Althouse: "When four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal... The government is a big operation and [at] any given time something screws up."

October 18, 2012

"When four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal... The government is a big operation and [at] any given time something screws up."

Obama, on "The Daily Show."

232 comments:

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kurt mueller said...: Obama described the beheading of Richard Pearl as "a moment that captured the world's imagination." So give him credit -- at least he wasn't inspired by these deaths.; 10/19/12, 12:11 AM
Kansas City said...: Obama was good too. Very subjective, but I would say Romney was better. There is something about Obama that even when he telling a joke, he does not seem to be lighthearted about it. Very possibly just in my mind.

One serious observation is that Obama's jokes about Biden and the first debate re-enforce the perceptions that Obama was beaten badly and Biden is an obnoxious fool. That can't be good. And it shows how dems sufferred from each of the first two debates. Even on the third, because it produced post debate discussion on Libya, it probably hurt Obama.; 10/19/12, 12:27 AM
Kansas City said...: MSNBC is never honest and always biased, but here, I thought Romney came very close to the line on a number of ocassions. But I always thought he pulled back, or included self deprecation, and he ended so graciously that it worked.; 10/19/12, 12:29 AM
Wesley M. said...: Between "It's not optimal" and "You didn't build that," it's like we're all watching an endless director's cut of Barack Obama and the Deathly Pronouns...; 10/19/12, 12:34 AM
Cosmic Conservative said...: In the final post-mortems of the Obama campaign, will this be remembered as Obama's "jump the shark" moment?

I mean think about the absolute lack of regard for the feelings of the families of the victims. How can anyone, much less the President of the United States, say something so incredibly hurtful and insensitive?; 10/19/12, 12:43 AM
bagoh20 said...: Poor Biden took a beating from all sides, and Obama was harder on him than Romney.

Romney was really not pulling many punches, but watching MSNBC cry about poor Obama being insulted by Romney is just more of the same codling that only makes him look weak and not up to the job. The press's help is starting to be a negative for Obama.

I thought Obama looked great at the dinner, not as funny, but still good-natured. After watching MSNBC shed tears about Romney making fun of him, I just felt disgust, and it transfers to the President. Tell them to stop helping you.; 10/19/12, 12:44 AM
cold pizza said...: Wesley M.
Bravo! -CP; 10/19/12, 12:44 AM
bagoh20 said...: Watch this and see your vote get buried by ignorance.

http://youtu.be/A2EoZq2rXXI?t=26s; 10/19/12, 1:13 AM
Dante said...: "Not optimal"

And this lightweight was still today talking about "binders".

Sorry, I can't accept this reasoning.

There are many good reasons to kick this guy out of office. He cared more about "Fairness" than the economy when the economy is what allows his "Fairness" to exist, but the economy was in the toilet (ObamaCare).

Every race he won, he used the system to get a leg up, including the damage he caused to Jack and Jeri Ryan's kid.

He consorted with a now felon for personal gain, obviously on the backs of the blacks he purports to care for.

His orientation as a person who made a career out of race-baiting, as evinced by damaging the US government for cheers when it would not advance his prospects. He explained how racist the US government was, even though he voted for the racism he descried. New Orleans.

He destroyed people close to him, who cared for him, perhaps the most despicable act.

He has abused the power of the executive branch by not enforcing laws that Congress has passed, or denying the power to enforce them by executive fiat.

He wants to increase the cost of energy: how can that be good for US Manufacturing?

He wants to increase the cost of oil: how can that be good for citizens?

He sacrifices American Ideals at the alter of his political expediency (recent issues in the ME).

I see little value in this person, unless you think he is going to give you a new phone.

But I will not sacrifice my logic because he is a class A bastard.

There are different roles in the world. Sometimes you want to do good, and that means you reach out to women's groups, etc., to find the right people. Perhaps to you they are resumes in a binder. But you are trying to be fair.

When it comes to a man running the country, with all its complex dimensions, I can understand that one of its functions isn't operating as it ought, and characterizing that as not optimal.

It isn't optimal, for sure. It's merely the context of the things the man is thinking about.

Frankly, I would rather have a president thinking this way than every life must be explained. Talk to me about the bigger things, like how are you going to deal with the radical Islamists in the long term? What's the plan?

It seems that Romney's plan is to jettison the ME by making NA energy independent. I like that, though it is a manage the decline approach, and leave dying Europe in the cold. At least the French deserve it.; 10/19/12, 2:47 AM
MayBee said...: Obama:And you know whatever else I have done throughout the course of my presidency, one thing that I've been absolutely clear about is America's security comes first and the American people need to know exactly how I make decisions when it comes to war, peace, national security and protecting Americans. And they will continue to get that over the next four years of my presidency."

Isn't that ironic, coming from the man who is going on his sixth week of completely obfuscating what happened in Benghazi.
We "need to know" how he makes decisions....but he won't tell us.; 10/19/12, 2:54 AM
Tim said...: Everything about this president is not optimal.; 10/19/12, 2:59 AM
MayBee said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/19/12, 3:49 AM
Toad Trend said...: I just love telling people I saw this coming back in 2008.

The Peter Principle, personified.

Affirmative action on steroids.

When you hire a dummy to do a serious job, this is what happens.

