Critics of Obama way off base on this one
Yes — the not-so-bright, would-be terrorist from Nigeria got though international and domestic security mechanisms supposed to have stopped him long before the jerk lit his underwear afire before landing in Detroit. And yes — the incident happened during the administration of President Barack Obama. But the sniping at the president by Republicans, including former Vice President Cheney, and by conservative radio and TV commentators, borders on — if not passing into — asinine.
The criticism has included such childishness as blasting Obama for waiting a few days before making a national speech on the incident. For heaven’s sake, the president was briefed on the incident from the moment it occured; he made statements almost immediately indicating his concern and that he was being regularly briefed; he took time to gather the facts and meet with his national security team; and then he appeared publicly to give a rational, measured, but hard-hitting response. And for this, a former vice president criticizes him.
Partisanship truly has pervasively infected our political system when a reasonable, measured, factual, timely and substantive response by a president to a single security incident — the roots of which clearly indicate long-simmering problems that predated his tenure in office — is publicly blasted as irresponsible. In point of fact, those levelling such counterproductive attacks are the ones engaging in irresponsible behavior.
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822 comments Add your comment
Joel Edge
January 7th, 2010
7:16 am
True. But I hope you remember the attacks W faced after Katrina. What’s good for the goose, etc. A group of dedicated fanatics have an advantage over all of the well meaning government employees. Profiling would seem to be the only answer. But we’re not gonna do that.
Chris Sanchez
January 7th, 2010
7:30 am
You hit the nail on the head Bob!
Jack Parkman
January 7th, 2010
7:34 am
What’s with all the spelling errors? Consservative? Assinine? Long-simemring? Copy editor must’ve had a bad day.
arnold
January 7th, 2010
8:05 am
The Republicans have been overly nasty since Newt Gingrich and the “Contract With America”. The partisanship has not helped this country in any positive manner. Now, neither political party is willing to compromise. The Democrats did attempt to be bi-partisan, but they received no encouragement from the Republicans.
Sarah
January 7th, 2010
8:16 am
How, in the last year, have the Democrats attempted to be bi-partisan? From what I can see, their idea of “bi-partisan” is telling everyone to do as they say. The Republicans have been repeatedly blocked and even thrown out of the health care debate. Not a single idea the Republicans brought to the table was given a lick of credence. President Obama repeatedly claimed he would listen to all ideas but has not bothered to implement a single Republican idea.
Tea
January 7th, 2010
8:16 am
Not to put too fine a point on it but I agree with arnold’s insight; Gingrich’s Speakership was the watershed that converted political heat into boiling, intolerant partisan warfare which has subsequently lead to the perpetual gridlock we have now. I fear the success of our democracy (as measured by the best interests of the common majority prevailing) is in danger.
Tea
January 7th, 2010
8:25 am
Sarah, In my mind (which could admittedly be uninformed and/or warped) the Republicans have had some good ideas (like allowing interstate competition among health insurance providers), However they have remained inflexible on both idiological issues like abortion language, and practical issues like the public option and expansion of Medicare without offering effective alternatives to bring down costs (as measured by the non-partisan CBO. The Republican strategy looks to me like one that is utterly political in nature and not one of concern for the American people who are suffering (me among them) at the hands of our healthcare system.
Ridgerunner
January 7th, 2010
8:33 am
You may be right but it’s far, far less than what the Dems. did for eight years or would do if a Republican were still in office. Let’s have a little balance here.
Ridgerunner
January 7th, 2010
8:57 am
P.S.
Hummmmm ……….. and this from their own National Security Advisor:
Headline: “James Jones, a retired four-star Marine general, says Americans will feel “a certain shock” when a report is released today detailing the intelligence failures that could have prevented the Christmas Day attack.”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/07/national-security-adviser-airline-bomber-report-shock/
Aquagirl
January 7th, 2010
9:13 am
Looks like the partisanship is thriving on this blog too. If a “Yeah, but blah, blah, blah” bittercakes response about Dems is rolling out of your mouth, isn’t that exactly the partisan response to which Bob is referring?
Try acting like a grownup for a day. Bob is a politician, for God’s sake, if he can do it, you certainly can.
sam
January 7th, 2010
9:18 am
bob, you’re smart enough to know that anything he does and say’s for the 7 years will be wrong….yes, i said 7 years…
Chris Broe
January 7th, 2010
9:46 am
How can they act like a grownup for a day when they’re so busy being queen for a day?
The Safe Skies Initiative, which has taken the place of the “War on Terror” for marketing reasons, can only work if we pass a mandatory “going commando” law for all airline passengers for every flight in the world.
Then we’d have safe skies, and it would finally take all the mystique out of being a member of the mile high club, effectively killing two birds with one stone.
Obama did take two days to respond. Bush only took 7 minutes to respond on 911. If I remember correctly, Bush was reading “Mein Pet Kampf” when the first reports of 911 came to him, and it’s understandable that he felt he had to finish that gripping page turner.
So, Cheney is….RIGHT!
Mark
January 7th, 2010
9:50 am
Sarah, you simply do not know what you are talking about. Check your facts. Numerous amendments proposed by the Republicans have been incorporated in the bills. What has not been given credence are ideas that would simply sink the reform.
The American People
January 7th, 2010
10:15 am
“But what we will do is, we’ll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process.” – Barack Obama
DOWN WITH DEMS IN 2K10!!
