The US Ambassador to Libya and three other diplomats were killed last night during a mob attack on the embassy in Benghazi. The embassy in Cairo was also attacked. Both riots were over 9/11 and a stupid amateurish movie trailer produced by an Israeli Jew living in the US who holds the subtle, thoughtful position that “Islam is a cancer”. The movie portrays Mohammed as a philanderer who approved of child sexual abuse.
Before any of the violence occurred in Cairo or Benghazi, the US embassy in Cairo issued a statement condemning the film saying, in part, “we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions”. After the attack, the Obama Administration issued a statement condemning the attacks. Here’s the GOP response:
That tweet was after the Romney campaign issued a statement saying that the Obama Administration’s first response was to “sympathize with the attackers”. The statement also criticized the Cairo embassy’s efforts before the riots to defuse the crisis by using Twitter to emphasize the statement.
These assholes just don’t care about the consequences of the lies they tell, if they think it will move Romney in the polls. And, of course, the MSM is going to give them a big old pass. Here’s the Times:
Apparently unaware of the timing of the first embassy statement, the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, put out a statement just before midnight Tuesday […]
“Apparently unaware” my ass.
(via TPM and Kevin Drum)
the Conster
I turned on Mornin’ Ho before I knew anything about anything, and they were all talking about how disgusted they were with Romney. Halperin and Scar weren’t there, so maybe that’s why.
Eric
Mistermix. I think the alternative reading is that the MSM is telling romney to stop bow and to not go there. The “apparently” suggrsts that the MSM accepts the obama timeline and does not bode well for romney to muddy the waters
Just Some Fuckhead
OMG, the tone on both sides!
CarolDuhart2
Just evil. Plain evil. But they’re also delusional. Think about how they are living in the world of 1980, with Obama a Carter and Romney somehow Ronald Reagan. And they think America will turn away from a calm, dignified Obama to a pandering, stupid, heartless Romney just because of 8% unemployment.
Sick, just sick and delusional.
whiskey
One of the guys killed got around on the internet and I’ve gone drinking with him once. Cool dude, left behind a wife and two kids. Hurts to see Republicans instantly politicizing his death.
PeakVT
Here’s a clue, buddy: you’re not helping. Also, too: do shit like your film in Israel next time, okay?
Betty Cracker
I don’t think the Romney campaign’s attempt to make political hay of dead diplomats before the bodies are even cold is going to play too well outside the lunatic base. It looks desperate and calculating. Because it is.
What do y’all think the US response will be?
Nina
This opportunism is really going to bite Romney in the ass, I think. An ambassador is dead. The State Department should feed the press a huge glowing storyline about his life, because the press loves their fallen heroes. Romney is going to come out of this looking like a complete ass to anyone who isn’t a total Fox-head.
debbie
Whether it comes from Islamic fanatics or Republicans, there is nothing more blinding than self-righteousness.
Interesting to see that Rove’s Crossroads saw fit to run negative ads yesterday. So much for their sense of decency.
catclub
Romney’s first impulse is to politicize it, and to lie about what happened.
I only wish that, instead of saying “We are shocked that Romney has politicized this”, That the white house would say: “We will never be surprised again when Romney politicizes a tragedy.”
c u n d gulag
The desperate monkey’s are flinging any poo they can find, to see if maybe something will stick.
And if religion is an opiate, when, oh when, will the religious people of this world finally overdose?
Hopefully, before they take us all out with their mass murder-suicides.
Schlemizel
@Nina:
It hasn’t yet why would it start now?
There really is no bottom of the barrel these guys have scraped through and are so far beneath the barrel they can’t even see it any more. Just scum yet they will get nearly 50% of the vote this November and the continued support of their media lackeys.
@PeakVT:
Its people like this that make me question the wisdom of the first amendment. Someone should send him a copy of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and tell him “they believe the it will help their native land by exposing
Islam’sJudaisms flaws to the world.”and add:
“
IslamJudaism is a cancer, period,”But my guess is he would not get the point.
Ella in New Mexico
So, let me get this straight: Netanyahu wants to meet with Obama to pressure him to support Israel’s attacking Iran before our elections because he knows once they’re over he’s got a snowball’s chance in hell of getting anywhere.
Then, completely coincidentally (?) the creator of this “movie” starting all the riots is a Netanyahu-camp Israeli Zionist who is “friends” with Sheldon Adelson–Mitt Romney’s banker– Someone see any connections here?
Narcissus
Andrea Mitchell has been on MSNBC all morning basically saying that the Israeli government is trying to bully Obama into attacking Iran, and that Netanyahu is basically acting as an adjunct to Romney.
So they’re not letting them get away with it completely.
Kirbster
No sympathy for the victims or their families, because Mitt and Priebus are too eager to exploit the tragedy for the Soulless/Heartless 2012 campaign.
PurpleGirl
@PeakVT: I don’t think where he produced the video and uploaded it would matter. It’s the fact that it exists that got the people killed.
How about we deport Bacile’s ass back to Israel… if he’s claiming to be an Israeli Jew maybe that’s where he should be living.
danielx
Every time I see a picture of Reince Priebus, that most useful German word backpfeifengesicht comes to mind.
raven
@danielx: That’s a funny way to spell shit eatin dog fucker.
beltane
Mitt Romney is not only unworthy of ever being CIC, but he is also unworthy of his United States citizenship. He will obviously allow any foreign leader to put his hand up his ass in exchange for campaign contributions. This POS defiles our country just by walking on our soil.
Nemesis
Bibi is trying to influence the American elections. Plus we have dumbass idiot Terry Jones to thank for 4 dead Americans in Lybia. All part of the well-integrated plan to oust Obama.
Bibi just has to, has to I tell ya, raise hell about Iran right now.
And its Bibi you have to thank when you pay 15% more to fill your gas tank today.
Asshole is a neo-con to his core. He doesnt give two shits about democracy or truth or justice. Fuck him in the mouth.
