CNN's Zakaria Reveals He Advises President Obama On Foreign Policy
By Matt Hadro | May 13, 2011 | 18:49
Update below the break: When it came to Roger Ailes and George Will, the media ethicists were out in full force. Why not for Zakaria? | Update May 15: Zakaria denies he "advises" Obama
CNN's Fareed Zakaria, host of the weekend show Fareed Zakaria GPS and editor-at-large for Time magazine, admitted on CNN Thursday that he has been advising President Obama on foreign policy matters.
Eliot Spitzer, host of CNN's In the Arena, brought up the fact at the very end of a conversation with Zakaria about Pakistan and foreign policy. Zakaria affirmed it and clarified that "mostly it's been face-to-face meetings...organized by Tom Donilon, the national security advisor."
Spitzer brought up the subject by telling Zakaria that "I read something in the paper this week...It said the President of the United States calls you for wisdom and advice about issues around the world."
After verifying that, Zakaria quickly changed the subject to praising Obama's approach to foreign policy. "It's been a very thoughtful conversation," he mused. "You know, we'll see where it goes."
A transcript of the segment, which aired on May 12 at 8:28 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
ELIOT SPITZER: Look, I read something in the paper this week a couple of days ago that actually made me -- you know brought a smile to my face. It said the president of the United States calls you for wisdom and advice about issues around the world.
So first, when he calls you, what does he say? "Hi, Barack calling for Fareed?" What does he do?
FAREED ZAKARIA: Mostly it's been face-to-face meetings.
SPITZER: Right.
ZAKARIA: You know, it's usually organized by Tom Donilon, the national security adviser.
SPITZER: Right.
ZAKARIA: What I'm struck by, though, honestly, Eliot, is how much time he's spending thinking about the issues of the Arab spring particularly the issues of Egypt, how -- how to make Egypt go right, what -- you know, what is the -- what are the mechanisms that the United States has to help the moderates and liberals.
It's been a very thoughtful conversation. You know we'll see where it goes.
SPITZER: I'm not going to ask you what you have said to the president but it makes my heart warm that the president is calling you for wisdom and advice. And thanks for coming on the show.
*****UPDATE (19:21 - Lachlan Markay):
In addition to the ethical issues that my colleague Matt touches on, there is a pretty notable double standard at work here in the rest of the news media's silence on Zakaria's conflict of interest.
Shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, you may remember, Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes sent a letter to White House advisor Karl Rove with some suggestions as to what the president's response to the attacks should be. Veteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward first reported on the letter in his 2002 book "Bush At War".
The revelation sparked a media firestorm, as various news outlets offered the anecdote as evidence of the Fox News Channel's conservative leanings. This New York Times article was fairly representative of the tone of coverage.
Similarly, there was significant media backlash when it was revealed that columnist George Will had advised Ronald Reagan on debate tactics during the 1980 presidential campaign. As Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of the far-left Nation magazine, recalled, "a Los Angeles Times media critic called Will 'a political shill,' Chicago columnist Mike Rokyo called him a 'lapdog,' and the New York Daily News kicked him off their editorial pages (though it reinstated him too soon after)." (It should be noted that, contrary to vanden Heuvel's suggestion, Will's role in Reagan's campaign "was well known, and readers could take Will's views into account," as USA Today's Philip Meyer noted.)
Of course silence from vanden Heuvel and other left-wingers on Zakaria's comparable conflict of interest is to be expected, since pointing it out would do little to advance their agenda. More telling is the silence of the mainstream press that so vociferously criticized - or at the very least covered - apparent conflicts for conservative media personalities.
To top it all off, the man who brought the issue to light is himself a Democratic politician-turned-CNN-host. A trend seems to be emerging here.
*******UPDATE, May 15: On Saturday afternoon, Zakaria posted the following "clarification on my conversations with the President" to his CNN blog page:
The characterization that I have been "advising" President Obama is inaccurate. Over the last few months I've had a couple of conversations with the president, off-the-record. At no point did President Obama ask me for advice on a specific policy or speech or proposal, nor did I volunteer it. I know that he has had similar meetings with other columnists.
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Comments
Advocate For Murder
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 7:06pm.
Good grief. No wonder The Obaminator’s foreign policy is murder.
Fear and loathing in Obamerica.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
No wonder the Comrade Chairman's FP is so forked up
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 7:14pm.
We have a Turkish commie Muslim jerk advising a Kenyan commie Indonesian Muslim POTUS.
LOL - What could go wrong?