Davo
January 7th, 2010
10:24 am
“Partisanship truly has pervasively infected our political system.”
Exactly why we need more than 2 political parties. At some point this just has to happen or God help us all. Neither party now adheres to the constitution. Legislation is the domain of special interests, lobbies and corporations and not ‘we the people’. It’s very difficult for a person to run for President outside of this system, as BB can attest. Perhaps the best way to start fixing this is to make it easier for these parties to compete fairly in future elections.
Chris Broe
January 7th, 2010
10:34 am
We are in danger of becoming a parliamentary form of government. Three parties dividing the vote three ways means that someone could get elected with only a third of the vote. Hell, Dukakis could still get a third of the vote. So could Cheney. So could Hillary, Palin, and Ferraro.
Pelosi two.
Becareful which part of the constiution you amend you just might get what you asked for: Chaos.
Monica
January 7th, 2010
10:46 am
Are you kidding? Seriously, are you kidding with this? If there is any kind of threat on a country – by one man or ten, the President needs to make a statement. Even if it’s “hey, we’re still gathering information, I want the American people to be assured we stepped up security and everyone is safe” – that’s what a President does. Period. Democrat or Republican. By the way, I’m neither. I’m tired of liberals acting as if conservatives are out of line even though they did exactly the same thing with a Republican President. Sit down Barr Code.
Louella
January 7th, 2010
10:50 am
Thanks for the common sense, Bob.
One positive thing the knee-jerk naysayers have done is to make this leftist pinko appreciate leaders of any political persuasion who argue with reason as opposed to unthinking emotion.
I, for one, have pledged to seek out areas where I can compromise for the good of the country. And I’m done acknowledging both the tea-baggers and anyone on the other side who matches them for ugly.
Trep
January 7th, 2010
11:38 am
What an idiotic blog.
chbeyer
January 7th, 2010
11:39 am
Bob Barr is just trying to get attention by being contrarian here. The real failure of the Obama adminstration is trying enemy combatants as though they are American citizens and not recognizing that we are at war with religious fanatics called terrorists.
Bob Barr is a losertarian nut job.
cydcharisse
January 7th, 2010
11:40 am
I agree with you.
It’s payback for the 8 years of blame-Bush- for- everything, which was similarly stupid.
Rob
January 7th, 2010
11:42 am
Bob, may I point out an issue with claiming the president was briefed almost immediately as it is incorrect. It was reported that his staff waited three hours before advising him of the incident. A three hour delay is not instantaneous. No explanation has been proferred.
lr
January 7th, 2010
11:43 am
Agreed Trep, waste of time blog. Must be mad that Ron Paul is getting all the attention lately, had to remind people he existed.
Randall
January 7th, 2010
11:43 am
Bob…needing a little attention? Trying to stir your way back into the news? This is neither new nor unexpected. We are cursed with both parties being corrupt to the core and we can expect the behavior to continue.
Bob
January 7th, 2010
11:43 am
I was really assured when Obama read his statement while in Hawaii….looking like he was upset at the terrorist for screwing up has vacation schedule. Then we find out, the National Counterterrorism Director, Michael Leiter, didn’t bother to get off the ski slopes and find out what was going on either!
The question at this point is real simple: Would you feel safe flying on a plane with the current lack of security, and the current lack of concern from the leadership team?
I don’t, and won’t!
Dan
January 7th, 2010
11:44 am
Mark or anyone, can you list a few amendments that made it into the bill that were proposed by Republicans. I hear all the time that they have been shut out and would like to know what they proposed made it into the bills.
Leroy Jenkins
January 7th, 2010
11:45 am
First sentence: “though” should be “through”. This article is exactly why Bob Barr is irrelevant. Tool.
Tom Pullen
January 7th, 2010
11:45 am
Amen, Bob
Bill
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
You cannot be serious! If this isn’t a classic case of the pot calling the kettle “black,” I don’t know what it is. Liberal Democrats lambasted GWB for not responding quickly enough to 9/11 and to Katrina, when his response time was no greater than that of President Obama.
Partisans on both sides need to take a time out or sit in a corner for a while. Say, 20 years or so.
Dan
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
Isolated incident? We just had a jihadist shoot up 8 people on a military base! Look at it this way, Cheney is to Obama as Gore is to Bush.
hawkije
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
What the Hell let’s just go ahead and give Chairman Maobama and his peeps full control. I want my brown shirt and ball cap with the Hammer and Cycle before I die. I can’t wait for my children and grandchildren to grow up as Socialist I mean doesn’t all of the Socialist countries have the best of everything?
Vinny C
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
Are you people serious? Democrats bi-partisan? Am I the only who remembers how disgusting and nasty liberals and even the mainstream media were towards W? Now the same people put a mindless nitwit (aka Obama) on a pedestal. No it wasn’t Obama at the airport screwing up and letting this pieve of garbage through the gate. But he is the President and it happened on his watch. As a leader you are responsible for all that your subordinates do, and DO NOT do. That’s how it is….deal with it.
Tony
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
Government can not, and should not, have a finger in every aspect of our lives. Government should defend our interests and secure our border. PERIOD. Conservatives are not greedy or selfish for saying NO to out of control spending on bailouts, prescription drugs, health care, and other pork barrel scams to “create jobs”. If government secures the border and protects our interests, then the jobs will come.