JPL
McCain will probably give a speech today denouncing the administration in order to prove that he’s as a big an ass of Romney and Palin.
Will C
Al Jazeera says it is well known which fortified compound in Benghazi the attackers came from.
Tag it, drop a bomb on it, turn it to dust.
danielx
@raven:
Actually, the translation is “a face that cries out for a fist in it”.
JPL
Palin tweeted this in response to the death of American diplomats.
beltane
@Ella in New Mexico: This is especially disturbing to me because I’m half-Jewish. Why are Netanyahu and his GOP lackeys acting like something out of czarist era antisemitic propaganda? Why? How the f*ck do they think this helps Israel?
CarolDuhart2
@PurpleGirl: And give Hamas his current address. And stand back.
Comrade Mary
@JPL: Some good, public-minded people have died in a horrible way, which means that the usual suspects have gone out of the way to tattoo BEYOND CONTEMPT on their foreheads.
Linda Featheringill
@Ella in New Mexico: #13
The Israeli ruling class is just as capable of being manipulative as those in the UK, and England’s security force has a long history of subtle manipulation. I think the CIA was often jealous of the British machinations.
I have no evidence that all of this uproar and rioting was the work of Israeli leaders. I’m just saying that they have the ability to create such emergencies.
Would Israel’s Mossad, etc. be morally capable of such underhandedness? I don’t know. I’ve spent all my life in the country that supports the CIA. What would the CIA be capable of?
Hal
@Schlemizel:
I could be wrong, but I have the impression the press is starting to take Romney and team to task. Just anecdotal, but following the bump in polls for Obama and this weekends chat roulette for Romney and Ryan, which was not the cake walk I think anyone expected, it’s almost like the press thinks they now have permission to do the job they should have been doing all along.
CarolDuhart2
The Provisional Government of Libya condemns this mess:
beltane
@Nemesis: I agree with everything you wrote and then some. Hey, my Mom is Jewish and she also can’t stand Netanhayu. Shouldn’t the two of us be allowed to vote in Israeli elections to kick this fascist weasel out of power?
f space that
They are smelling 1979 all over again. They are salivating at the chance that things will go bad and Obama will look weak. They are cheerleading for bad things to happen to America and Americans. They are very bad people.
MattF
I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear next that an anonymous source in the Romney campaign implies that an ‘undersupervised’ Romney underling has been ‘disciplined’ and that Romney himself feels sad if anyone was, somehow, offended. But remember– even apart from the lies and the cowardice, Romney hired all these people, and they are, in fact, doing as they’re told to do.
Narcissus
@Linda Featheringill:
oh hell yeah
Alex S.
Extremists of both sides work together…. Ahmadinejad is the best thing that could happen to Netanjahu, and Netanjahu is the best thing that could happen to the republicans.
Also, guys like Romney and Priebus know that they’re on a sinking ship. And until the election, they will say and do everyhting to hurt Obama.
beltane
@Linda Featheringill: Perhaps Mossad is doing to the United States what the CIA has been doing in Latin America for so many decades.
If this is the case, it will NOT be good for Israel in the long and even not so long term.
ChrisNYC
Have the Israelis finally gone too far? Joe Klein is ranting on Morning Joe — “disgraceful, cynical, unprecedented for an ally to try to force the United States into a war so blatantly and trying to sway an American election, not the way friends act, Netanyahu wants us to do his dirty work for him.”
Princess
Call me a conspiracy theorist. But the Repubs have been sooo desperate to have a replay of Carter and Reagan, 1980. And now we have attacks on embassies in the Middle East, flag burning , and death to America after an Adelson-Romney friend makes a movie. I wonder who funds that fortified compound in Benghazi.
Poopyman
Nice to hear Joe Klein on Mornin’ Joe rip Bibi and the Israelis a new one.
Kay
That was yesterday, and that is Romney’s foreign policy advisor.
We now have “laundry list” and “shiny object.”
arguingwithsignposts
Say what you will about Michael Steele, but at least he could be funny at times. There is nothing funny about Reince Priebus. He’s just a grade-A douchenozzle.
MattF
@arguingwithsignposts: I don’t think it even rises to a personality question. Priebus is just reading the morning email from his superiors to the assembled stenographers.
Linda Featheringill
@beltane: #35
They may be trying to do that. Quite believable.
beltane
@ChrisNYC: It makes me glad to hear Joe Klein use such strong language. This needs to be said and it especially needs to be said by prominent American Jews like Joe Klein. What’s happening is so disgraceful and so blatant that it needs to be called out in the strongest language possible.
Narcissus
Who was that asshole on Morning Joe trying to get Klein to say Bibi was worse than Iran?
Xenos
@PurpleGirl:
The issue has little to do with Jones, but rather whoever it was who had the video translated into Arabic and distributed around at the exact moment Netanyahu was trying to bully the administration on the Iran issue. Is this some neo-con attempt to gin up an October Surprise?
If the Romney campaign is tied in with this (and with the apparently coordinated attempt to use this just-developing event to attack Obama as weak this begins to look like an actual conspiracy) then they are going to get stomped by HRC. The mother of all bitch-slaps is going to coming his way in about 8 hours.
Shawn in ShowMe
@beltane:
Bibi and friends have to know they’re in the same demographic trouble that their Republican compatriots are. Once the GOP is statistically unable to reach 270 in Presidential elections, AIPAC will lose a lot of leverage in the United States. Their services will no longer be necessary.
Strategically, they have to double down on the crazy while they still have influence.
ChrisNYC
@beltane: He seemed authentically worked up, urgent. Maybe that thing with Americans who feel a strong connection to Israel but also say, “WTF are you DOING?” I bet the clip will end up on the blogs today. He also said, “Romney is already on the record saying he’ll farm out our mideast policy to Netanyahu.” Eek.
TR
@Narcissus:
Bibi is worse than Iran. He’s doing more to engineer World War III than any Iranian.
