In a display of the ever lowering standards by which the media judge Barack Obama’s presidency, on Sunday’s CBS Face the Nation, host Bob Schieffer downplayed the President’s failed Olympic bid: “this is going to come as a surprise to some but the world did not end Friday....a lot of people thought it might if the President flew to Copenhagen and failed to bring home the Olympics.”
Schieffer went on to chastize those who speculated that Obama would take a political hit for such a failure: “Washington spent most of the week gnashing its teeth about whether he should have gone. Republicans accused him of dereliction of duty. Some in his own party shuddered at the possible humiliation of it all. Frankly, it didn’t seem all that big a deal to me.” He added: “I said at one point that if a trip to Copenhagen took his presidency over the side then it wasn’t much of a presidency.” Schieffer was referring to his defense of Obama’s trip on last week’s Early Show.
Wrapping up his end-of-the-show commentary, Schieffer argued: “If he wanted to give his hometown a boost, why not? Chicago is part of America the last time I looked.” He then sarcastically declared: “Anyway he’s back. Nothing happened. When I drove in this morning, the Washington Monument was still standing.” So as long as the nation’s capital isn’t crumbling to the ground, Obama is doing a fine job.
Schieffer continued: “The problems that were here when he left are still here. No better, no worse. But so bad, my guess is the great Copenhagen gambit will soon be forgotten.” That’s exactly the point, while Obama was wasting his time on a fool’s errand, the pressing issues of the country were not being addressed. No one claimed the world was going to end.
Here is a full transcript of the commentary:
10:55AM
BOB SCHIEFFER: And finally today, this is going to come as a surprise to some but the world did not end Friday. And from what I heard all week, a lot of people thought it might if the President flew to Copenhagen and failed to bring home the Olympics. Well he went. He asked. He failed. He was not even close. So he came home.
Washington spent most of the week gnashing its teeth about whether he should have gone. Republicans accused him of dereliction of duty. Some in his own party shuddered at the possible humiliation of it all. Frankly, it didn’t seem all that big a deal to me. I said at one point that if a trip to Copenhagen took his presidency over the side then it wasn’t much of a presidency. If he wanted to give his hometown a boost, why not? Chicago is part of America the last time I looked.
Anyway he’s back. Nothing happened. When I drove in this morning, the Washington Monument was still standing. The problems that were here when he left are still here. No better, no worse. But so bad, my guess is the great Copenhagen gambit will soon be forgotten. Still, let us mark a moment of sympathy for the unfortunate White House staffer who told the President ‘if you’ll just fly all night to Copenhagen and then fly back, we’re sure to get the Olympics for Chicago.’ No. I wouldn’t want to be that person.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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The world did not end...
October 5, 2009 - 14:57 ET by P. Aaron...but CBS' credibility is lacking further. Not a bad weekend.
The world did not end...
October 5, 2009 - 14:57 ET by P. Aaron...but CBS' credibility is lacking further. Not a bad weekend.
Failure....
October 5, 2009 - 15:02 ET by Forbus"Anyway, he's back. Nothing happened."
Boy, we've come a long way since YES WE CAN!
I smiled
October 5, 2009 - 15:10 ET by StarAZGood one!
Finally, Schieffer
October 5, 2009 - 15:07 ET by UpNorthsaid something I can agree with, "I said at one point that if a trip to Copenhagen took his presidency over the side then it wasn’t much of a presidency". Yep, Bob, you're absolutely, positively right. I could not agree more.
me too!
October 5, 2009 - 15:20 ET by SouthJersey1953"I said at one point that if a trip to Copenhagen took his presidency over the side then it wasn’t much of a presidency". That was the phrase that jumped off the page at me also! Not often that I can agree with Bob, but this time I think he inadvertantly got it right!
"Maybe if we keep our heads buried in the sand, this will blow over" - The Congressional Republicans
I agree with Schieffer's assessment -- to a point
October 5, 2009 - 20:04 ET by GalvanicSchieffer is correct when he points out that nothing has really much changed for Obama's Presidency because of the lost 2016 Olympic bid.
But I feel pretty certain that had the outcome been reversed and Chicago won the bid, Schieffer himself would overstate the significance of Obama's influence as "further evidence of reinvigorated American strength in the international arena," or words to that effect.
I guess these older reporters have given up
October 5, 2009 - 15:09 ET by StarAZIf they thought of themselves as journalists, I guess they just don't care anymore...Their job is NOT to make excuses for politicians, soothe them, or coach them--or maybe it is and I had it wrong all these yrs. I think when they have done it all, traveled everwhere, been to all those dopey dinners where presidents make unfunny 'jokes,' they just simply don't give a flip any more--let me just say out loud any old thing rattling in my head. Bob--who asked you whether this was bad or good, what Obama did...Just tell us what he did.
In the tank for DuhOne
October 6, 2009 - 08:21 ET by jon_torlinMaybe these older reporters are getting End-of-Life counseling?