The worst decisions made by people are during a crisis situation. Creating a “crisis” in order to radically expand the role of government in our lives does not make us safe or free.
Mike A.
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
Yes Louella, your post is totally lacking in ugliness. I think you have labeled about six different things with meaningless labels while adding nothing of substance.
Thank you for your lovely reasoning.
I am going to go back to tea-bagging now.
Jake
January 7th, 2010
11:46 am
Louella, I assume you are female given your handle. If so, don’t you feel a bit queasy about using a pornographic term to refer to the greatest group of common sense people rising up against the attack on our personal freedoms. I am incensed by the use of that term ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, against ANYONE. SHAME ON YOU!
I look for an even larger group this next summer. Don’t you? And using that porno term won’t stop them either.
As for Bob Barr, he is done, out of it and is only trying to get a few more minutes of fame. Not deserved in this case. Obama is WEAK on protecting America.
I do think he found out that you cannot schmooze bully’s into behaving. How could he have been SO STUPID.
Now we face a year of lost time in fighting for America’s safety and we get more teleprompter speeches with his oh so practiced self indignation. WOE is us until the next round of elections and only the electorate can fix this. To do otherwise is SUICIDE.
SPD
January 7th, 2010
11:48 am
Bob did manage to get two words correct here – asinine and Obama. I’ll leave it to the public school graduates to assemble them in the proper order on how this event was handled…
Bob – this article represents what is wrong in so much of today’s journalism – you slam other for being partisan while the tone and verbiage of your entire article is…partisan. Go figure…
Chris
January 7th, 2010
11:49 am
Bob Barr = douche nozzle
Catherine
January 7th, 2010
11:49 am
Louella – And which side are you on? (Tea-baggers?) Who came up with that phrase and if you’re on the Right why are you using it? Name one thing the Right says about the Left on Air that is equally as UGLY!!!
There are only two parties in this country according to Dennis Prager and I agree with him. The Evil Party and the Stupid party. And of which one do you think Bob Barr is a member?
And to Joel Edge they are now profiling. There are several countries on the list, but I bet you have not heard about it, because not many are talking about it. If this had been a Bush/Cheney list of countries, the Drive-By Media would be howling from the roof-tops.
And one more thing Compromise is what got us into this mess, if Republicans stuck to their conservative values and beliefs, we would be in the majority and the Obama’s presidency would be a blib on the radar.
cluelessinky
January 7th, 2010
11:49 am
What troubled me most was the cavalier way Barry spoke about the incident. Reagan would never sit in the Oval office without wearing a jacket and tie, and W, think of him what you will, was always dressed apropriately for the occasion. But Barry seems to think he exudes cool and that whatever persona he wishes to exhibit will be accepted by the people. I want a professional CEO in the WH and not a Dean Martin want-to-be!
Brent
January 7th, 2010
11:49 am
Bob: You used to be someone who stood for something. I can’t help but think you’d have a different opinion if your wife, children, or grand children were on that flight. Your misplaced angst is an insult to all those who were on that flight. You need a back-bone transplant!
RonC
January 7th, 2010
11:50 am
Compare BO’s reaction when his vacationing friends child was injured! That says it all, if you cannot or refuse to see that you will always cry foul or partisan.
So, no thank you Mr. Barr I will continue to hold him accountable. It is his job he asked for it, he campaigned for it, now grow up and shoulder the burden of responsibility.
Jeff
January 7th, 2010
11:51 am
Are you serious? Criticism is no longer allowed against the Messiah Obama? it is our DUTY to call out the president no matter who it is. and regarding issues of National Security, nothing is off base.
Joe
January 7th, 2010
11:51 am
I agree Mr Barr. As a conservative, I’ve watched with concern as the Right falls all over themselves attacking Obama for this bogus “failure” (that even Obama’s now copping to). It’s important that the Right not blow their obvious current advantage by acting like morons and jackels given only half a chance. The election of 2010 is still a long way off and there is plenty of opportunity to screw it up before then. Take an allegience to the Truth instead of mindless partisanship and the election is yours. Fail to do so and I will sit it out along with millions of other Conservatives still PO’d about the candidate you tried to make us vote for last time. It won’t work anymore. Get real.
Bryan
January 7th, 2010
11:51 am
This blog is too funny. Obama is the king of flip-floppers, more so than Kerry ever was. From the war, to healthcare, to transparency…you name it. He has an identity crisis. Now, the left-winged media are crying foul because politicians/people in general are wanting a quicker response? This is so lame. Obama needs to man-up and be more open to the American people, come to our country’s defense quicker. Are we sure he wasn’t on the slopes with Leiter ignoring these terror threats??
Tom Driscoll
January 7th, 2010
11:53 am
The President has a responsibilty to the citizens of this country. This man seems lacking and naive. This is not a warm fuzzy world and wheather or not he likes it, we engaged in a war.
WT
January 7th, 2010
11:54 am
What’s the matter Barr???? The Right wouldn’t embrace you so now you are sucking up to the Left???? Maybe MSNBC will hire you? Is that what your reaching for? You want to be Scarboroughs (who’s be reduced to a Panty Wearing Sniffling Liberal) sidekick? Get a life moron.
Ron
January 7th, 2010
11:55 am
What was substantive about his response? I disagree that promising to “hold them accountable” is substance.