Fuck him. And if the Israeli people allow him to stay in power, fuck them too.
beltane
@Shawn in ShowMe: Or they could do something bold and unprecedented and try sanity for a change. The polling makes clear that any American president who goes to war with Iran at Netanyahu’s behest will be committing political suicide: http://forward.com/articles/162681/americans-oppose-iran-attack-by—margin/#ixzz26ErdVvQ9
Emma
@Princess: Yeah. The thing I hate about these people is how much like a conspiracy nut they make me think.
ChrisNYC
@Narcissus: Donny Deutsch. Ad man. And ALLEGEDLY and OT but a tremendous lech, so I’ve heard.
Mark S.
Force us into war? What’s the support in this country for a war against Iran? 27%? Shit, I’m not even sure it’s that high.
And this is going to blow up in Mitt’s face. He looks like a fucking ghoul politicizing this.
Peter
Maybe it’s just me, but that “apparently unaware” reads pretty sarcastically and derisively. Like, picture a stand-up comedian saying it.
J.D. Rhoades
Bibi demands we set “red lines and deadlines.” Doesn’t set any himself.
Hey, Bibi, we ain’t your fuckin’ dog.
4tehlulz
We have names for such people.
Poopyman
@Narcissus: Donny Douche.
Kay
@beltane:
I agree. I don’t think there’s any public support at all for another war. Any comparison to Iraq is just wrong-headed. Bush didn’t run on invading Iraq, and it’s not 2003.
Poopyman
Obama should tell Bibi to get his own damn fries.
Narcissus
@Poopyman: @ChrisNYC: Well fuck that dude
beltane
@4tehlulz: So this clown thinks his little nation of several million will be helped by declaring war on 1/5 of the world’s population? What a genius. It will be an especially brilliant touch having the other 4/5 of the world’s population endure catastrophically high energy prices all on account of this little nation’s suicide pact.
Or something like that.Suffern Ace
Ambassador dead in Libya. Let’s get even by bombing Iran.
jibeaux
@Poopyman: Ooh, there was a ring tone for that in ABL’s post yesterday. “You ain’t my bitch, get your own fries!”
@VividBlueDotty
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I think “apparently” (not to mention sadly, hopelessly, shamelessly, unfortunately, and/or embarrassingly) “unaware” describes Mitt perfectly.
4tehlulz
@beltane: I suspect he thinks the other 4/5s will declare war against the other 1/5 because ZOMG ISLAM IS TEH CANCER.
And everyone will find Jesus. HAPPY END
Bulworth
@@VividBlueDotty: There’s also a NYT front page piece today on Mittens “counter-protest” at Stanford during the 1960’s. Also discusses how he and his buds, while others protested Vietnam, went undercover to….prevent their school mascot from being stolen or something. What a doofus.
Hypatia's Momma
@whiskey:
Yeah, he was relatively well-liked.
Linda Featheringill
In the meantime, Obama declined a meeting with Netanyahu. Cool move. I don’t know if that refusal is connected to all this mess or if the prez just didn’t want Netanyahu to serve as a distraction. We all know that N. is invested in this presidential race and we know which side he’s betting on.
The people of Israel deserve better politicians than this.
Kay
Can one “remain defiant” while hiding ? What a brave man he is, standing by his work from an undisclosed location while others take the hit for him.
@VividBlueDotty
@Bulworth: If I had more drive, more followers, more energy, or just more something – any of the above, I’d try to get another Mitt hashtag going. Like #MittIsUnaware
beltane
@4tehlulz: I take it Mr. Bacile has not studied much history, particularly the history of his own people. Maybe he can brush up while he’s in hiding.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Kay: We all know how brave Sir Robin was.
Joey Giraud
@Emma:
Annoying when they become so obvious. Makes it hard to ridicule people with tin-foil name calling.
Just repeat over and over; “there are no conspiracies, there are no conspiracies… “
MomSense
I give so many hours every day to campaigning for Democrats and I am beyond disgusted by the reality that we are just constantly having to correct the lies the Republicans tell. At this point their entire strategy consists of lies and voter suppression.
Kay
Ooops! Mitt Romney was wrong again! Obama’s not apologizing. Libya is.
Downpuppy
Pretty sure this is the end for Obvious Anagram at the RNC.
Just illmaking.
ChrisNYC
MSNBC has a shot of (newly established) Egyptian riot police watching over a small demo. Wow! They are babies! Seriously, they all look about 17 and sort of “look dude, we’re on the news.” Completely adorable. Hope they get to a functional and calm country to mature in.
dr. bloor
@Linda Featheringill:
They vote in Israel, don’t they? Like the rest of us, they get precisely the leaders they deserve.
Linda Featheringill
@Kay: #74
Very reasonable and civilized.
I sincerely doubt that the State of Libya had anything to do with the attack.
Kay
@Downpuppy:
I wish it were true, but there are no career-ending events on the Right. No one ever gets fired, for anything. I expect him to double down.
Or something like that.Suffern Ace
What worries me is that I think there is a large constituency of folks who think that men who want wars are more manly men. Netanyahu falls into that Real Leader category. And it isn’t two years ago yet where he gave a rambling speech in Congress that no one in the press seemed to notice how shamelessly he was hailed by democrats and republicans alike – since the press was so busy fawning over him. They get tingly. We get killed.
Cermet
First off, as a person who now feels that Israel should be cut off from our military aid, I think people here implying that Israel had something directly to do with the killing of the Americans in Libya are full of it. Not that Israel hasn’t murdered large numbers of American soldiers in the past(the attacking and sinking of one of our navy ships in the 1950’s) but this was a terrorist act by a Libyan faction. Get a grip.
Comrade Javamanphil
Erickson on twitter had a classier response. !!!
Also, this from Tapper:
“Before news spread that four Americans had been killed in Benghazi, Romney yesterday issued a statement saying in part: “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 an attack that does not stand up to simple chronology.”
followed by
“Romney wasn’t the only one — Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus tweeted ”Obama sympathizes with attackers in Egypt. Sad and pathetic.”