-Dave
Next we'll learn he calls
Submitted by Dan Diego on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 7:32pm.
Next we'll learn he calls Mike Tyson for advice on the economy.
Ludicrous!!!
Smoke and Mirrors....
Submitted by adamsmith on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 6:50am.
This is meant to confuse. A U.S. President taking advice from an anti-American Pig in the media. They both take their marching orders from George Soros. The Dem Party doesn't move until Soros says so. He bought it. All hail President Soros.....
Dave
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 11:25am.
Thought you would like to see this post:
------------------
Dean 47 minutes ago Report Abuse
Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components.
Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called ‘religious rights.’
When politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to ‘the reasonable’ Muslim demands for their ‘religious rights,’ they also get the other components under the table. Here’s how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007)).
As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:
United States — Muslim 1.0%
Australia — Muslim 1.5%
Canada — Muslim 1.9%
China — Muslim 1%-2%
Italy — Muslim 1.5%
Norway — Muslim 1.8%
At 2% and 3% they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:
Denmark — Muslim 2%
Germany — Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7%
Spain — Muslim 4%
Thailand — Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.
They will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. ( United States ).
France — Muslim 8%
Philippines — Muslim 5%
Sweden — Muslim 5%
Switzerland — Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad &Tobago — Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islam is to convert the world & to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions ( Paris –car-burnings). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and threats ( Amsterdam – Mohammed cartoons).
Guyana — Muslim 10%
India — Muslim 13.4%
Israel — Muslim 16%
Kenya — Muslim 10%
Russia — Muslim 10-15%
After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings and church and synagogue burning:
Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%
At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks and ongoing militia warfare:
Bosnia — Muslim 40%
Chad — Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%
From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels:
Albania — Muslim 70%
Malaysia — Muslim 60.4%
Qatar — Muslim 77.5%
Sudan — Muslim 70%
After 80% expect State run ethnic cleansing and genocide:
Bangladesh — Muslim 83%
Egypt — Muslim 90%
Gaza — Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%
Iran — Muslim 98%
Iraq — Muslim 97%
Jordan — Muslim 92%
Morocco — Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan — Muslim 97%
Palestine — Muslim 99%
Syria — Muslim 90%
Tajikistan — Muslim 90%
Turkey — Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates — Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of ‘Dar-es-Salaam’ — the Islamic House of Peace — there’s (supposed) to be peace because everybody is a Muslim: we know however that this isnt true is it...?
Afghanistan — Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia — Muslim 100%
Somalia — Muslim 100%
Yemen — Muslim 99.9%
Of course, that’s not the case. To satisfy their blood lust, Muslims then start killing each other for a variety of reasons...and they are coming to a neighborhood near you...so keep thinking they are not going to harm you and they "accept" you.
Old Chinese proverb: "Unless you change direction, you're apt to end up where you're headed.'"
---------from http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110516/bs_afp/iranoilopec_20110516072527 Go & give this guy a thumbs up...
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
maximus
Submitted by Radical1979 on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 11:30am.
Great post, thanks for sharing.
Fareed and Barack, in the oval office.
Submitted by Gary Hall on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 7:23pm.
Let's see - it should transpire like this.
On Thursday, they get together and Obama asks Fareed what he thinks he should say to the Muslim world - about the re-freezing of the Arab Spring. Fareed advises him to ignore the catastrophes in Japan, Texas, the Mississippi flooding (now since it's in the deep south), the declining dollar, and the 70% majority who want the darnn border closed - and that he should give another speech to the Muslim world - bring em up to date. After all, it's been a couple of years since Obama last spoke to them. Obama says he'll float the idea.
On Fareed's Sunday CNN GPS show, he closes with his personal observations:
(;~/ gary
So this one libtard bleeding heart A-rab with a
Submitted by Dbak61 on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 7:22pm.
...TV show is qualified to advise The One on foreign policy? He can speak for ...what, all Arabs? No wonder Obummer can't get it right.
And client number 9 laps it up with a warm heart and without blinking an eye. Go figure.
Why do we spend millions on
Submitted by Dan Diego on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 7:43pm.
Why do we spend millions on salaries for so-called experts at State, NSA, CIA, Defense, etc, etc... when we can get it free from the world renowned Zakaria?
What exactly are Zakaria's credentials...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:30am.
to be advising the POTUS on ANYTHING? Zakaria is a journalist and has been his entire professional career. He does have a doctorate degree in political science, but to my knowledge, he has never worked in any governmental policy or political position. And this is one of the people that Obama goes to for advice on foreign policy? My guess why he does is because Zakaria is an Indian-born Muslim, who, Obama apparently believes, can give him a "unique" perspective on middle-eastern and Muslim issues.
