In Chris Matthews's view, Mitt Romney's bumbling response to the crisis in Libya showed just how "desperate" the former Massachusetts governor is to "secure political advantage."
The Republican presidential nominee was skewered by the Hardball host for jumping the gun in his reaction to the attacks, in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya was killed amid riots over a YouTube clip that mocked Islam's Prophet Mohammad.
As the film, reportedly made by an Israeli-American living in California, began fueling outrage throughout the Arab world on Tuesday, the U.S. embassy in Cairo put out a statement—not cleared by Washington—condemning the "continuing efforts by misguided individuals" to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.
Romney's campaign issued a statement Tuesday night calling it "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."
But Romney was wrong. The embassy's statement had come at a time when no embassies had yet been attacked. Only after that statement was released did rioters storm the U.S. Embassy in both Benghazi, Libya, and Cairo, Egypt.
Several hours later, news broke that Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans had been killed in the attacks.
Romney then held a press event Wednesday morning doubling down on his factually-challenged criticism of the president.
The Huffington Post's Howard Fineman agreed with Matthews. "He got the facts wrong," Fineman said. Romney got "discredited for having jumped in too fast and he doesn't' have the friends in politics to defend him."
High-profile Republicans like John McCain and others in the GOP establishment have not defended Romney. Time's Mark Halperin, who earlier in the day called the Republican's actions "craven and ill-advised," said on Hardball that "if [Romney] has good points to make about how this shows a failure of the president's leadership, let him make it in a day or two, not when [the country] is in the midst of a crisis, when the country should be coming together to address a still volatile situation."
President Obama told CBS on Wednesday that Romney's response exemplifies his "tendency to shoot first and aim later." When asked if he felt Romney's actions were irresponsible, Obama responded: "I'll let the American people judge that."
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Again he shows just how unready he is to be the leader of my America! this flap trap needs to shut his cake hole and think first speak later if at all. What kind of leader would he make just look and listen for a second and you will know he is not fit for anything having to do with humans or animals for that matter. Just shut up!
Now I know why none of his followers don't read the facts first, Because he doesn't read the facts either. What a bumbling fool. Not someone we need leading our country.
When asked if he felt Romney's actions were irresponsible, Obama responded: "I'll let the American people judge that."
I am part of the American People and his actions were irresponsible!!!
Agree with Chris Matthews, Mitt is desperate! Even a Conservative blog today is calling Mitt out!
Romney = opportunistic moron.
So, does "twitter diplomacy" actually work? Will Mitt's foreign-affairs-via-social-media be the new diplomatic tool that puts him over the top with American voters?
Romney will never be president because he either can't stop or wont stop shagging turds. Every time he thinks he catches the President in some lacking of leadership, it splats right in his arrogant face.
"Sarah Palin has a constituency of people who wear rubber noses and have bells on their shoes." - Ron Reagan, Hardball September 12, 2012. ROFLMAO. I know, a little off-topic, but OMG it was funny. Laughed til it hurt!
How many lives did Romney cost? Isn't that the measure Dems use against bush?
so not ready for prime time!
Obama must be desperate to campaign on the day that he should be planning a strategy to deal with the crisis at hand. But.... Campaigning is much more important than consoling families of the lost, figuring out what to do next, meeting with teams of advisors. No, No, NO, we've got to be in NV raising money, no time to actually be president. He might need to get in a golf game too before the important things get in his way.
Romney needs to engage his brain before opening his mouth. He is such a joke and a liar.
Mark Halperin you, to coin a phrase you like to use, are a Dick!
Tonight, on Hardball, Halperin repeated several of Romney’s unjustified criticisms of the
president. He directed us to Romney’s
book- like that’s going to happen- because it describes why Romney got into
this race. Halperin stated “Romney feels that this incident
reveals things about the President’s leadership that he feels very strongly
about.” Now how would Halperin know the
exact thoughts about how Romney feels about this incident? It must be in Romney’s
book. Maybe he had breakfast with Romney this morning? Just asking. He strongly believes
that the President has been too apologetic on behalf of the United States. Then
Halperin stuttered through the next sentence as if he was adding something that
was not on the script. He said, “There are people saying that in this case, and
others, the President wasn’t apologizing for the United States.” Then he went
back to a Romney talking point, and said that “Romney thinks the President is
not managing Foreign Policy well.” Halperin then said, “Mitt
Romney had at least one legitimate issue,
or one that caught their eye, which was the statement released by the US Embassy
in Cairo Egypt, before the attacks,
which condemned an anti-Islam film that was the pretext for riots in Cairo and
Benghazi. His justification for seeing this as a failure in Foreign Policy is
according now to Halperin, it was, “Not the best worded
statement possible” and acknowledges that the embassy may have had immediate
reasons for putting it out but that in that part of the world, there is a
management question from the State Department that needs to be looked at in
terms of how it got released on Twitter and elsewhere.”
Now. Let me tell you what
I think. Romney’s comments, and your justification for them, are, are outrageous and irresponsible. I know you think you’re
all that because of the book you co-wrote with John
Heilemann, but let me make a wild guess here and say I’m pretty sure you had even less information than
your candidate concerning the events that took place leading up to the attacks.
The statement put out by the embassy will, I’m sure, be found to have been appropriate,
even urgent, based on information they had. I’ll make another wild guess here and say,
they didn’t really feel a need to run it by you or
Romney for your approval. You also said
that, on both sides, there was an unwillingness to back down because
of an adolescent reference to testosterone. The President of the United States
does not get into adolescent fights with other men. What a ridiculous and
impulsive assessment of the situation! There’s a reason why sensitive information
related to the current status of the United States is not disclosed to
Presidential Candidates, and thank God for the policy! This is going to be just one more, of what I believe
is going to be many more, comments that questions your credibility as a political analyst, but a feather in your cap for putting
an application in to work at Fox News. And let’s not drop the ball on who is directly
responsible, once again, for the deaths of United States Diplomats by making a
film that had predictable results from fanatics.
I just can't pass up all the hate I see on this subject. Romney called it right. Our president (or his staff) shouldn't be apologizing for us being Americans. Obama hasn't gotten it right and never will. He had less experience than Romney when he ran for President and has stumbled around for nearly four years, costing us trillions in debt, our credit ratings, our economy, and numerous other expenses. Romney at least has some terrific business experience and common sense, which Obama has none of after all this time. So... Romney for 2012
Chris Matthews continues to show he is no more than a cheerleader for the White House. If Mitt Romney didn't say anything Chris would be yapping on about the Romney silence. I'm from Florida and I watched the MSNBC coverage of the RNC and DNC conventions. It is obvious to me that MSNBC is completely in the pocket of the White House.
Well, if it wasn't before, it is now: this is a "choice" election.
And I choose President Obama.
It is very clear that Mr. Romney is not ready for the complexities of US foreign policy.
Worse, it appears that Mr. Romney's ill-conceived and aggressive stance re events in Libya was in response to right wing goading by the likes of Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh.
Do we honestly want our nation's foreign policy dictated by talk radio hosts?
This week, Mr. Romney effectively disqualified himself from the office of the presidency.