The evidence that the president “sympathizes with attackers in Egypt” was not immediately apparent, likely because it does not in any way exist.”
Just can’t quite bring himself to say “lie.”
scav
@Kay: well, exactly. They were all laughing backstage, or the polling results aren’t in yet, or they don’t agree with the poll results that are in so far, or . . .
Kay
@Comrade Javamanphil:
It’s not “lie” but I’ll take it. Good for him. Have they finally, finally gone too far?
Raven
@Cermet: Oh, so indirectly would be better?
RP
@Cermet: Thank you. Some of the comments here are a little over the top.
The Klown
You are attacking Romney for criticizing the same apology that the White House disavowed. The Middle East is literally going up in flames and you want to blame Romney.
Kool-Aid is a helluva drug.
Mark S.
Mitt really has some dumbshits on his team:
Foreign policy is arguably the most important part of the job. Granted, in most elections it isn’t the most important issue on everybody’s minds, but it hardly makes it some taboo subject. But I guess like Bain and the tax returns, foreign policy is a private matter for Romney and it’s just rude to ask him about it.
Poopyman
@Cermet:
I’m not that old. The USS Liberty Incident was during the 1967 war. Unless there was an earlier incident?
Kay
@scav:
They’re so stupid in that campaign. There is not one person in that multi-million dollar organization who would tell Mitt Romney “you might want to wait 2 hours and see how this shakes out before attacking the President”?
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Cermet:
Actually, I think the only conspiracy I see is the timing of Bibi’s visit with the Arabic translation of the video. Out there, probably; but I don’t see anyone implying that Israel was trying to get Americans killed. Even if Israel was planning something, they would most likely have just wanted lots of protests. People getting killed changes the focus of a situation. Rather than talking about Iran, we’re talking about an Embassy official.
WarMunchkin
This is so fucking stupid. Terry Jones is an asshole, but who the fuck believes the correct response to something that offends you is killing people? And why aren’t more people calling Netanyahu out on attempting to leverage and manipulate an election?
Patricia Kayden
What an outrageous lie. What a vulture. Something bad happens, people are killed, and it’s politics as usual for Romneybot 2.0. Anything to get elected, huh? So desperate.
Schlemizel
@beltane:
YEah, thats why I suggested somebody sent him a copy of “Protocols”.
Its sad to see how will some victims are to become bullies. Its as if the only thing they learned from being victims is how much fun it must be to be on top.
Xenos
@Cermet:
We don’t know who that terrorist faction was, although reports indicate that the US government does (apparently the attackers came from a fortified compound that is well known and understood). Once that becomes established then much else can be made clear. There is certainly a significant al-Qaeda presence in Benghazi, and maybe now that Quadaffi is gone they need a new target.
Still, something precipitated has precipitated these attacks, and the sudden distribution of an Arabic-dubbed version of a very obscure yet offensive American film seems to have been intended to cause anti-American riots like this. Whether this was done my elements in Jerusalem, Riyadh, Boston, or somewhere entirely different is unknown, but perhaps not for long.
Culture of Truth
Lies and the lying liars who tell them
whiskey
@Hypatia’s Momma: Yeah, we’re pretty pissed off at D&D about this
RSA
@catclub: From Ben LaBolt:
La Bolt appears to be a fan of Casablanca.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@The Klown: Uh, no. I think you need to go figure out the timeline before you comment. The White House condemned the attacks, not the apology. Talk about Kool Aid drinking; hopefully Romney’s paying you enough.
Bhall35
@The Klown: So, you agree with the Mitt and the RNC that Obama “sympathizes with attackers in Egypt”?
Poopyman
Chuckie Todd is on my TV telling me that Mittens is coming out with a statement shortly.
Maybe I should just go for a walk.
scav
@Kay: Gotta be fast to be first to crawl onto that heap of rubble to stage the most powerful photo-ops ever.
the mere facts of the matter whither when they get that first whiff of testosterone-fueled limelight.
GregB
I said last night that the film that this man created should be titled: Protocols of the Elders of Islam.
It is a cheap, sleazy piece of propaganda designed to whip up hatred and it seems to have worked quite well.
Shawn in ShowMe
Terrorists. Their response is as predictable as the rising of the sun. And when you do something that is so blatantly intended to incite terrorists, in my mind, you’re an accomplice.
Elie
I dunno about you all but I expected something would “happen” to try to help ol’ Mitt out. Whether Netanyahu is involved – who knows. He just got shut down by Obama when he demanded a meeting with the White House during his visit to the UN — seems he wants to maximally pressure this WH to show them “who is in charge”. This whole thing smells fishy and I am sure neocon and other fingerprints are all over this..
jibeaux
@Mark S.: It’s hilarious that the people who brought you “we’re going to keep God on your nickels, by golly” are saying that FOREIGN POLICY is a shiny object. I mean, coins are *literally* shiny objects.
Dork
It’s disgusting how many anti-Semites are currently posting on this thread. Israel ought to be able to defend themselves via their military proxy, the US.
4tehlulz
@Dork: 0/10
Joey Giraud
@WarMunchkin:
but who the fuck believes the correct response to something that offends you is killing people?
Every American with no friends or family killed on 9/11 who supported invading Iraq.
Poopyman
Man, the trolls really can’t bring their game today. What the heck are we paying them the big bucks for?
Person of Choler
Probably time to consider the implications of releasing that “I Shot bin Laden” movie.
jeff
Guess what: it’s not just anti-semitic to blame jews for the actions of muslims.
It also reflects the attitude that muslims are such violent idiots that they can’t help but blow shit up every time somebody says something nasty about their quaint religion.
Linda Featheringill
I am so slow sometimes! I just now realized that these attacks on US embassies took place on the anniversary of 9/11.
The odor of conspiracy increases.
Anonymous
@Shawn in ShowMe:
Yes. It is extremely frustrating that Terry Jones cannot see the blood on his hands. What reckless, shitty person.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@4tehlulz: Actually, I thought it was pretty funny. I would give him a better score than that.
jibeaux
PSA: I’m pretty sure this:
is snark. Resume.
