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Heart-ache: Even MSNBC finds Obama presser “embarrassing”
Hotair ^ | 09/06/2013 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 09/06/2013 1:26:28 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

This doesn’t come from just any talking-head guest on Barack Obama’s friendliest cable-news channel, either, but from its management. MSNBC.com executive editor Richard Wolffe — who wrote not one but two Obama-friendly books over the last four years — called the President’s performance in the St. Petersburg press conference “actually embarrassing,” and blasted the White House for pushing a dishonest rationale for war (via Mediate and The Corner):

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO

Wolffe began by agreeing with the panel on MSNBC’s Now with Alex Wagner that the “service professionals” quoted in reports strongly questioning whether the administration had a clear and achievable goal in Syria were out of their depth. “I’m afraid we have civilian control of the military for a good reason,” he said.

However, Wolffe clarified that civilians, too, are unconvinced by the case for intervention the president has been making.

“I do think that the president’s press conference today was actually embarrassing,” Wolffe said. “It was as muddled and unconvincing.”

“If you want to take a country to a difficult place which is this authorization for war, you have to be much more clear and convincing about what the rationale is,” he continued. “At the heart of this was the absolute moral outrage of those civilians being gassed in their sleep. That’s it. And this administration cannot seem to stick to that line which is how they got into this position in the first place.”

Both Wagner and Eugene Robinson express considerable skepticism over the strategy of the White House as well. Robinson calls this “dilemma creep,” which he says is even worse than mission creep, and says Obama should stop talking about fixing Syria — which is what John McCain wants — and just deal with deterrence on chemical weapons. Wagner points out, though, that Obama hasn’t even made a case yet for that, not without explaining why the red line was set, explicitly invoking the “responsibility to protect” (which is what created the debacle in Libya), even to the point where military leaders can get on board.

If Obama is this far from making the sale on what has been his most friendly media ground, how much more difficult will it be four days from now, on the anniversaries of 9/11 and Benghazi, when he tries to sell the American public on military intervention that will benefit the terrorists behind both attacks?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: msnbc; obama; presser

1 posted on 09/06/2013 1:26:28 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

...that fact that over 80% of the American public DON’T WANT IT, might have adjusted their opinion too.....


2 posted on 09/06/2013 1:33:00 PM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: SeekAndFind

I remember when the press would be critical of the President if not enough press conferences were given, even stating how many days since the last one, and always with a tone that it had been too long.

However, like the unconcern about a non-balanced budget, no one cares if things are like they were - at least not until the other wing of the uniparty gets elected.

Obama gets affirmative action in press conferences, too, but we see the result of social promotions when the test results are known.


3 posted on 09/06/2013 1:34:22 PM PDT by LachlanMinnesota
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To: SeekAndFind
Wolffe began by agreeing with the panel on MSNBC’s Now with Alex Wagner that the “service professionals” quoted in reports strongly questioning whether the administration had a clear and achievable goal in Syria were out of their depth. “I’m afraid we have civilian control of the military for a good reason,” he said.

No, they were not "out of their depth". They are the ones who will have to fight whatever war Mr. Obama starts, and they know that without clear and achievable goals the entire effort will devolve in to a Cluster Foxtrot.

We DO "have civilian control of the military for a reason", Mr. Wagner, but if the civilian in control can't even describe what he wants done, it puts the military in an impossible situation, and it is well within their "depth" to ask questions.

4 posted on 09/06/2013 1:35:25 PM PDT by WayneS (Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos...)
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To: SeekAndFind
The presser was as if he was not using a teleprompter reading what someone wrote for him to say.

It was off the top of his head using only his own brain power...it was disjointed, confused, unintelligible, nonsensical, repetitive (used proportional 10 times), inconsistent, and basically he didn't answer a single question as he vacuously rambled incoherently.

5 posted on 09/06/2013 1:41:08 PM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: SeekAndFind
If Obama is this far from making the sale on what has been his most friendly media ground, how much more difficult will it be four days from now, on the anniversaries of 9/11 and Benghazi, when he tries to sell the American public on military intervention that will benefit the terrorists behind both attacks?

The public is being asked to choose between (the equivalent of) the Crips and the Bloods... Our answer is 'neither'.

6 posted on 09/06/2013 1:42:25 PM PDT by GOPJ (Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts - Churchill)
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To: SeekAndFind

Lefty media is flexible with its obama cover up, when the communist base here is abandoning him and international communists abroad, along with other despots are boldly making him a laughing stock. The media hears its own cattle call under these less trendy circumstances.

Obama can not recover.


7 posted on 09/06/2013 3:12:41 PM PDT by RitaOK ( VIVA CHRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Obama is going to speak to the nation — next Tuesday.

So, Syria must be a really pressing issue.

[/s]

[Probably couldn’t get a T-time or maybe there is rain in the forecast.]


8 posted on 09/06/2013 3:24:27 PM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: 1Old Pro

It was off the top of his head using only his own brain power...it was disjointed, confused, unintelligible, nonsensical, repetitive (used proportional 10 times), inconsistent, and basically he didn't answer a single question as he vacuously rambled incoherently.

9 posted on 09/06/2013 4:02:09 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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