- This was allegedly planned by former GITMO inhabitants. Closure still make sense? If so, why?
- A significant problem in the 9-11 commission report was our inability to share info in order to identify threats. Does prosecuting CIA interrogators and Navy SEALs detrimentally affect our ability to communicate?
- This man isn’t a US citizen, was not wearing a uniform and was not fighting on behalf of a country. Thus, he has no rights under the Constitution or the Geneva Convention. He has few even under open interpretation of international law. Why did we read him Miranda rights and give him a lawyer?
Any of these answers might have provided substance. There was none in any of Obama’s blame throwing free-for-alls since Christmas.
Jeff
January 7th, 2010
11:55 am
“For heaven’s sake, the president was briefed on the incident from the moment it occured”
No actually they didn’t wake him up at 3am and waited 3 hours before waking him to tell him about it.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/out_to_lunch_living_out_disaster_BwhJp705q5sfseCQITjKbK
Seeing as how you got this fact wrong, why should anyone believe the rest of your opinion?
Jason Sanborn
January 7th, 2010
11:55 am
And if it were G.W. Michael Moore would have a movie made about it already. The point is that Obama is embracing the same people that want to kill us. He is using words to diminish the threat while he does not thing to protect us. Thank God for the American Citizens on that plane, that was the ONLY system that worked. Barr, you are an idiot. Past being relevant and just looking for a headline. Congratulations, you have it and the liberal rag, AJC published it.
To think that people call Boortz’s comments dangerous.
LettersToLiberals.blogspot.com
chelydra
January 7th, 2010
11:56 am
Mr. Barr, please do us a favor and pull your head out of your backside before writing. For the past eleven months the Federal government has been under the leadership of (mmmm, mmmm, mmmm) Barack Hussein Obama. This failure occured on HIS watch and he deserves every bit of criticism he gets. Or are you just going to try to put the dog-eared Race Card into play here?
Ed from Justice
January 7th, 2010
11:56 am
Here is the difference……… when W was president any potential terrorist knew that some things were for sure. If they were caught, they would go to a prisoner of war camp called Gitmo. They didn’t know what would happen to them while they were there, but it wouldn’t be good. They would also have some aggressive interrogation tactics applied so we could find out who and what they knew. They would not be given rights as citizens of the US and some pro bono lawyers, so that six or eight months from now a deal could be cut. Hopefully no one’s family was hurt or killed because we didn’t have the intel. I am sick of us worrying about the rights of terrorists. If my daughter was on a plane these creeps tried to blow up,I would want the suspect water boarded to who laid the rail. Bottom line, an agressive stance at least keeps their heads down. They don’t respect or fear president Obama. I think he really believes that if we present ourselves as a more friendly country we will get some help. Maybe, but meantime, I don’t want any American to have to die to prove him wrong.
TJ
January 7th, 2010
11:57 am
Thank you Mr Barr. We have to get over this partisan mindset.
National Security should NEVER be a partisan issue. Just like everyone got behind Bush after 9/11 – we need to stay behind Obama – because it’s STILL after 9/11. If you want to be a partisan – attack taxes or health care reform…..attack Obama as Party Head……not Obama as our Commander In Chief.
Get behind the President. Call him out for mistakes, but use common sense…..there was no mistake here. This was a wake up call, and points to weaknesses that we might not have an answer for. It’s not Obama’s fault just like the shoe bomber wasn’t Bush’s.
Eric
January 7th, 2010
11:58 am
“the president was briefed on the incident from the moment it occured”
LIE – he was asleep for three hours before being told what happened. It would help to get facts straight as is pointed out.
Chris Abbott
January 7th, 2010
11:58 am
I remember the Katrina attacks on W and they were unfounded in my view! W was accussed of, not only taking forever to react after the storm, but was also accussed of being a Racist and not caring about the black population of New Oleans to get them out of the city. Noone seems to remember though that it was Mayor Nagan’s responsibility to get them out and HE failed miserably! Typical left wing spin.
WarEagle
January 7th, 2010
11:59 am
Bob, it is asinine comments like this that convinced me to vote for the Constitution Party and not the Libertarian Party in the last presidential election.
Duke
January 7th, 2010
12:00 pm
The problem is TRUST. How can you trust an Administration that does not honor the Constitution, that has an enormous LUST for power and uses it, and could care less for the future of this country. Actions are speaking louder than any opponent’s words. That is a FACT! By the way, 2010 will bring to new areas of probable disaster to these United States: a Food Shortage and an unbelieveable increase in CRIME. Watch these two develop.
Brian Goettl
January 7th, 2010
12:01 pm
Two points. First, Barr is wrong when he said Obama waited for three days and gathered all the facts. Obama’s first statement was that the attack was by an isolated extremist. By the weekend, Obama had to acknowledge it was an al-Queada attack. Barr has bought into the Obama bs, hook, line and sinker.
Second, the partisan attacks began with the Bork nomination in (1987?). The liberals like Ted Kennedy were vicious in their attacks. The same can be said of the attacks against Bob Packwood, and Clarence Thomas. One needs to simply visit far left wing extremists websites like The Daily Kos, to see the level of invective of the far left. Or, one could simply re-watch the bubble media attacks on Sarah Palin to see that type of contemptuous behaviour.
Barr’s attack on conservative attacks on Obama, appears to be the assinine assertion.