Elizabelle
Secretary Clinton to speak at 9:45 a Eastern.
And MSNBC gave Chuck Todd a morning show? Gak!
Brian R.
Let’s not forget that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the thinnest credentials on foreign policy and military experience of any Republican presidential ticket since Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge in 1920.
Stupid bluster is all they can do, because they don’t know shit.
4tehlulz
@Belafon (formerly anonevent): I thought it was too pedestrian, but you convinced me to bump it up to 3/10.
magurakurin
@WarMunchkin:
this. So, this asshole makes a stupid ass film which portrays Muslims as murderous zealots. This angers them, so in protest they behave as murderous zealots. Doh.
Fucktards the lot of them. I’m over it. Jew, Christian, Muslim, Mormon whatever fucking breed of cat you claim to be, you can all go fuck yourselves.
Religion? We don’t need no stinkin’ religion.
And to all you religious zealots out there, I got news for you, God..she’s just not all that into you.
Culture of Truth
Yes, as stated above, Obama is refusing to meet with Bibi while he is visiting the U.S.
Obama says their schedules merely conflict, but if you believe that I have bridge I can sell you I got from Al Sharpton.
Axelrod say Obama spoke with Bibi on the phone for 1 hour yesterday, which, if true, warrants a second Nobel Peace prize.
Thomas F
These people storming the embassies in Cairo and Bengazi are sub-human savages and should have been treated as such.
Davis X. Machina
@The Klown: Nomen est omen.
Raven
@jeff: “These protests are a bad image for Egypt,” said a Cairo street vendor named Ahmed. “Of course I’m against insulting Islam, but it’s the undereducated, poor people who are out here causing problems.”
SenyorDave
Islam is a cancerRomney is a cancer FixedXenos
@Shawn in ShowMe:
Exactly. The terrorists can’t run around committing violent acts without eventually losing public support. They need pretexts. Whoever made that film was supplying terrorists with a pretext. That film was not made to entertain or persuade anyone, just offend them, so that they would be more likely to tolerate terrorism against Americans.
While the film is not terrorism per se, it is certainly created in order to promote terrorism.
Brian R.
@Culture of Truth:
Yeah, when the raging assholes I know come to my town and want to catch up, I tell them I’m too busy too.
Maybe if Bibi stops treating Obama like he’s his lackey, and starts treating him like the goddamn President of the United States, then Obama would give a damn.
Fuck that guy.
Dork
@4tehlulz: Is this some sort of numerical code for “Jews can suck it”? Just proving my point.
dmsilev
@Culture of Truth:
I hope that 45 minutes of that conversation was actually Bibi being kept on hold by the White House voicemail system. “Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and a diplomat will be with you shortly. To access our automated diplomacy system, please press 1 now.”
Bhall35
Steve Kornacki: “The foolishness of Romney’s reaction is glaring. Pretending that the statement from the U.S. embassy in Cairo was anything other than a completely understandable and reasonable attempt by its occupants to save their own lives borders on disgraceful. Romney’s implication that the statement was issued at the height of the attacks is also false; it was actually released earlier in the day, a preventive measure aimed at keeping the protests from turning violent.”
http://www.salon.com/2012/09/12/mitt%E2%80%99s_shameful_libya_statement/
Raven
@Dork: The Israeli Prime Minister can suck it.
4tehlulz
@Dork: No that’s 4/10.
LEARN THE CODE
Dave
Don’t know if it was mentioned above, but both First Read and Jake Tapper took Romney to task for his blatant falsehood. So that’s something, anyway.
Steve
The claim that Netanyahu requested a meeting with Obama and was rebuffed seems like Drudge-bait. Unless there is actual evidence that it happened, not sure why so many people assume it is true.
Culture of Truth
Just to be clear, I fully support spurning Bibi.
IMO, condemnation must first and primarily go to those who act violently. Terry Jones may be deliberately provoking people, but (a) that’s no excuse and (b) he’s some non-entity from Florida – get a grip and ask yourself, does your God really require random homicide over the rants of some deranged yahoo from the panhandle?
Kane
I heard someone point out on morning joe that the leader of the opposition party in Israel is critizing Netanyahu for getting involved in US presidential politics, asking if Netanyahu is more interested in regime change in the US than he is in regime change in Iran.
Xenos
@Raven: The Israeli prime minister was born in Philadelphia. He manages to betray both countries at the same time.
Hypatia's Momma
@whiskey:
Oddly enough, I learned about this in the Goonwaffe Newbie thread.
4tehlulz
Obama and Hillary to appear in the Rose Garden at 10:35.
I dare Fox to ask about that statement in Cairo.
Culture of Truth
Of course I don’t know, but I expect that if Obama wanted to meet, they’d meet.
beltane
@Xenos: Bibi was born with a rare capacity for betrayal.
hueyplong
A Republican attempting to politicize American deaths for domestic political gain? No one saw that coming.
Davis X. Machina
The answer, unfortunately is “Yeah, because our deranged yahoos are more godly and righteous than your deranged yahoos. Your deranged yahoos need to kick their game up a notch. Movies, feh. Try RPG’s.”
Deranged yahoos aren’t all that rare a species.
Take the fundamental depravity of mankind and the points. It doesn’t always win, but it always covers the spread.
Poopyman
@4tehlulz: She’s speaking right now…
Punchy
How has nobody Goodwin’d a thread almost exclusively about Israel and Jewish peeps?
Hitler would be ashamed.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Xenos: Actually, he was born in Israel, but spent part of his childhood in Pennsylvania.
amk
I am reading on other blogs and twitter that finally msm & cable hacky pundtwits are calling out the abominable rethugs and nut n yahoo. Is it true ?
Poopyman
She’s eulogizing Chris Stevens and Sean Smith. The other 2 remain unidentified pending notification of next of kin.
