MSNBC's Schultz and Wolffe Fret Over Romney 'Cheap Shot' at Jimmy Carter
On Monday's The Ed Show on MSNBC, as host Ed Schultz and MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe - formerly of Newsweek - discussed Mitt Romney's crack on President Obama that even President Carter would have had the judgment to order the killing of Osama bin Laden once the 9/11 mastermind had been found, the two MSNBC personalities fretted that Romney had taken a "cheap shot" at Jimmy Carter.
Schultz asserted that "I think he owes Jimmy Carter an apology," with Wolffe chiming in that "It's time to pay a little bit more respect than that."
And, without noting that the unemployment rate was fairly high when Carter took office, while it was already low when former President George W. Bush took office, thus making it more difficult for there to be a higher net increase in jobs during a Bush presidency, Wolffe suggested that Carter's presidency was better for the economy than the Bush administration was. Wolffe:
But here's a President who had a 10 times better job record than President Bush did. He was responsible for Camp David. That's not a bad record for anyone, certainly for someone who's had one term as a Massachusetts governor.
Below is a transcript of the relevant exchange from the Monday, April 30, The Ed Show on MNSBC:
ED SCHULTZ: I don't think Mitt Romney understands the gravity of some of the decisions that are made in the Oval Office, and I think he owes Jimmy Carter an apology. I mean, Jimmy Carter put lives on the line and made a tough call, and then had to abort the mission. And Mitt Romney, for him to say that, you know, Jimmy Carter would have made that call, what do you make of Romney's cheap shot?
I mean, I make of it that it is just that. It's low rent, it's a cheap shot, and Romney's never been there and never done that. He doesn't know what it's like to make a decision like that. To invoke a former President and his action, and to degrade him like that, your thoughts, Richard? I haven't seen this before.
RICHARD WOLFFE: Yeah, Jimmy Carter is - look, he's a prickly character, and so people - and he lost an election - so people find it easy to kick him around. But here's a President who had a 10 times better job record than President Bush did. He was responsible for Camp David. That's not a bad record for anyone, certainly for someone who's had one term as a Massachusetts governor. It's time to pay a little bit more respect than that.
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Comments
Leave it to Sgt Shultz to
Submitted by texastommy on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 7:58am.
Leave it to Sgt Shultz to imply that the Iran rescue mission was a high point for Jimmy Ca Ca's administration.
Wait. He might be right.
Schultz isn't happy with
Submitted by kg on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 9:47am.
Schultz isn't happy with Romney's "cheap shot" while praising Obama's cheap shot. Typical.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
I think Carter
Submitted by fivestring_assassin on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:05am.
owes Americans an apology for double digit inflation, double digit unemployment and double digit interest rates
if the shoe fits
Submitted by Jerry Frey on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:10am.
"Obama conceded in one television interview recently that Americans are not “better off than they were four years ago” and said in another that the nation had “gotten a little soft.” Both smacked of a man who feels discouraged and alienated and sparked comparisons to Jimmy Carter, never a good sign."
http://napoleonlive.info/politics/facts-about-no-leadership-and-you-2/
When you rush to defend Jimmy Carter, you're losing
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 12:46pm.
ED SCHULTZ: I don't think Mitt Romney understands the gravity of some of the decisions that are made in the Oval Office, and I think he owes Jimmy Carter an apology.
I'd settle for Jimmy Carter apologizing to me for his term in office.
SCHULTZ: . . . I mean, Jimmy Carter put lives on the line and made a tough call, and then had to abort the mission. . . .
That's the point, Special Ed. Historical record shows that the on-scene mission commander assessed the situation after Desert One's refueling mishap, and determined that he could still accomplish it. Carter got cold feet and aborted the mission.
SCHULTZ: . . . And Mitt Romney, for him to say that, you know, Jimmy Carter would have made that call, what do you make of Romney's cheap shot? I mean, I make of it that it is just that. It's low rent, it's a cheap shot, and Romney's never been there and never done that.
