Obama's Reaction to Fort Hood Shootings

chefmom · 11-07-2009, 07:12 AM

Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting | NBC Chicago

I watched his press conference and was stunned at the level of his insensitivity - I'm glad someone in the press took notice of this.

Hunt · 11-07-2009, 09:07 AM

I find it grotesque how the right wing is trying to exploit this horrific crime to attack Obama. They should be ashamed, but I doubt if they are capable of feeling shame at this point.

blankmind · 11-07-2009, 09:20 AM

I'm sorry Hunt, but that speech was just all kinds of wrong. Imagine how you would feel listening to this if you were the family of one of the victims. I thought the right wing was supposed to be the insensitive ones.

But is that link actually to an NBC affiliate? Are they now allowed to criticize Obama?

Av8r · 11-07-2009, 09:30 AM

Do you also find it grotesque how the left exploited the videotaped reaction of pres Bush after 9/11? They mocked him because he was silent, and thought or prayed for several minutes before doing anything, and they used it over and over again to make him look stupid (apparently he should have been barking out orders-send in the Marines, deploy the Army). Did you even think about that as exploitation, or were you just horrified by Bush's immediate inaction?

Say what you want about either president, but one actually visited and cried with the parents of soldiers who were killed, and the other only has a photo op with their coffins. One would go on camera with a rather jumbled speech that often came out poorly, but whose speech was spontaneous and came right from the heart. The other reads his prepared notes with no emotion except for the slight annoyance that his original speech has been disrupted.

I don't know if the personal trait of caring for people will make a better president or not, history will tell. But I do know it makes for a better man.

Pizzagirl · 11-07-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

But is that link actually to an NBC affiliate? Are they now allowed to criticize Obama?

What kind of nonsense is this?

Pizzagirl · 11-07-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

find it grotesque how the right wing is trying to exploit this horrific crime to attack Obama. They should be ashamed, but I doubt if they are capable of feeling shame at this point.

Totally with you. There is nothing Obama could have said or done in reaction to the Fort Hood shootings that would please the right. If he's unemotional, he's a cold-hearted b-tard who's probably secretly glad for his Muslim compatriot. If he's emotional, he's just a wimpy girly-man who doesn't have the cojones to run the country. It's pathetic. If he greets the coffins of those killed overseas, he's making a political ploy. If he doesn't pay his respects to them, it's more evidence that he doesn't care about our men and women in uniform. Their "reactions" are knee-jerk.

Look, both GWB and Obama are people. They have wives and family members they love. They are both undoubtedly both personally affected by meeting families and knowing that they have the awesome responsibility of deploying our young men and women to dangerous situations. To try to make it a one-up situation as to who "cares more" is pointless and pathetic.

BTW, I always felt that the condemnation of GWB for sitting in the classroom for a few minutes after 9/11 was overdone, as well, and I never took part in it.

blankmind · 11-07-2009, 10:08 AM

Sorry to offend you Pizzagirl, I was just joking around, playing off the often repeated claim that msm is soft on Obama and all. Well...actually...I believe they have been soft on Obama, so I was surprised to see a criticism on an NBC affiliate, so I made a comment. Oh hell, I believe what I said, I take back my apology!

ELY · 11-07-2009, 10:15 AM

Thank you, Hunt & Pizzagirl. I was at a loss of how/weather to respond to this ridiculously petty blogger, Mr George. You've both done it eloquently!

jazzymom · 11-07-2009, 10:44 AM

This criticism is extremely petty. And I agree with PG that attacks on Bush for continuing to read to kids after the 9-11 attacks were similarly petty.

I would have preferred it if Obama had said "welcome" and then gone immediately to comment on Fort Hood, but it is not such a huge deal that the welcome went on a bit too long before getting to his statment on the shootings.

To call it "frightening insensivity" is just silly hyperbole.

The commentator does not appear to be an employee of an NBC affiliate, but rather a conservative blogger. One of his other columns is titled, "Throw the Dem Bums Out," so let's consider the source here.

hellojan · 11-07-2009, 11:08 AM

First of all, the article is a poorly written op-ed that's linked from a blog. So, it's not, by any stretch of the imagination, to be considered news.

Seondly, he calls it horrific violence, offers his thoughts and prayers, and mandates that flags go to half-mast. He calls all soldiers "selfless and courageous" and our bravest Americans. I'm not sure what some of you are angry about. I mean, besides the fact that he's black, well-educated, and brilliant.

Av8r · 11-07-2009, 11:09 AM

The problem is-being super partisan on either side-makes you blind. I see it in my family (from the most liberal left wingnuts to the far right wackos, as I say with all affection) and it completely pervades our society. Though I'm convinced we all want the same outcome. I'm guilty of it too, but at least I'm still trying to be objective. When your side does something, it's always right and if they screw something up, then what's the big deal, what an overreaction. When the other side does the exact same thing--how terrible, they're wrong, I can't believe they did that. It would be amusing if it wasn't so sad.

Obviously it is unneccessary to make a big deal about one more speech. But obviously it was an poorly planned insensitive entry to the speech. I sincerely doubt people are angy about Obama being black, well-educated and brilliant. I'm sure they would find a million things wrong if the Repulican candidate had been Michael Steele, Condoleezza (that's a tough one) Rice, or Colin Powell. My point being--it invalidates one's entire argument when they throw in extreme and hyper partisan comments. On both sides.

hellojan · 11-07-2009, 11:22 AM

Av8r, I should've added a winking emoticon after the last sentence of my previous post!

I had great sociology professor who once started a political debate just to watch the room heat up. Then, he made this pronouncement:

"People on the right of the political spectrum: you're nuts."

[Laughter.]

"People on the left: you're nuts."

[Silence.]

That was pretty much the end of our class time. I thought long and hard about it. It's funny, it takes almost no investment of thought to blindly follow one side or the other. But, doing exactly that is a tough habit to break. Both MSNBC and Fox News are marching off a journalistic cliff.

Hunt · 11-07-2009, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Do you also find it grotesque how the left exploited the videotaped reaction of pres Bush after 9/11?

Yes, I did. I was also taught, as a child, that two wrongs don't make a right. Did you ever hear that one?

Schmaltz · 11-07-2009, 12:11 PM

Obama's lighthearted attitude was predictable. They were just soldiers, and probably none of them even had an Ivy League degree. To him it was about as serious a situation as when he swatted the fly.

Av8r · 11-07-2009, 12:13 PM

Yep, Hunt, I heard that one a couple of times. Now if only we could all adhere to that principle-but we are far too controlled by our biases, we can't even see it anymore. I include myself in that. (I'd put one of those yellow smiley faces on but I'm so computer illiterate I don't know how to do it)!

Exactly what I thought too, Schmaltz. That's why it didn't really bother me at all. Though you must give him credit, that was very impressive getting that fly. Most of us don't have such quick reflexes.