John PM
@Kay: You know who else went into hiding in an undisclosed location yet remained defiant? No, not him…Cheney .
tomvox1
When you’ve lost Chuck Todd et al…
http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/12/13827378-first-thoughts-over-the-top?ocid=twitter
Davis X. Machina
Coincidentally, in speech class today I have scheduled Pres. Clinton’s and King Hussein’s eulogies for Yitzak Rabin given at his funeral.
I get to explain why Rabin was assassinated — and this routinely calls for an explanation of the explanation. “Wait, weren’t both guys Israelis?”
Kane
Imagine if on 9/11 there had been a Democrat in the White House.
debbie
What’s the most astounding thing is that Romney and his pals think Obama would be stupid enough to say what they claim he said. Talk about underestimating your opponent!
Anonymous
Apparently Romney called off his remarks and will issue a statement instead. Dude is flailing.
Linda Featheringill
@Punchy: #145
See comment #132. Godwin is appeased.
Poopyman
Shorter HRC:
It was a brutal mob. Libyans stood and fought to defend the Americans. Many were wounded.
I can’t keep up. Find the video, because it’s worth it.
GregB
@Kane:
Yep.
Rallying against the President and an eventual impeachment.
hueyplong
“Apparently Romney called off his remarks and will issue a statement instead. Dude is flailing.”
It’s possible his handlers think the follow up questions would outweigh whatever he said. If that’s their thinking, I agree.
dmsilev
@Anonymous: Just what we need in a President: an instinct to shoot first, ask questions later, and later still lie about shooting first.
Is Romney being possessed by the spirit of George W. Bush or something?
Chris
@Culture of Truth:
This.
Terry Jones is a colossal asshole, but seriously, fuck these guys. Yes, the internet is full of stupid and offensive shit. GTFOverit. We’re not changing the constitution for your delicate fee-fees, we won’t even do that foe theocratic assholes in our own country.
magurakurin
@Davis X. Machina:
this is why you are a big league player. nice one.
Chyron HR
@Kane:
Why, imagine if during World War II there had been a Democrat in the White House!
catclub
@Poopyman: Neither am I. It also was not sunk, as I recall.
quannlace
Hillary just made a strong statement. Obama scheduled for 10:30 ET
Princess
Imagine we had woken this morning to find that instead of killing the ambassador, the attackers had merely kidnapped him. Who would that have benefitted?
magurakurin
@Belafon (formerly anonevent):
Actually, he was born in Israel, but spent part of his childhood in Pennsylvania.
catclub
@dmsilev: Actually sounds more like the deranged Dick Cheney.
I will repeat: George W Bush gets my full appreciation for telling Dick Cheney to get stuffed, rather than let him invade Iran.
Similarly, Am I better off than 4 years ago? If McCain had been elected we would have been at war with 6 different countries within a year, probably to include France.
Culture of Truth
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), John McCain (R-Arizona) and Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) today released a joint statement
The conjoined girls on TLC are more independent than these 3
Kane
@Chyron HR: There is a world of difference between the republican party of World War II and the republican party of today.
Raven
Romney camp sends out a statement that they stand by their statement.
Anonymous
Romney stands by his statement from last night. Fantastic.
Lindershaw
@PeakVT: Can you get eight letters on a license plate in California? Because “I M BACILE” would be great for this guy.
Raven
Now Romney is on!
catclub
@Linda Featheringill: The strange thing is, he must think he will have a dramatic positive impact for Romney, and that Romney will win.
Which strikes me as REALLY being in the bubble of self-delusion.
I can hope he commits seppuku on hearing of a win for Obama.
Unlikely, since that would be honorable.
Culture of Truth
For real, if C-Todd is comparing you to Sarah Palin, you need to rethink your life.
Not because he is always right, but you’re flailing.
catclub
@Kane: The Republicans just before the war favored Hitler. Rather strongly. I do not see the difference from now.
Raven
He’s lying now. Shock.
Shawn in ShowMe
@Culture of Truth:
This ain’t about excuses. This isn’t some academic exercise. This is real-life cause and effect.
I wouldn’t go into the ‘hood and call the Bloods and Crips a bunch of sissy men and expect a proportional response. But that’s just me.
Raven
Holy shit he’s taking questions!
GregB
One needs to look at Drudge Report and clearly see that the political effort to turn this into and Obama/Jimmy Carter moment.
Who benefits?
It is all very disconcerting.
japa21
Actually, if the film was meant to inspire major mob action, it failed. From what I have heard, these were not mass, everybody in the streets protests, but rather perpetrated by relatively small groups of people. It would look like the attack in Libya, particularly, was well planned and coordinated. If it had been a large “mob”, it probably wouldn’t have resulted in the casuaties it did.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Mitt may be rich but his dentures are giving him problems this AM. He has an annoying click/pop sound that he is making and some of his words are slurred, as if his upper isn’t staying in place.
Mitt can go fuck himself too. Also. Ubetcha.
Davis X. Machina
@magurakurin: History doesn’t suggest otherwise… and as a Greek-and-Latin dude, I’ve chewed through a lot of history.
Kane
Clearly Romney considers this all to be a distraction.
ChrisNYC
Mitt is speaking. Doubling down. Natch. Really really distasteful. Dead people and he’s sticking with politics. First question — how can you say O is apologizing? Mitt throws himself into the weeds of the timeline. Bad bad bad move. Second question — do you think it’s appropriate for you to weigh in so quickly on such a tense situation? Mitt — WH did too! Except he’s prez and you’re not. Disgraceful and just bad politically. Slimeball.
Someone just called him senator! Ha!
Poopyman
Now Romney walks back standing by his statement. He’s babbling a bit, but he’s shifting his eyes and blinking an awful lot.
Raven
@Odie Hugh Manatee: How’d you like to have that fucker in a bunker with you?
Emma
@catclub: I think the most honorable thing the second President Bush has done in his long misspent life is to separate Dick Cheney’s hands from the levers of power during his second administration. I don’t care why he did it; I’m sure glad he did.