Why is it a cheap shot? Romney didn't say that Carter wouldn't have made the call. He said "even Jimmy Carter would make that call."
On the other hand, in the Obama ad, former President Bill Clinton -- how wouldn't make the call to take bin Laden when the Sudan offered him up to us -- has the gall to declare the Romney wouldn't have made it. Now that's a cheap shot!
Clinton owes Romney an apology.
SCHULTZ: . . . He doesn't know what it's like to make a decision like that. To invoke a former President and his action, and to degrade him like that, your thoughts, Richard? I haven't seen this before.
Of course you haven't seen it before. When was the last time that a Presidential campaign directly declares that the opposing candidate doesn't have the guts to be President?
RICHARD WOLFFE: Yeah, Jimmy Carter is - look, he's a prickly character, and so people - and he lost an election - so people find it easy to kick him around. But here's a President who had a 10 times better job record than President Bush did.
Oh, really? How about the double digit inflation that destroyed the nest eggs of a generation?
WOLFFE: . . . He was responsible for Camp David. That's not a bad record for anyone, certainly for someone who's had one term as a Massachusetts governor.
Camp David is a plus. His whole policy regarding Iran was disastrous and began the decades of turmultuoous relations with the Muslim world. How about his failure to deter Soviet adventurism in Afghanistan, Central America, and southern Africa?
WOLFFE: . . . It's time to pay a little bit more respect than that.
You just can't look at a slice of the bread, Wolff-ie. You gotta look at the whole loaf.
Thirty years after his reign, his Administration looks no better than it did when he left office. Please find me a Presidential historian who believes that Carter was a successful President.
Too bad for Schultzie
Submitted by HockeyKid on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:26am.
that Romney wasn't the first to make the comparison. Many pundits reacted to Obysmal's grandstanding with that same comment.
And Wolffe had better be careful how he draws comparisons, too. Saying, "certainly for someone who's had one term as a Massachusetts governor" is pretty thin ice, considering Carter had one term as Georgia governor and Wolffe thinks his record is great.
Makes you wonder if these idiots even try to exercise their brain cell before they open their yaps.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Furthermore....
Submitted by GeneralAl on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 12:38pm.
"And Wolffe had better be careful how he draws comparisons, too. Saying, "certainly for someone who's had one term as a Massachusetts governor" is pretty thin ice, considering Carter had one term as Georgia governor and Wolffe thinks his record is great."
Furthermore, The Annointed one had zero experience as anything other than a community agonizer and a "I vote present" position with the state of Illinois! Not much of a resume for the highest office in the land!
"Old Soldiers never die, they just fade away"!
Cheap shot at Carter?
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:31am.
Is that even possible? After all, Carter is directly responsible for seating Chinese Maoist trained "Robber Bob" Robert Mugabe as dictator of the former Republic of Rhodesia. Now called Zimbabwe, rife with gov't murders, starvation and corruption, Rhodesia was known as "Africa's Gem". No more.
PS- Mugabe was my motivation for referring to BHO as Obamugabe.
Bizarro World
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:38am.
Obama: Romney wouldn't have taken out bin Laden= no problem
Romney: Carter would have taken out bin Laden = cheap shot.
mb - Bizarre indeed. Heck it's despicable
Submitted by Gary Hall on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 11:00am.
Bizarre indeed. Heck it's despicable - what Obama's done here (as Huffington, herself put it yesterday).
Obama ad, and Obama's personal words on this subject, are the despicable cheap shots, and here once again, these followers of Obama in the media, are shifting the story from it's roots, to the reaction to a despicable cheap shot from Obama.
(;~/ gary
Why is no one mentioning Carter's "cheap shots"?
Submitted by Blonde on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 11:56am.
The most annoying member of the President's Club.
A new book has revealed that George H.W Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all dislike the one-term leader's insistence on making his views known publicly and continuing to do foreign policy work.