Christian
January 7th, 2010
12:02 pm
WHAW!! CRY ME A RIVER!! CRY ME A FRICKIN RIVER!! You didn’t say that at any point for the previous president. Now that you nut-jobs are in charge you are incapable of leading – leading starts with taking responsibility for things that happen under your watch – you know – HOW BUSH TOOK IT! Shut up and take your medicine cry baby.
Diogenes
January 7th, 2010
12:03 pm
Ho hum – once again here goes the inept Bob Barr, who BOTCHED the impeachment of the Perjurer President, Bill Clinton, trying to get national attention in the state-sponsored media, by attacking the evil Darth Vader of the Republican Party. This random, pitiful, poorly written opinion piece, totally avoids the entire point of the criticisms of the White House by Vice President Cheney as well as many, many other informed people. Obama’s first instinct, as always, was to blame Bush. Before he even had the facts, Obama said the “system” put in place by the Bush administration, was at fault, not individuals in the Obama administration. More importantly, Obama declared that the “suspect”, who he would NOT identify as a terrorist, or even a suspected terrorist, was an isolated actor. I could repeat many other criticisms, which have been brought to light by VP Cheney and many others; but I suspect that Barr has heard all of those things. He is simply an attention-starved has been, or never-was, trying to get his face back in front of a camera.
Ted B
January 7th, 2010
12:04 pm
Why should Obama have acted immmediately? He had his appointed National Security Czar/idiot,Janet Napolitano, gather no informaiton and go on one of the Obama networks and state that the system worked as it as it should have. I was shocked that the reporter did not question her as to how the islamic goon got on the plane with explosives if everyhting worked as it was supposed to. These are the types of liberal, socialist loons advising Pres BO.
jilliangood
January 7th, 2010
12:04 pm
Perhaps he would get less criticism if he were not so smirking, smug and obnoxious. The less I see of him, the better.
Laura
January 7th, 2010
12:06 pm
Mr Barr – you are the one that needs to get your facts straight. President Obama was not notified to at least 2 hours AFTER the plane was on the ground in Detroit (heck even the Huffington post is reporting that one). His first briefing with advisors was only 15 minutes and then we was off to a workout. He then waiting 3 days (the incident happened on the 25th (in the morning Hawaii time) and he didn’t address the public until 12/28 in the afternoon (Hawaii time).
He wanted the job of President and he said he fully understood what that entailed and he was ready for that 3am call……. well it appears he wasn’t. This was someone trying to attack us on Christmas day using means that had been used before (the attack on the Saudi Prince) and he was sitting right over the gas tank of the plane. Yes,the partisan needs to be stop on both sides but the President also needs to step up and run this country and provide for its safety. That is the job he wanted and we believed that he could do it. I have serious doubts about that.
Don Wayt
January 7th, 2010
12:06 pm
I have to agree completely. Even though I am not an Obama supporter I do think that he handled the situation properly. Those who complain that they did it to Bush so it is okay to trash Obama forget the class that President Bush handled things with by refusing to continue to blame President Clinton. That is true presidential class.
Mike M
January 7th, 2010
12:07 pm
Why is Barr sending the Whaaaaaambulance to the White House on this one? This wasn’t a “security incident”, it was a terrorist attack with clear ties to Al Qaeda, and the only reason it failed because the terrorist was stopped by private citizens after a waterfall of failures by the government. We wait days for a response from Obama, and today we get a whole seperate press release telling us, “Get ready for this one guys, you’re gonna be shocked at how bad we blew it!” This earns an empassioned defense from Barr? Sorry, but this is why Barr and the Libertarian Party wasn’t and will never be ready for prime time.
Simone
January 7th, 2010
12:09 pm
I think Bob should proof-read his article before trying to sound so intelligent. As soon as I see a spelling error or obvious error in grammar, I’m done and the writer no longer has any credibility.
Sorry Bob!
BarrBeeQue
January 7th, 2010
12:11 pm
Barr and the Libertarian Party will never be ready for prime time.
ShayneInDallas
January 7th, 2010
12:12 pm
Golly, Bob. I love your outrage. Why didn’t you make similar comments when Bush was blasted because he didn’t leap from a classroom on 9/11 while the Secret Service and Defense Department were trying to assess the situation and his safety? Why didn’t you make similar comments when he was blasted for playing golf (as Obama was doing)? You have no idea how tired Americans are of the Democratics, do you? By the way, will you be appearing on the C-Span coverage of the healthcare negotiations?
Tronist
January 7th, 2010
12:12 pm
To be bi-partison is to be without principles is to be without morals.
JC
January 7th, 2010
12:13 pm
The sweet voice of reason! I appreciated your courage and honesty, Bob. Most of the Republican propaganda and criticism has turned nihilistic. No mere mortal president deserves the abuse heaped on this man, who is one of the most thoughtful and rational people ever to be president. He was handed the Titanic after it struck an iceberg. We are all on this sinking ship unless we work together and stop the constant, irrational and half-crazed attacks. Give the man a fair chance, for God’s sake. Americans used to be fair and decent folk who worked together against adversity. What have we become?
johs
January 7th, 2010
12:13 pm
Sarah, In my mind (which could admittedly be uninformed and/or warped) the Republicans have had some good ideas (like allowing interstate competition among health insurance providers), However they have remained inflexible on both idiological issues like abortion language, and practical issues like the public option and expansion of Medicare without offering effective alternatives to bring down costs (as measured by the non-partisan CBO. The Republican strategy looks to me like one that is utterly political in nature and not one of concern for the American people who are suffering (me among them) at the hands of our healthcare system.