Odie Hugh Manatee
This is Rmoney’s ‘banking crisis/suspend my campaign’ moment, he really borked this and the press is hammering him with questions about it.
This is good news, for John McCain!
@Raven:
I would use him to block the entrance.
dmsilev
@Poopyman: Jesus. I study quantum mechanics for a living (yes, really), and there’s a potential Nobel prize for anyone who can provide a full description of the macroscopic quantum entity that we call Mitt Romney.
ChrisNYC
If you look closely you can see Mitt is actually standing on the bodies. Wow it’s unappealing.
ETA Actually too many actuallys.
Poopyman
Oooh! “Resolve in our might!” Mittens gonna nuke somebody!
dmsilev
@Odie Hugh Manatee: I’m actually surprised he’s taking questions from the media. When was the last time he had a press conference?
Poopyman
Run away! Run away!
Actually, I’m amazed he took as many Q’s as he did.
virginia
What an unlikeable dolt is Mitt Romney — He’s on the tube now, doing his thing. Dumb, despicable, self-serving asshole is right. And definitely what 189 said — Great observation.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Shitty Mitty walked out because he knew that the questions about his foot in mouth disease weren’t going to end.
Poor little rich boy, he’s in over his head.
@dmsilev:
He’s desperate to get his name in the news, especially if he can be seen as one-upping Obama on the foreign policy stage (a weak point he has). This is a Hail Mary pass and he’s doing everything he can to keep the ball in play.
Fumbles hasn’t noticed that the ball actually landed behind him.
jp7505a
well if Jen Rubin at Kaplan is any indication the repubs are going to back Mittens to the hilt in his standing up to whatever. She seems to be suggesting that we attack some one. She isn’t really sure who but just someone.
And the folks at Chuck todd and NBC think the comments were ‘off-key’. good lord they missed the entire piano with that statment.
We used to at least wait till the smoke at cleared before making those kinds of statements
jwb
@Emma: I would love to know the background on that: who put W. up to it, how he pulled it off without getting shot in the face, etc. But I agree that somehow he seemed to have recognized that Cheney was a menace and took steps to neutralize him.
4tehlulz
O needs to go all Daisy on Mitt’s ass after this.
Anonymous
It is infuriating watching someone lie so brazenly in order to politicize the loss of life. If he doesn’t pay dearly for this, I give up.
Raven
200 Marines on their way to Libya.
Raven
@4tehlulz: Not now though, above the fray.
Elie
@dmsilev:
LOL!! I wish!!!
Villago Delenda Est
@beltane:
Czarist? They’ve gone Streicher.
Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God
@Will C:
Verify it first, please. But this.
And if I were Obama, I’d take up Bibi on his offer of a meeting… to (not so) politely suggest in person that he tell his intel agencies to stop interfering in our domestic politics.
“Here, asshole. Call now. Use my phone. Bet they’ll pick up if they have Caller ID over there.”
srv
@Thomas F:
Freedom fighters one week here on BJ, and savages the next… I think this says more about BJ’ers than it says about the ‘savages’
You get what you literally paid for. In case you missed all those riots a few years back in Europe, it and the ME is filled with these folks and your government has not exactly pursued policies that will leave the minority of latte-drinking ‘liberals’ in Libya, Egypt and Syria (that might fufill your Orientalist ideals more adequately) any seat at the table.
Democracy is going to bring the normal ‘savages’ out. Welcome to the norm, and they’re a lot more than the 27%.
SenyorDave
I watched the last part of it, and even if I didn’t like Obama there is no way I would vote for this lying sack of shit for any elected office. JHFC, he might be the worst candidate for president the two parties have put up in my lifetime (I’m 53).
Romney and the entire Republican party makes me appreciate the sanity and intelligence of Obama more.
The only ad the Democrates need to run for the remainder of the campaign is this press conference.
Chyron HR
@srv:
Romney has dispensation from the holy Mormon scriptures to lie to and about infidels. What’s your excuse?
Kathy in St. Louis
Sadly, Reince’s tweet will raise money for the GOP. That’s all they’re about.
srv
FYI, the Ambassador in Egypt would be well within her own duties to issue the statement while practically under attack. So I would not assume it was vetted by Hitlery until stated otherwise.
Culture of Truth
Mitt, Meet Bus
Sept. 12 (Washington Post) — The death of Ambassador John Christopher Stevens and attacks on U.S. facilities in Libya and Egypt is prompting responses from Republican congressional leaders far different than the critical comments made by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the hours after the attack.
They’re done with this clown.
lol
@Chyron HR:
I can only imagine that conservative businessmen would have attempted to instigate a military coup against the President.
magurakurin
Rmoney’s free speech argument doesn’t hold bat piss. A statement which condemns an intolerant film does not imply suppression of free speech. The Ambassador didn’t say that the film shouldn’t be allowed, he just said that the US didn’t approve of such intolerant messages.
But, the real issue is that they did that so that the mob outside wouldn’t slit their throats. And guess what, it seems to have worked because nobody died in Egypt.
Rmoney also was trying so, so hard to tie a desperate statement of a besieged ambassador in a hostile situation directly to the President. And he really looked like a dick doing it. Major asshole.
Keith G
I think that this is a very important ball check for the president. He needs to go after Romney and the GOP with crowbars and axe handles. They are endangering American lives for short term political gain. The administrations security cabinet needs to be dispatched to every microphone available to repeat this again and again and again.
I know this is not the president style, but god damn it sometimes you have to just pound tables and call people out for their terrible behavior. I believe the country and his presidency would be better off for doing this.
Culture of Truth
follow-up
“But no Republican leader criticized President Obama Wednesday morning and called instead for stronger security at U.S. diplomatic facilities, the swift capture and punishment of the perpetrators and a renewed commitment to pro-democracy efforts in the Arab world.”
Mitt who?