He doesn't have the sense God gave a gerbil.....he continues to opine on, and UNDERMINE the official foreign policy of our government. Idiot.
Carter deserves to be publicly derided, often and loudly.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Hey Blonde - thank you.
Submitted by Gary Hall on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 5:39pm.
Thanks so much. That's a very nice little spot. I remember the meeting with all the presidents. I did not know that George W Bush organized it.
. . . and, we'll probably never hear it repeated by the MSM again, either. Will we?
(;~> gary
I can't believe you guys are
Submitted by Hunter12 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 5:53pm.
I can't believe you guys are taking shots at Hugo Chavez' best friend.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill
MSNBC meme of the day
Submitted by Texndoc on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:41am.
I just watched 10 minutes of the slobbering Jon Meachum and Mika Boobinski praise Moaning Joe for his new column slamming Mitt Romney for "bashing" Carter. Another White House - MSNBC co-ordinated effort.
Hey, Joe! How rude Romney was to attack Carter who hasn't been in office in 40 years. I know! I know!
But what about Obama saying Romney wouldn't have killed Bin Laden, a cheap political ploy?
(insert sound of crickets) (tumbleweed blows by)
The Desert One Mission
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:41am.
I was a young sailor deployed to the western Pacific during 1979. We were almost done with our 6 month rotation and were in port, at Busan, S. Korea. We had been sent there just after their President was assassinated to "show the Flag." During that stop I saw a picture in the Stars & Stripes newspaper. It was one those showing the embassy personnel being lead through the streets of Tehran, blindfolded.
We returned to the Philippines to make preps for return to San Diego. The word came down that we were to escort the carrier Kitty Hawk to the Arabian Sea for some "diplomacy." There were about 5 other escort ships that had been on deployment with us, but all were Korean War vintage, had numerous problems with their engineering plants and were scheduled for either overhaul or deactivation. We were also due to go into the yards, but were running good.
So my ship, USS Jouett (CG-29) and the Kitty Hawk (CV-63) went to show the flag. We didn't even have an asset forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan to join us right away. We did have company in the form of Soviet intelligence gathering ships right away, but didn't see another US ship for a couple of weeks. Within a month we also had the carrier Midway (CV-41), and her battle group, join us from Japan.
I'd been on my first hitch in the Army during Carter's early years. It was post-Vietnam and Defense budgets were not a priority. We cannibalized some vehicles to keep others running. Spare parts were scarce throughout the military. It was routine for vehicles, planes and ships to be sidelined due to maintenance issues.
No one can take a cheap shot at Jimmy Carter. He's earned every bad remark that's made about him.
Yes he did, Tug.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 9:52am.
The rumble I heard at the time was that Carter almost single handedly caused that rescue mission to fail.
Apparently Carter had given the order for the operation to go, but also ordered that the front line guys check with the White House (through their chain of command) at every step of the mission before proceeding to the next step.
Well, you know how well that Shiite would work! The result was totally predictable. The guys on the ground had to hurry up and wait at every step while the assholes back in Washington could decide if it was "safe" to proceed. It didn't take the Iranians long to figure out they were about to be under attack, so they responded. Do the expression "Element of Surprise," sound familiar? That was long gone with all the checking with CINCAH.
Bambi sets up his "missions" the same way. Rescuing the Alabama ship captain was ordered in such a way that if it succeeded, the RBFSOB was a hero. If it failed, it was on the Navy Captain at the scene.
Same true of the Osama bin Shot mission. Success would be Bambi's. Failure would be the troops because the order was, "if ANYTHING changes," check back before proceeding. I have a feeling they pressed on despite the order knowing they had a better chance of success than by listening to the genius in the "Situation Room."
Contrast that with Reagan's action when told that the Navy had intelligence that the hijackers of the Achille Lauro were on a commercial airline over the Med, and they could force the plane down and have them arrested. The word is that Reagan stood up and said, "Wake me up when it's over. I'm going back to bed."