None of the Republican ideas were even allowed in the House and were pretty much disregarded in the Senate except for some input in only one committee until the dems decided it was time to quit discussion.
Since one of the single biggest cost of health care is defensive medicine caused by lopsided court case judgement and higher insurance rates on doctors forcing them to practice highly defensive medicine if they wanted to stay in business, it speaks volumes about the seriousness of the dems for cost control. It also speaks volumes by omitting the 200 billion that will be paid to doctors due to low reinbursement rates on mdicare so the CBO doesn’t score it just to fool the public about the cost. It also speaks volumes about the dems that they would use 500 billion in medicare cost savings that hae never before, nor will ever be seen after the bill is passed. With 30 million new patients and the reimbursement rate for doctors on medicare at roughly 50% according to the Mayo clinic, the shortage of doctors willing to take the elderly as patients will be even more staggering than it is now. The additional costs to the states for medicade will be enormous and that amount is not included in the CBO numbers. States like California, Michigan, and Texas will huge populations of the portion of the 30 million who’s premiums will be subsidized will go bankrupt, California and Michigan long before Texas due to the fiscal responsiblity of lower taxes and better corporate business environment differences in the 2 states. The CBO only gets to score what Pelosi and Reid let them score, they don’t have a free hand to give the American public an honest answer.
Big Pharma is also taking us to the cleaners. It seems very odd that dems think transfering wealth to big health insurance carriers is some sort of reform. Dems like this plan because it creates a huge voting bloc reliant on government and paid for by republicans, independents, an a small percentage of the democrat base.
JD
January 7th, 2010
12:14 pm
This is the second terrorist act committed on U.S. soil since the beginning of the Obama administration and all you can do is complain about the comments of a former vice president! Walking in lockstep with a president and a party that refuses to take responsibility for it’s own administration and who cannot be trusted to defend a nation, you choose to blame the former president while not even comprehending the connection between this “single security incident” and the events in Fort Hood. This president chooses to treat this act of war as a law enforcement problem which guarantees rights to individuals who are not given these same rights under the U.S. Constitution or the Geneva Convention. This president may not like the phrase “War On Terror” but it seems the terrorists are at war with the U.S. This begs the question Mr. President…Are you at war with them? Mr. Barr, it’s time to put down that glass of Kool-Aid and start smelling the coffee!
Bob Chase
January 7th, 2010
12:16 pm
Bob,
What changed your tune? As a staunch conservative I think its about time Republicans or RINOs get back to Reagan economics and readopting the view most American’s feel our role should be in the world, as Reagan did. We have no time left for pasty faced politicians who are in over their heads to make incredibly dumb decisions which in the end will endanger all Americans.
ADM
January 7th, 2010
12:17 pm
Jack Parkman
January 7th, 2010
7:34 am
What’s with all the spelling errors? Consservative? Assinine? Long-simemring? Copy editor must’ve had a bad day.
Jack, either take your meds or get some glasses. There are no spelling errors.
Mike5150
January 7th, 2010
12:19 pm
I know….People are acting like he continued to sit down reading with children for SEVEN MINUTES! I’m going to go back to your past blogs to read what you said defending Bush on that. I bet you really let the left have it. I can’t wait.
Keith
January 7th, 2010
12:19 pm
I believe the biggest criticism from conservatives is the handling of this terrorist as a legal matter and granting him the rights of an imprisoned American citizen, including Obama’s description of the young man as an “alleged” “suspect”. Can you try to justify that for Obama?
nodoubt1
January 7th, 2010
12:21 pm
Thanks for introducing some common sense and civility into the debate. We need both parties to provide intelligent and constructive criticism of one another. There is no other way to counter the pet theories, sacred cows, and delusions that each party keeps repeating to themselves. Climate change and energy policy needs a more careful analysis before we hang ourselves with false assumptions and misguided priorities. Capitalism needs effective regulation to prevent excessive concentrations of wealth and power, to resist development of a permanent underclass, and further the development of a healthy and prosperous middle class. Otherwise, the system will destroy itself with monopoly, imperialism, and class warfare. A stable and balance political system is essential for continued progress. Meanwhile, health care can not be allowed to exceed its present share of GDP; nor is it going to be politically feasible to keep pushing folks out of the system. Republicans had a great chance to deal with that issue but choose to avoid it so we are where we are now. What is the conservative plan to breaking the political power of the health care and Wall Street money/power combines?
Abe_labbad
January 7th, 2010
12:21 pm
I don’t agree with you Bob, since Obama look at this type of attack as a criminal issue and seek to provide Civil Right. Additionally the fact that he took time to make a comment would not be as big an issue by itself; Look at the comments “The system worked” “this was a lone unaffiliated crazy person” all of which proved to be contrary to known facts at the time the statements were made. These comments combined with relaxed reaction is contrary to a Presidents first duty “Keeping us SAFE”
Bob I was always a fan of your, but something has gone wrong with your prospective in the last few years.
Gregory W. MacPherson
January 7th, 2010
12:21 pm
Are you supposed to be someone intelligent, because your writing style suggests that you are, and yet your statements are neither arguments nor intelligent, simply insulting and denigrating. Schoolchildren can call names better than you can – perhaps I should suggest that to your editor – they probably work for less as well.