Unfortunately, the sheeple will vote for him. Dumb, shorn sheeple.; 10/19/12, 5:32 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: Two thoughts from me:

One, Obama should golf more with lefty media people. They'd easily give him at least a mulligan per hole.

Two, Obama's full response to Stewart's question could've come directly from an antagonist in an Ayn Rand book.; 10/19/12, 6:02 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Frankly, I would rather have a president thinking this way than every life must be explained. Talk to me about the bigger things, like how are you going to deal with the radical Islamists in the long term?

But not only did he talk like an android or sociopath about the four people who died, who had families who loved them etc, he also did not acknowledge the "bigger things" fact that our ambassador was assassinated. Wars have been started over less and he's all, "Meh."; 10/19/12, 7:04 AM
Icepick said...: MSNBC thinks Romney was over the line. They were very uncomfortable. He's a meanie.

You know I hear he once cut someone's hair! He's like professional bad-guy wrestler mean!; 10/19/12, 7:06 AM
Michael K said...: "He destroyed people close to him, who cared for him, perhaps the most despicable act."

This is where he resembles the Clintons. I remember reading that they went through people's lives like a tornado. People ended up in prison and some will this time when Obama is gone, unless he pardons them which will be almost as bed.

What is it about Democrats ? Reagan's Labor Secretary, Scooter Libby and the White House travel office.; 10/19/12, 7:41 AM
Brian Brown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/19/12, 7:57 AM
Brian Brown said...: Hey, you want to make an omelet, you gotta break a few eggs, right?; 10/19/12, 7:57 AM
David said...: Jane said...
"Can someone please explain to me what the big deal with Romney's "binders" comment?"

Jane, it's funny. It was a strange way of saying what he meant and the strangeness makes me (at least) chuckle. It will have no impact other than on the already convinced, and it would be a terrible mistake for Romney or his supporters to take the binder attacks seriously.; 10/19/12, 7:57 AM
Texan99 said...: I would offer something in the President's defense, though Heaven knows I'm not generally inclined to defend him. Jon Stewart was being snarkily understated and ironic by leading into his question about why the President lied through his teeth, and the way he put it was, "Even you would admit that the communication was not optimal." Obama probably was trying to drape the flag around himself a bit and even admonish Jon Stewart by wrenching the subject back to the four victims -- as if to say it was petty to worry about his mere lying when four men were dead. But the way he did it was to say the deaths themselves were not optimal. If he had a surer touch, he'd have said, "The communication wasn't optimal? The deaths weren't optimal! All this talk about what's optimal and what's not optimal is bloodless and unsympathetic. We're talking about four American citizens whose deaths overseas in my service is a very great weight on my heart." But that's not Obama's style.; 10/19/12, 8:32 AM
Rick67 said...: Just another screw up. Wow.

And how will context help this in any way?; 10/19/12, 8:39 AM
Mark said...: Aimed for hip. Hit crass and callous.; 10/19/12, 9:07 AM
Toad Trend said...: This is what a pop culture president looks like.; 10/19/12, 9:15 AM
Caroline said...: "The government is a big operation and at any given time something screws up."

So in other words Mr. President, your response to your administration's failure in Libya , that resulted in the deaths of four men, is "shit happens".

An attitude that perfectly reflects the mindset of someone who spent his formative years stoned.; 10/19/12, 9:15 AM
Leland said...: Can someone please explain to me what the big deal with Romney's "binders" comment?

It is supposedly a suggestion that he's out of touch with today's technology and specifically the youth. Of course, those of us in the business world see nothing to it, since we use binders to store things. But don't you know people have iPads and Facebook these days?

Perhaps when Obama talked about skilled workers, perhaps one of the skills missing is how to make do when you don't have an electrical outlet or internet.; 10/19/12, 10:16 AM
furious_a said...: Depends on what the meaning of "it" is.; 10/19/12, 10:32 AM
Methadras said...: bagoh20 said...

Watch this and see your vote get buried by ignorance.

http://youtu.be/A2EoZq2rXXI?t=26s

It's made worse by a media that is deliberately running flak for Urkel. It's an onion of deception, not to mention this is your typical leftard voter. Uninformed, ill-informed, and ignorant. PARTY ON, DEMOCRATS!!!; 10/19/12, 11:34 AM
bob said...: let's be fair to the president. he meant to say it was not optimal since none of the four were on his kill list.; 10/19/12, 12:00 PM
Cosmic Conservative said...: What cracks me up about Obama's gaffe here is that Stewart was desperately trying to lob him a nerf ball so that he could lay the groundwork for the narrative he will use in the upcoming foreign policy debate. Stewart clearly thought he was giving Obama an opportunity to head Romney off at the pass on this issue.

And instead Obama did what he always does by accident. He revealed his true thoughts about the loss of four human lives due to his own incompetence.

When Obama said it wasn't "optimal" he didn't mean for the dead men of their families. He meant it wasn't "optimal" for his re-election chances. Because with Obama it is ALWAYS about Obama.; 10/19/12, 12:05 PM
Matt said...: Obama: "The government is a big operation and at any given time something screws up."

So, the federal government is not too big to fail; it is too big to succeed.; 10/19/12, 2:24 PM
Methadras said...: I heard it through the special forces grapevine today that the attack in libya might have been a kidnapping attempt gone wrong.; 10/19/12, 4:36 PM