Now THAT is the way to tell your troops that you have complete faith in them and their ability.
My youngest brother, who is a
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 1:05pm.
My youngest brother, who is a Naval Acadamy graduate, was stationed in Djibuti at the time, in support of this disasterous mission. He told me it was really really sad the way it went down.
And here you've got Fathead Ed and Ratface Wolf trying to prop up Jihad Jimmah Cahtah!!!
Amen, I was on the USS Texas
Submitted by Ruths husband Ben on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:13am.
Amen, I was on the USS Texas CGN-39. We were at port in Italy when the hostages were taken. We steamed around Africa and got to sit off the coast of Iran for all those months at what we called Gonzo station with the Nimitz. Some of those men who died in the attempt were on board our ship waiting for the mission. I have always felt that the reason it failed was because it was micromanaged from Washington. Those were good men who died. The way to run a mission like that is to give an objective and then get the hell out of the way.
I remember the Carter years well and I remember how proud I was of Reagan when he did exactly that when Khadaffi pulled his stunt with those two planes a few years later.
The contrast between the two is amazing. Carter was the worst president in my life, no doubt in my mind. And Reagan was the best. But I admire the way Bush ran his presidency. He understood honor, dignity, and service.
Oh, and Shultz is still an idiot.
Ben
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:37am.
I remember you relieving us with Nimitz. I think California was with you too. I recall the delay because Nimitz couldn't go through the Suez. We learned about the arrival of the H-53s through the unreps we did and figured something was about to happen after we left.
Just out of curiosity, did you know an MM named John Bechtel? He'd have been a 3rd or 2nd at the time I think.
If he was on board at the
Submitted by Ruths husband Ben on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 11:08am.
If he was on board at the time, I knew him. Unfortunately the years have faded my recollection of names. I was a reactor operator so we were pretty close to M-division. But the name sounds familiar.
My mind is deteriorating too
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 11:11am.
He was an EM, not MM.
He was my neighbor right before I retired. He and his boys are now small time stock car and truck racers at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia.
Ben, I think that Boy Baraka
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 1:09pm.
Ben, I think that Boy Baraka has easily kicked Jimmah Cahtah out of the cellar for being the 'worst President in our lifetimes', but I'm wondering if you feel the same way.................we managed to survive Jihad Jimmy - I'm not sure if we'll get the same result after Boy Baraka is finished wreaking havoc on this country.
Yeah, I feel the same way and
Submitted by Ruths husband Ben on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 1:24pm.
Yeah, I feel the same way and i almost made my post say that. But then I thought, hey I used the word "was" and Obama's not through painting what total FAIL looks like, so I left it as it is.
An ad for Navy Seal Team 6
Submitted by gwalt on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 9:45am.
Romney or RNC need to make an ad highlighting the Seals who were targeted and assassinated because Obama immediately went out and gave TMI on the Osama raid. Because of his immediately spiking the football, people lost their lives.
"A lot of briefing for a 2 hr. special with Dan Rather. Saw the show & wonder why we bothered". Ronald Reagan
He could have said...
Submitted by desert3030 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 9:50am.
Unlike Bill Clinton who took what...six or seven times to say STOP DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER? He even said he wouldn't kill him. Short memeories?
Now he is saying what a great job Obama did?Bill's best work was in Burger King parking lot. I am sure you will find many who agree.
... and we all know the best "job" Bubba ever had!
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 9:53am.
Right?
Was it the sweathog, the
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 1:12pm.
Was it the sweathog, the aardvark, the motel lounge singer, the trailer-park trash.............................or...............heaven forbid, Col Olga Succoff???
It's not that
Submitted by Chaitealover on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 1:04pm.
Democrats have short memories, it's that they believe WE do.
Chai
Jimmy Carter
Submitted by cocodrie on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:13am.