If you had military experience or foreign policy experience, you would never make the mistake of separating Foot Hood and Detroit, but instead would see the connection of those and other events from a strategic view. From there, you would easily conclude that the responses by the administration to the strategy that the two episodes exemplify are amateurish, uncoordinated, and impotent.
True, the Bush administration also created the “security theater” of TSA and DHS. While they might be partially forgiven for responding to pressure from the American public to “do something” in the wake of the 9-11 attacks, this administration cannot be forgiven because (a) the programs have been in place for years – long enough to evaluate their effectiveness and results, and (b) continued attacks have defeated arguments in favor of ignoring or denying that true enemies both exist and are competent. The diaper bomber was not unsuccessful; in fact, he was eighty percent successful. The only reason we are not mourning the passengers of that flight is user error, nothing more saved them from certain death.
Ultimately, neither administration’s responses are adequate to keep the American people safe. Unless and until the United States stops playing a defensive game, the Muslim terrorists will continue to find and to exploit our weaknesses. Moreover, unless and until sycophants and apologists for the Obama administration allow the military and intelligence communities to hunt down and destroy the terrorist leadership, attacks will continue and lives will be lost.
LogicalOne
January 7th, 2010
12:22 pm
Perhaps if you, Bob Barr, would spend more time reading Cheney’s statement rather than consuming the MSNBC Kool-Aid you could put the dots together. The criticism is for this administration’s systematic and persistent actions which indicate our retreat in the War on Terror — and how this retreat has made us vulnerable to acts such as the present one.
Andrew
January 7th, 2010
12:22 pm
You just reminded me of why I didn’t vote for you, Obama or McCain this last election. Thanks for the reminder Bobby.
Minister James
January 7th, 2010
12:24 pm
The Ku Klux Klan was a political party too and people thought they were right. Some of your comments would still be in line with that way of thinking today. Cheney is a profiteer from the deaths of thousands of American soldiers; men and women. You people would follow this draft dodger anywhere.
buck
January 7th, 2010
12:24 pm
I think bob barr has been working at the aclu too long maybe he should sit down and read some quotes of mr. baldwin!!!!! he might actually realize he’s become a “useful idiot”
arynolds
January 7th, 2010
12:24 pm
Bob Barr is a booger eating moron. Why would anyone in the intelligence game risk being put on the line to answer questions about putting someone on such a high profile list without a mountain of evidence, after the way Obama and Pelosi have ravaged the CIA and other intelligence agencies? Just look at how the Navy seals are being treated for punching a well known and extremely dangerous terrorist.
What Bob also doesn’t mention is that Obama’s lack of management experience and his view of terrorism as a “criminal” activity caused him to put the wrong people in charge (Janet Napolitano) who failed to uncover the problems supposedly caused by Bush. I don’t remember having these issues after 9/11 while Bush was in charge. Are we to believe that we were only lucky? Are we to believe that the terrorists are just now coming after us again?
Obama FAILED you idiot – twice! He is continuing to fail us because he is not making any substantive changes. He is only putting a band aid on the issue because he doesn’t have the brains or guts to make changes that will correct this issue. One phone call to the Israelis would give him all the ideas he needs, and they wouldn’t think about using full body scanners.
Obama and Barr are complete tools.
rockman
January 7th, 2010
12:24 pm
arnold; The REPUBLICANS have been overly nasty??? You must be joking, insane, or just not paying attention. I’m not a Republican myself but come on. You say this with a straight face while the pit bulls Pelosi, Reid, Obama, Schumer, Emanuel, et al, make incendiary remarks CONSTANTLY about the Republicans. Get real.
dmartin
January 7th, 2010
12:28 pm
What is truly partisan is the fact that you did not write these words in defense of our previous president. George Bush was not only criticized for his actions after the worst attack in American history; He was demonized. Crying foul in the name of bi-partisanship only after “YOUR guy” is criticized is laughable.
Dwight in Lawrenceville
January 7th, 2010
12:28 pm
I obviously made a mistake supporting Bob Barr when he ran against Linder for the US House. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again, should Barr have any future ambitions.
Phil
January 7th, 2010
12:29 pm
Bob, while I think that most can agree that the flaws in our intelligence and security apparatus pre-date this Administration, this President deserves every bit of criticism coming his way. Not so much for the slow public response or any other of semi-trivial details you cited. No, what he deserves is criticism for personifying and re-engendering the attitude of the pre-9/11 mentality. How does one expect that those whose charge it is to protect us – in the military, the intelligence services, in the airport – will function properly when the President has said in words and deeds that we are not at war? That these are isolated acts? The alleged crimes of a few alleged extremists? His Justice Department moves to demonize and indeed prosecute CIA interrogators. Does a sane person believe they will continue to do their duty to the fullest? A court martial will soon take place for Navy SEALs who punched a terrorist in his poor little tummy. Should a reasonable person think that a President concerned about our troops would weigh in and put the clamps on this nonsense? The airport screeners are still scrutinizing Grandma Myrtle from Alabama as closely as they are Akhmed from Arabia. What we are seeing now with these recent attacks is the culmination of the politicization, undertaken by the President’s political party, of the Federal Government’s most significant function – the protection of its citizenry from attack. This President has played a large role in bringing us to this juncture and deserves no passes when it comes to the laughable, but frightening, state of affairs. In going out of your way to demonstrate your objectivity, you have forgotten the object.
Neil
January 7th, 2010
12:32 pm
Is this the same idiot, Bob Barr, that helped Obama win with his stupid third party run for president?
BillyG
January 7th, 2010
12:33 pm
You know what’s asinine? For over 6 yrs those on the right had to listen to the incessant snivelling of the left regarding W’s invading Iraq. And now you have a democrat President, elected mainly on the color of his skin (so you’ll tell that he’d still be President if he were white huh?), that is taking the most major steps to socialize America since FDR used the Depression to usher in his rubbish, who has the benefit of media protection and we still have guys like Barr here trying to cover up for the most incompetent, ineffectual leader of America in my lifetime, and possibly her total history. Obama couldn’t inspire me to drink water in the middle of Death Valley. You got Obama as the Great Deceiver and his partner Algore as the False Prophet, welcome to Armageddon. I know I’m racist radical… if that’s true, I’d still prefer to be that, than one of you democrats stuck in your own media bubble which I affectionately call the MATRIX. I got a red pill for you tho…
JCR
January 7th, 2010
12:34 pm
So that’s the opinion of a mainstream Libertarian nowadays. Vow! That’s pretty harsh on government.
Old Sailor
January 7th, 2010
12:34 pm
Who is the BARR guy. I can tell he thinks that Barry and Mooshell can walk on water but I just don’t think that is at all possible.
Maybe he needs to go back to Junior High School and start over from GO.
Contrary to what Barry and others may think, he is not the Messiah that he would like all of the voters to think he is.
He is for higher taxes, more government controls, more government jobs, a bigger trough for the Senators and Representatives to eat from.
The list goes on and on. Welcome to Barry’s world.
jilliangood
January 7th, 2010
12:34 pm
Still blaming Bush for Katrina? Why did I never hear a word of criticism for the democrat mayor of New Orleans and the democrat governor of Louisiana? The mayor left for Texas and nothing was ever seen of the governor. Go to hell, Bush bashers.
cj
January 7th, 2010
12:35 pm
Mr. Barr, I don’t remember you calling those on your side of the political isle were being “asinine” because President George W. Bush finished his reading to the second graders the morning September 11th.
You, sir, are a horse’s arse for defending this potentially devastating terrorist attack simply because you are unable to separate your partisanship from your citizenship in the greatest Republic this world has produced.
JD
January 7th, 2010
12:35 pm
The midterm elections are coming, America…Don’t act stupidly!
b' en natuf
January 7th, 2010
12:35 pm
Enter your comments here Way pff base bpb. I don’y care a whit about how long it took him to say something, on that I’ll agree. But, the problem was not long simmering. As Fauxbama like to point out he “ingeritted” much… inclufing a working security sustem. The provlem is as plain as the egg on your dace. Leadership/ Is there any wonder that on the first Xmas after Guxh left office, the firsy one without warnings to be extra vigilant, this happenned? No its not, because of a lack of docusm a lack of urgency, and the penchant of the fauxbamites to believe their campaign rhetoric. Tell me bob that you don’t remeber them all claiming that at each holiday, anicersery or event that Bish announced extra measures of vigilance them claiming he was “playingf on our fears” and using terror as a political prop. If you don’t yu mist have been asleep at the wheel or suffering from your own bout with BDS. Once again Bush is bindicated and Fauxvama is shown to ve the not ready for orime time neophite he is. Leadership vov… thats the problem.
Sam was right
January 7th, 2010
12:36 pm
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and tr…ansmitted them to us with care and diligence. ~ Samuel Adams
deathportal
January 7th, 2010
12:36 pm
Personally, I don’t think we should do ANYTHING. And I know you’ll all think I’m nuts for saying that. But all that’s going to end up happening is, more hassles and regulations for law-abiding Americans, and nothing else but the potential for further terrorist attacks. The War on Terror is a farce and it’s unwinnable. Rather than escalating it every time we’re attacked, we ought to think twice about what happens EVERY TIME WE ESCALATE IT….MORE terrorist recruitment, and future attacks.
I think our Mid-East intervention is sort of like hitting a bee hive with a stick. You’re going to get stung. But instead of STOPPING hitting the bee hive with the stick, we just get a bigger stick and swing harder. How smart is that, seriously? These wars we’re in were NOT legally declared, meaning we are nothing more than invaders in someone else’s homeland.
Do I side with the Muslim terrorists? No, I think they’re nuts. But seriously, when are we going to stop inadvertantly justifying their cause in the name of “National Security?”
Sam was right
January 7th, 2010
12:36 pm
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. ~ Samuel Adams
Sam
January 7th, 2010
12:37 pm
Sorry, Bob, but you’re the one that’s way off base on this. The President seems to have done everything in his power to avoid taking responsibility – personal responsibility – for the failures of his administration. He’s blaming the CIA (one of the few organizations actually out fighting the war on terror and killing terrorists) while defending Janet Napolitano (who isn’t sure whether the system worked or not). He’s passing the buck, rather than the buck stopping with him. That, sir, is weakness, if ever it existed.
rrm
January 7th, 2010
12:37 pm
Where the hell am I? Thanks Drudge, I’m reading an article called the Barr Code? How is this guy relevant to anything?