-Jon
I absolutely guarantee you
October 5, 2009 - 15:10 ET by buddycI absolutely guarantee you that had Bush done something similar, lost the Olympic bid all while unemployment rates are rising, the stock was falling, casualties were high in Afghanistan, Schieffer would have based him, a report from General had not been responded to and the guy has been on vacation almost continuously since the first of August.
Name me one issue that Schieffer criticized Obeyme on? JUST ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not only did the world not end, but...
October 5, 2009 - 15:11 ET by MikeAccording to Robert Gibbs, the trip was not made to win the bid, but according to the news release, in behind the scenes meetings, Michelle, The Obama, and Oprah were able to save or create 2 or maybe three Olympics. Unnamed White House officials say that Obama agreed to a massive cap and trade tax with the IOC, to insure the 2014 Winter Games will happen with out worries of global warming, and that they will help set up future super power, Iran, with state of the art training and nuclear facilities to help lock up the all male 2020 games in Iran. Obama also agreed to take a two medal position handicap in every event, so that more countries will have a chance to experience gold medal ceremonies. The new Olympic motto for the 2016 games is "Go for the Bronze!!"
The Washington Monument
October 5, 2009 - 15:15 ET by G. MayThe Washington Monument didn't fall because Washington didn't fail. The world didn't end because the world didn't fail.
Who, exactly, said the world was going to end because of this?
So the left spent the entire
October 5, 2009 - 15:16 ET by MrSnugglesSo the left spent the entire week running up to this talking about how great a victory it would be if Chicago won the 2016 bid. But since they lost, it makes no difference?
Bob Schieffer.
October 5, 2009 - 15:28 ET by blazermaniacBob needs to quit drinking the Obama Kool-Aid!
If you look close....
October 5, 2009 - 16:01 ET by bonzoyou can see his kool-aid mustache....
Do you see what I mean folks?
October 5, 2009 - 15:53 ET by stage9When God is not at the center of your life you wind up resting all your hopes on whether or not the president can win an Olympics bid! When the accomplishments of a man becomes the basis of your hope - when you make a politician your "savior" - what happens when he fails to live up to your expectations? What do you cling to? WHO do you cling to?
This is why so many liberals are distraught when something like this happens. Their "savior" has failed them. They have staked all their hope on a man - a fallible, corruptible, person. He was supposed to be their replacement for the incorruptible, transcendent God. He was their "messiah". They didn't want the One God offered, they wanted one in their OWN image instead. What happens then when he fails them?
You can see it spelled out here:
“this is going to come as a surprise to some but the world did not
end Friday....a lot of people thought it might if the President flew to
Copenhagen and failed to bring home the Olympics."
Why would Schieffer even have to encourage people unless people were genuinely distraught that Obama did not come through for them?
We had better start understanding somethng that without God there is no hope.
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will
be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for
pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner."
— Malcolm Muggeridge
If he only had the time
October 5, 2009 - 15:53 ET by ThisnThatWhat would Obama do if he only had the time....????
But what if the President only had 25 minutes? Not even 1/2 hour. How could he while his time away with only 25 minutes?
Now, Bob Schieffer, tell us again -- what's important in your life? And how much time are you going to spend, over and over again, defending the undefensible actions of the POTUS POS?
__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song
Still, let us mark a moment
October 5, 2009 - 15:56 ET by bigtimerStill, let us mark a moment of sympathy for the unfortunate White House
staffer who told the President ‘if you’ll just fly all night to
Copenhagen and then fly back, we’re sure to get the Olympics for
Chicago.’ No. I wouldn’t want to be that person.
No Bob...whatever you do, don't blame 'O' and his own judgment...blame it on someone else...as all on the left always do...instead of the top and the 'Buck Stops there.'
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Punish the Staffer
October 5, 2009 - 16:03 ET by ThisnThatKnow what would be a fitting and just punishment for that staffer? Increase his salary to $250,000/year. Then Obama could whack him around just like all the other eeeevvvviill people who work hard for their money. Staffers hate to be lumped in with the rest of the population; and hate it even more when their money is taken from them.
Take THAT, you evil staffer-type-of-person.
__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song
Hey Bob!
October 5, 2009 - 16:16 ET by MightyMouthNo single Obama blunder by itself will ruin the world! You have to take the totality of blunders into account for that!
(The one exception might be Barry using the missile launch codes for lottery numbers).
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
If he wanted to give his
October 5, 2009 - 16:36 ET by MidAmericaIf he wanted to give his hometown a boost, why not? Chicago is part of America the last time I looked.
America had nothing to do with it. The obama's went over and tried to sell themselves as the reason to bring the olympics to Chicago. The IOC rejected the obamas not America.
This sad, old bonehead will
October 5, 2009 - 17:22 ET by celatorThis sad, old bonehead will probably never understand how daffy he's become over the years.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
The Olympic Surge
October 5, 2009 - 19:37 ET by RR GOPThe Olympic Surge failed.
Now, how about authorizing one against the terrorists or does The One really have a problem with killing fellow Muslims after all?
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.