Jimmy Carter gave control of Iran to the ayotollah and King Obabble gave control of the middle east to the muslim brotherhood. What a legacy to world peace these two muslim-lovers have and Bubba is right there with them.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
From the great 20th Century philosopher, Paul Bear Bryant:
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:17am.
"When you get in the end zone, act like you've been there before."
Obviously Bambi ain't worked his way into the "end zone" before. What little we know about him from his sketchy (to say the least!) biography is that he has pretty much been hand carried up and down the field of life his ENTIRE life. The SEALS carried the little "jock sniffer" to victory this time, and he doesn't even acknowledge it.
We have a little boy, a very dangerous little boy, leading this country. Let's hope we get a grownup in the White House before it is too late to salvage this great nation.
(Sorry for the reference to the Bear, Blonde, but he did have some great one liners.)
Good morning bubba
Submitted by cocodrie on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:28am.
You're right about the boy in the house. He's the sames little boy you catch stealing your stuff when you get home. Hope we get him out of there before he trashes america beyond recovery.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
That's okay, Bubba
Submitted by Blonde on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 12:00pm.
I kind of like the Bear, and that was a GREAT line!
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
➚ It was true
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:34am.
Jimmah Cartah did authorize a mission, albeit ill-fated, to send a hostage rescue team into Iran.
What Dems can't stand about the remark is that even Barack Obama would make that decision.
In true liberal fashion, ...
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 11:12am.
... he half-assed "authorized" it, CA.
He authorized it step-by-step, keeping the decision making power as far from the actual frontline forces as possible. That is why it failed.
It's like a football coach calling a play and saying, "after you snap the ball, stop, and I'll tell you what to do next."
In other words, "I don't trust you jerkoffs to get it right without my 'leadership.' "
Carter Fail
Submitted by USN CEC Ret on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 12:13pm.
Two other things President Carter did to expedite the failure of the rescue mission were:
(1) He decimated military readiness with budget cuts, a Democrat tradition, earlier in his term. One major effect of this was that the rescue mission, as drawn up, called for 8 helicopters. Only 7 could be found in theater that were operational, and one of these was cobbled together with parts from two others.
(2) Part of his micro-managing was his insistence that the mission be shared equally among the services. Rather than assembling the rescue team based on expertise, training, and availability, he chose not to “offend” any of his Joint Chiefs by giving each one a piece of the pie.
I would give President Obama credit for making the call and staying out of the way, except for that haunting picture of him in the Situation Room in which he looks like he’d just been dragged in off the golf course for a photo op.
Romney's comment~
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 2:19pm.
I saw/heard Romney say that, and he said it in quite a good-natured way. Frankly, I found it funny and showed Romney's "real" side, when many accuse him of being plastic-like.
If they think of that comment as a horrible insult, they are really thin-skinned -- and I don't think it even qualifies as an insult. Romney was saying pacifist Carter WOULD have done the same thing in going after Laden. What the heck is the big deal? Yes, we get the "even" Carter part -- but that is what makes it funny.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
It's deflection GG
Submitted by Model850 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 4:34pm.
I think they are deflecting by saying it was an insult to Carter. What they really mean is that it was an insult to their boy-king, the great and wonderful slayer of Usama bin Laden. (Deep in their hearts they have convinced themselves that Obeyme actually pulled the trigger and everyone else was just along for the ride.)
Romney saying even Carter would have OK'ed the mission in their minds detracts from the supreme wonderfulness of the oh-so-brave and ferocious Mighty Obeyme who is the ONLY person in the world who would have authorized the operation.
As far as they are concerned Obeyme is the best-est, most terrific-est, most courageous, fearsome leader the US has ever known, and shame - SHAME!! - on anyone who denigrates his magnificence by saying that anyone - even Jimmah Carter - would have acted the same. It is an insult of the highest magnitude to suggest that anyone compares to their boy.
Model~
Submitted by GG_NB on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 4:38pm.
Good point. Always follow the breadcrumbs leading back to O.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan