In the New York Post today, I write about the astonishing spectacle of the mainstream media and the foreign-policy establishment waxing wroth at Mitt Romney for daring to describe the statement from the Cairo embassy expressing sympathy for the expression of offense by Egyptian radicals at the gates as having been issued by “the Obama administration.” It was, in fact, its “first response,” as the statement opened with the words “the Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.”
This was, the enraged managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine said on Twitter last night, a “disgusting response, and most sane people have rightly condemned it.” (italics added)
Foreign Policy‘s man—half-shrink, half Savonarola—was crystallizing the general attitude being expressed all day yesterday on Twitter, on chat shows, in blog posts, and in articles. That attitude hardened, deepened, and became conventional wisdom literally before our eyes. It was not just that Romney had erred in making a statement too hastily, before the facts were in; it was not just that Romney had behaved in a politically opportunistic fashion; it was not just that Romney had sought political advantage on 9/11 when he and Obama had supposedly promised not to do politics (a useful corrective to this fantasy can be found here by Steve Hayes); it was not just that it was illegitimate for Romney to criticize Obama in the midst of a foreign crisis; it was that the very view he was expressing was itself illegitimate.
It was, in other words, illegitimate to say that the official statement released by Obama’s mission to Egypt was not to be taken as an expression of the view of the Obama administration, especially since it was echoed in later tweets and in a statement by Hillary Clinton. The line yesterday was that since the statement had been disavowed, Romney had been dishonest by “doubling down” on his view in a press conference. But that disavowal was political, not ideological. It is the gospel of the foreign-policy establishment that the rages of Islamic radicals are to be understood and the views of anti-Islamic radicals are to be apologized for by people who are not responsible for them and a nation that did not disseminate them and therefore are neither responsible for nor the appropriate deliverers of an apology. And the Obama administration represents the distillation of the current foreign-policy establishment view.
Romney can be criticized for attacking it. Romney can be criticized for what he said, for his wording, for his ideas. He can be faulted for his timing—although such criticism is really only about style and political smarts, not substance. But the onslaught yesterday wasn’t about that. What Mark Halperin calls “the gang of 500″—the world of conventional opinion—was saying one thing and one thing only to Mitt Romney, and that was: You are not to speak.
Another bit about media bias. If Romney, rather than Obama, had just said that Egypt is not an ally of the U.S., he'd be pilloried. They are a major non-NATO ally, and Obama is in direct contradiction with American law by claiming they're not. n nOf course, Obama is free to express his own opinion, rather than official U.S. policy. So what's the capital of Israel?
The capital of Israel? Jerusalem. But the US embassy? In Tel Aviv. And both GOP and Dem presidents have kept it there. Why doesn't Romney pledge to move the embassy to Jerusalem? Bet he won't! (Of course, this is subject to change depending on the depth of Adelson's pockets and how desperate Romney gets.)
And why won't the State Department, or the White House Press Secretary, admit that the capital is in Jerusalem, regardless of where the US embassy is? And why has the administration scrubbed the from government web sites any mention that Jerusalem is even in Israel, let alone its capital? n nI'm sure POTUS is keeping you and your colleagues in the Ministry of Truth very busy these days, Winston. n nOops, I meant Hillel.
Obama lost Egypt.
Romney merely points out the emptiness of Obama’s' policies foreign, domestic and economic. The emperor has no clothes and the 500 are just as exposed. The MSM of its day as well as the establishment pundits blindly supported PM Neville Chamberlain until they threw him, Joseph Kennedy, Charles Lindberg overboard as if his naivety and the MSM ignorance were not tied together and equally responsible for the tragedy of WWII.
The Foreign Policiy editor is not enraged, he is deranged, more like Julius Streicher , the founder and publisher of Der Stürmer. I hope he meets the same fate.
You got it bass ackwards John,if Romney stopped saying the stupid things he says all the time,what would the gang of 500 have to bray about all day long. Romney's their meal ticket.
Do you honestly think that if he had waited 12 hours and made the same statement, it would have made any difference to the MSM (He politicized a traaaaagedy!!)? Or if he had said nothing at all (He doesn't caaaare!!)? Romney didn't say word one about Afghanistan at the convention and he was criticized for it. Anything he says or does, or doesn't say or do, is going to be twisted, blown out of proportion and/or outright mocked. n nBecause, shut-up. Also, racist.
As one of many in my generation who were glued to their televisions during the Watergate hearings, I often reflect on the long term impact not only of the substance of the hearings but of their popularization–first by real-time television coverage then in film.
A comment on what you refer to as "mainstream media:" Völkischer Beobachter was quite mainstream in Nazi Germany
I see a lot of comparisons of America in 2012 to Nazi Germany,but exclusivly at Contentions.
Then you didn't watch the DNC – you jackass. The Dem chairman of Florida and California both had to be sent to the woodshed. Then there was also the Dem state rep from North Carolina who called Ryan Goebbles. But, other than that you are right on point. n nWhat is awesome is that in their failing attempt to drag Obama over the finish line the MSM is showing more and more people why they should be ignored. Just like you are showing that Obama supporters are ignorant losers. n nThe wheels are coming off Obama's policies and those with eyes are there to see it. Obama and his supporters were just crowing about how he ended Al Queda. Well, turns out this is just another broken Obama promise. We were promised that the Muslim Brotherhood were a reasonable and moderating group. Nope. Try and distract by claiming that Romney had poor timing or other such nonsence. You are a loser and so is your candidate and eventaully reality overwhelms your ability to throw tanturms, call people racist, or otherwise act like the children you are.
The excoriation of Romney was utterly absurd — this falls directly at President Obama's feet. The American people are not fools, but the media persists in treating us as such.
If the American people are not fools, Obama will not be reelected. We will see. I'm beginning to have my doubts.
We have our share and we unfortunately have given too many of them positions in our schools and media but that is changing. Reality has a way of overwhleming the empty fin of the corrupt chattering class eventually.
For an alternate position check out "The Dunciad" by Alexander Pope or "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. Those 18th century scribblers were quite hardcore in their pessimism.
Podhoretz, ''waxing wroth?'' Last time I've seen or heard that phrase used was in, I believe, the Marx Brothers film ''Duck Soup,'' wherein Groucho says: ''You waxed wroth? How about waxing me.''
Funny, I thought it was in Horse Feathers: "The Dean is waxing wroth." "Really? Well tell Roth to wax the Dean for a while."
Seriously, this amounts to ginning up criticism of Romney for underestimating the Obama Administration's incompetence and then using that as a reason to ignore Obama's incompetence. It is rather bizarre and can only be a reflection of the lengths the media will go to protect their man. At this moment they are trying to figure out how to blame Romney for the fact that Obama lost Egypt as an ally as he admitted yesterday.
I hope Romney figures out all the places he has to clean house. We already know the Justice Department has to be cleared out and, apparently, State isn't that far behind. Having followed this stuff for years, it's unusual for an embassy to take it on its own to make statements like that. The fact that they did would indicate that there were lax policies in place. I notice Hillary tightened things up by saying no social media, but the damage had already been done. n nIt will be a pleasure to have competent people back in place next year.
I hope he gets the opportunity to do it.
You ought to get out more.
Don't encourage him to go where he can do more harm.
The administration and the mass media want to shut the political discourse and protect the inept policy of this administration. The mass media are guilty for misrepresenting the facts. Tks "G-D" they are becoming very quickly IRRELEVANT. nAs far as Jerusalem in concerned, oil is too important to the State Dept who has been antisemitic from day I and remains antisemitic. They have a huge contract with SA. nAmerican students are poor in history and geography.
Remember the 2008 campaign, when Obama's lawyers threatened to seek license revocation and possible criminal charges against broadcasters who dared to run ads that publicizing his postions and past votes? That sure gave us all something to look forward to.
All dissent from administration policy is to be delegitimized by the press. This started with Sarah Palin, and many conservatives and Republicans let it happen or piled on instead of defending her. Now they are even going after Mr. Milquetoast. Soon even the mildest of remonstrations with be met with a deafening roar of faux outrage, unless we start to stand up for ourselves and punching back.