Just hours after the two attacks on American Embassies in Libya and Egypt, Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney went to work criticizing the Obama Administration, calling their response to the embassy attacks "disgraceful." The President's spokesperson Ben LaBolt said that the administration was ""shocked that, at a time when the United States of America is confronting the tragic death of one of our diplomatic officers in Libya, Gov. Romney would choose to launch a political attack."
The President spoke at the Rose Garden at the White House along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday Morning, and was broadcast on networks like NBC.
Protesters scaled the wall of the United States embassy and attacked, killing Chris Stephens, the US Ambassador to Libya. as well as three other American staff members including Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith. The attacks were based upon a film released by a filmmaker in California that was very critical of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, calling him a child molester among other things. While countries that restrict the opinions of dissenters may disagree with Geert Wilders film, called "Fitna," that is the exact definition of free speech - to allow anyone to voice whatever opinion they want without reprisal.
The US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, was the cause of Romney's consternation. They released a statement that basically said that they didn't agree with infringing on the beliefs of other religions. "Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy," the statement said. "We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a similar statement.
But Mitt Romney was quick to call out the Obama Administration for this statement, saying that they had their priorities in the wrong place. "It's disgraceful that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks." This is just a ridiculous excuse to try to sway a few voters, since the President was just being cautious, and did not even learn of the death of Stephens until Wednesday morning.
It is clear that Mitt Romney is using the tragic death of four Americans to further his own political agenda, and while the attacks should never have happened, those who are running for office should not be using a tragedy like this to get a few votes.
No one can ignore the coincidence that these embassy attacks were conducted on September 11th, eleven years after the World Trade Center attacks.
Gabriel Legend covers a wide range of breaking news for Gather. He writes fiction as well, with his first novel coming out in 2013. You can follow on Twitter at @GabrielLegend1 or contact him directly here.
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Comments: 44
What does Romney, and what do his supporters, want to do? Bomb Egypt and Libya?
In other words, the fact that we breathe or that the sun also shines on us is an outrage to many in the middle east (the only one some need) and no apology or any amount of egg walking will keep that kind of Muslim from doing what he/she is gonna do in any case.
I support Romney ...
And my opinion is there is no need for bombing either of those countries but I think a significant decrease (if not a full stop) in the amount of money we give to both should most definitely be top priority. Followed by serious discussions about closing the embassies in one or both, as well as tracking down and ending those who planned and carried this out.
In other words, putting it as nicely as I can ... screw their greivances and let the first words spoken officially give them something worse to think about - like the wrath of an offended, outraged and fed up US citizenry (if not her POTUS's).
Chris Wiegard Sep 12, 2012, 1:21pm EDT
They did not agree with the murderers. they merely criticized the filmmaker whose work was sure to stimulate violent protests against US embassy staff.
Not anywhere but in the panic stricken minds of the rightwingnuts.
Mitt Romney is not the POTUS nor even a member of the current or past administration and therefore is not in a position to know what is going on behind the scenes. He has neither diplomatic nor commander in chief experience in such matters. Washington, Libbya and Egypt are without a doubt, all three in continued conference and political negotiations concerning the attacks on our Diplomatic Embassies in those countries by radical Islamic extemist.
Fortunately for all concerned, It has been reported on PBS (noon news) that many Republicans politicians have disavowed Gov. Romney's statement and charges, as being wrong headed and ill advised to have ever been spoken. Therefore, it would seem that even those of the RNC believe that Gov. Romney overstepped his bounds as a presidential candidate in responding verbally in the negative as to how the President was/is handling the existing volatile situation.
The PBS station which I was listening to also reported that the US drone system is being employed to bring the Islamist group involved in the attack, to full account and justice. The report also noted that the new Libyian government was not only cooperating, but assisting American forces in the endeavor. The report went on to say that both the Libbyian and Egyptian governments have sent their apologies to the Unted States.
Then come November 7th when the floors are being swept at the Republican campaign headquarters Limpbaugh and his Randroid followers will be calling Romney a RINOS, too.
What they can't face up to is the fact that ordinary people don't want any part of their extraordinarily heartless brand of political exclusionaryism.
What they can't face up to is the fact that ordinary people don't want any part of their extraordinarily heartless brand of political exclusionaryism.
So very very true.
Thank you for the words of nerve settling encouragement as to what you are privy to.
As has become the normal responses by conservatives, they immediately want to threaten aggressive retaliation against Muslim extremist when these types of issues arises in the middle east. When no such aggression is quickly ordered by the president, they want to claim tht the president is weak on foreign policy.
At sometime during the G.W. Bush Jr. era, the conservatives lost the words negoitate, diplomacy and resolve, from their vocabulary and replaced them with the ridiculous combined words of, Cheney-Wariteist.
New Day - Cheers
Pastor Terry Jones is of course far more of an ass. When God chooses to take him off this mortal coil, I won't regret it. I don't care if he goes to heaven or hell, I just don't like troublemakers like him hanging around here. When he opens his mouth, people die, and he does not care.
It would seem that Mitt Romney is quickly becoming his own worst enemy.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2012/sep/12/romney-says-us-embassy-statement-was-apology-was-i/
I don't give a rat's ass what communication experts think, I care what I feel when our president apologizes for our country...again.
Damn right.
It would seem that because of your deeply biased dislike for President Obama, you have trouble seeing the reality of the situation. It's good that you have involved yourself in American politics. It's also to your credit that you have chosen to support a candidate who best represents your political and personal ideology. But, in all honesty, it seems less than normal in thinking to let your overzealous support for that candidate overshadow your adult reasoning. Especially when it leads you to believe false assumptions and accusations espoused by that candidate. You should remember, nothing is absolutely a black or white question, there are always gray areas in all issues and events.
Neither your chosen candidate nor mine, is infallable, both are humans under stress and therefore are prone to make errors in judgement and mistakes in actions. This was one of those times when Mr. Romney made a quick judgement to act, without first knowing all the true facts of the situation. It was his error, made because he was seeking to obtain a political one-ups-manship, on the president, a move which backfired and now he can not be defended for thar error.
I fully realize that you are not about to accept my understanding of what happened, therefore I want state such. Instead, I will advise you to view the latest news reports on what actually transpired. Take your pick, CNN ABC CBS FOX PBS RTN CCN BBC C-SPAN CURRENT, each of these networks are reporting that Mr. Romney was totally wrong in his accusations that President Obama was making some sort of an apology to a foreign government(s) or terrorist.
It is also being reported that many Republican Senators, Representatives and other past and present Republican politicians and leaders have openly admonished Mr. Romney for his untimely and incorrect statements.
Yeah, and in 2009 they said Sarah Palin made the Lie of the Year by claiming Obamacare would have death panels.
They were right then and they are right now.