 tallied this year
Posted by Dale, Sunday, November 8, 2009, 7:36 am The President himself acted stupidly. Why don't we just pour a cold one, and forget it?
Posted by Dave, Sunday, November 8, 2009, 8:35 am He gave a pretty good speech when you consider inside he was giddy with joy and wanted to cheer knowing one of his Muslim brothers took down so many real Americans.
Posted by Larry R Jackson, Sunday, November 8, 2009, 8:52 am When will the Christian Americans realize that there is a very, very bad enemy in the USA. We must rid this country of ALL, ALL muslims. They are a hate filled people and they want to kill ALL, ALL nonmuslims everywhere. Only Jesus Christ Saves You From Going To Hell!...Larry Jackson.
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