Culture of Truth
MITT IS A BIGGER ASSHOLE THAN MITCH MCCONNELL
WaPo:
In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) usually reserves his morning Senate floor remarks to sharply criticize Obama administration policy. But Wednesday he struck a more somber tone and expressed support for “employing every available tool at our disposal to ensure the safety of Americans overseas and to hunt down those responsible for these attacks.
Even Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — a troika that regularly critiques the Obama administration’s foreign policy — urged Obama to continue supporting democracy efforts in Libya and Egypt.
magurakurin
@Culture of Truth:
that’s what Obama just said, too.
Citizen Alan
So he was a Republican?
Emma
@srv: Hitlery Ah. You’re one of those. Never mind taking you seriously.
Cacti
@magurakurin:
On the contrary. Social censure, rather than state censorship, is the greatest tool available to combat offensive or outrageous speech in a free society.
Freedom of speech =/= Freedom from criticism
amk
@Culture of Truth: @Culture of Truth: Excellent. That’s officially the FU mittbot and the loony liar of rnc head from the rest of rethug critters.
Rick Taylor
I didn’t think my regard for Romney could drop much lower. I was wrong.
srv
@Chyron HR: I don’t need an excuse, I wasn’t for Freedom Bombs before I was against them like you.
JohnCole stood up and took responsibility for supporting Freedom Bombs in Iraq.
You and your ilk will never take responsibilihty for anything.
Chris
@Emma:
That, and the fact that he didn’t embrace the wannabe-fascist identity politics worshipers in his base either on Islam or on Hispanic immigration.
Tractarian
Romney is reprehensible. I must say, even I – a hardened Obot – was taken aback when I heard yesterday that the embassy apologized for Terry Jones in response to attacks on its staff. Part of me thought – crap, they’re gonna try to turn this into 1979 redux. The other part of me thought – this isn’t 1979 redux, but it’s still pretty bad.
Then I realized it was all based on a lie. In fact, the embassy statement came before the attack. If I was fooled, the swing-voting rubes must have been fooled.
We know Romney/Ryan view truth as a mere obstacle to be overcome on their path to power. But this is different. This is a lie on a majestic, biblical scale.
Smiling Mortician
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
Henceforth this shall be known as a fail mary pass.
Tractarian
By the way, Terry Jones and Sam Becile – like Bibi – know exactly they’re doing.
I’m not saying what Jones and Becile did is anything close to what the Benghazi attackers did – they are just pathetic bigots, not murderers.
But they know Obama is closing in on victory and they’re doing whatever they can to prevent it from happening, even if it (indirectly) means a few American diplomats getting killed.
Rasputin's Evil Twin
@Kay: Hey, hiding in an undisclosed location while others did his bidding worked for Cheney.
Citizen Alan
@jeff:
Oh for pity’s sake! One does not have to be a racist to realize that flooding Harlem or Watts with White Power propaganda produced by a KKK member might have the effect of provoking a violent response from a small subset of the local African-American community. Similarly, I suspect a piece of Black Power or pro-Muslim propaganda that was sufficiently anti-white or anti-Christian might provoke a violent response if imposed on, say, a small town in rural Mississippi or Appalachia. People who have nothing, regardless of race, creed or religion, tend to be less than rational when someone takes a big steaming shit on the only things they have left in which they can feel some sense of pride or dignity.
Chris
@Raven:
Good for the Marines – and on a related note, according to Al Jazeera, Libyan soldiers clashed with militia people outside of the Bengazhi consulate (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/20129112108737726.html). Love to hear more about that.
Steve
@Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God: Well, nobody likes to look ineffectual the way Carter did. You better believe that if this had happened under Clinton, we would have blown up some building in response. It probably would have been the wrong building, but we wouldn’t have looked weak!
Time will tell if it is too much to ask for Obama to find a third way forward.
Mnemosyne
@japa21:
That’s the impression I’m getting as well — these attacks were meant to look like the “spontaneous” Mohammed cartoon riots (which actually took about 6 months and multiple publications of the offending cartoons to be ginned up if you look at the timeline) but they seemed to be awfully small and awfully targeted for something that supposedly was happening as a genuine expression of outrage.
Since the US government has not come out in strong support of the Syrian government, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was an attack by them with plausible deniability.
LanceThruster
BLASPHEMY is a victimless crime. The sooner human beings wake up to that fact the better.
If anyone’s god is that great, they can deal with it when the time comes. Xristians have been murdering heretics with great relish before too so they’ve got substantial blood on their hands as well.
Catsy
@srv:
Not that you’ve written anything else of any value, but in case you’re wondering: the use of this idiotic vintage 1990s wingnut insult was where you lost any remaining credibility you had.
Now go away, child. You should be in school right about now, and this is a subject for grown-ups.
Citizen Alan
@Kane:
I honestly can’t because I am certain that there would have been no 9/11 if there had been a Democrat in the White House.
Citizen Alan
@Chyron HR:
Better yet, imagine a Republican in the White House from ’38 on. We’d have had a non-aggression treaty with Hitler and spent all our efforts trying to undermine Stalin while the Holocaust marched merrily on.
srv
@Catsy: Grownups take responsibility. You aren’t capable of that.
BTW, I’m supposed to be a PUMA here. You old senile farts really need to make chart, I know it gets really hard for you to keep track.
Catsy
@srv: That’s nice. Run along now, child. You’re missing second period.
JR in WV
@Kane:
Yes, most of the Republicans were pro-Germany back then, along with Henry Ford and whoever was running IBM when the war started.
Of course the minute the bombs started falling in Pearl Harbor, they all suddenly became more patriotic than FDR… on the surface.
It looks like Romney is as patriotic as the leaders of the German-American Bund were in 1940-41!
brantl
Just because they are full-time dicks, doesn’t mean that they can’t be full-time stupid, too. They don’t pay any attention to detail. It’s a toss-up as to whether they are lying, or didn’t notice the timing in the first place. They wouldn’t know nunaced detail if ti bit them in the ass.
Nellcote
@Citizen Alan:
Clinging to their guns and Korans?
rikyrah
love this title. on point