Yeah, right. Good thinking there, Barack.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
A sign of how lost he is
Submitted by Galvanic on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 2:26pm.
Presidents often consult academics and subject matter experts for differing perspectives. The effectiveness doesn't rest with whom he consults, but in what he enacts, an dto date, his foreign policy has been a mess.
And now we know why.
Zakaria not pro-American enough for me.
Submitted by Boil It Down on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:15pm.
It is interesting that Obama would call on someone so unwise with regard to the foundation of our country for wisdom. If you go back in Zakaria’s statements, you’ll find a leaning toward wrong side of our recent history. Zakaria: Admires Bill Maher – supports a VAT tax – Calls the Muslim Brotherhood moderate – Says Hezbollah is tolerant of Jews – Defends the flotilla - Didn't believe terrorist money was involved in the Ground Zero Mosque and many more things that most Americans find distasteful and wrong. Zakaria continually distorts history of Clinton and Bush on the economy, misleads the public on most things that are not pro-left and demonstrates little understanding of America and the American people. So, once again we discover that our President relies on the advice of someone disconnected with American values and our people.
Now that we know Obama looks to Zakaria for “wisdom”, it might be wise for us to take a closer look at him to know who he really is. He's a lot smarter than Van Jones and that should worry us. He is highly praised for his book "The Post-American World" which I have yet to read.
Zakaria may actually be one of the best advisors Obama has enlisted. That is a sad comment. He has been right on some foreign policy and events in the Middle East. However, that does not let him off the hook for his leftist ideology. The revolving door with the liberal press and the federal government continues to spin. -bidn-
Zakaria not pro-American enough?
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:17pm.
This Turkish commie isn't pro-American in any way, shape, or form.
Not even a little bit.
-Dave
That explains the idiotic
Submitted by jessieH on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 8:27pm.
That explains the idiotic rheteric from the White House, but it doesn't explain the morons in the Senate.
Pelosi and Reid Get Their Advice
Submitted by Comrade Jim on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:10pm.
From Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz.
Duh!
Submitted by Boudin on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:24pm.
: ]
Don't forget that Zakaria wrote 'The Post American World'
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 8:39pm.
That should tell you all you need to know about him, as well as Obama.
Remember this?
-Dave
Reading those old comments,
Submitted by gvii on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 2:47am.
Reading those old comments, with three years of this administration behind us only makes them more ridiculous than they were when they were first written. The comments about how they love him and the way his coat hangs off him, he looks like a rockstar. All I can think is that he should go be a rockstar, because he had no clue how to run a country then, or now. And no matter how much experience he gets, I doubt he ever will. With people around him that believe that every dollar they spend on unemployment puts 1.70 back into the economy, having a massive company that nearly bankrupted itself design and build a car in the name of a "Greener Tomorrow" that is so unbelievably expensive that it has to be sold at a loss, with a government subsidy just so they can get any to move off the lot, and the belief that more who take jobs in government, the better the economy will be, I doubt he will ever get a clue.
I guess he's more of a rockstar than anyone thought. Just like most other rockstars, he doesn't know squat about the real world, only what he decides to let filter through to his self-absorbed brain. And if there is something he wants to do, he's going to do it, no matter how many people object. And if you don't agree with him, don't worry, he'll tell the whole world what an imbecile you are.
The sooner he gets tossed out of that office, the better. It will be incredibly difficult to clean up the mess he leaves in his wake in these four years. If he were to have another four, the mess he leaves could become insurmountable.
gvii, I read many of those comments, too
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 9:01pm.
...and had a similar reaction.
What also occurred to me is that government education in America has failed miserably.
As for the mess Obama is making, I'm not totally sure we can surmount even four years of it.
It's possible, I suppose, but I wonder if the American people have the foggiest clue what it is going to take to dig us out of the hole we are now in.
-Dave
Small wonder our foreign "policy" is insane.
Submitted by russedav on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:01pm.
Small wonder our foreign "policy" is insane.
Free campaign advice from Moi
Submitted by OxyCon on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:09pm.
Here's a nice line for the Republican challenger:
“And if I’m elected President, I can guarantee you that I will not be getting my foreign policy advice from Post American pundits at CNN”.
Write that one down. It’ll be a good one to whip out during the 2012 CNN Presidential debate.
He was number three on the list after Bill Ayers and......
Submitted by Tomorama on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 9:34pm.
So I guess Christine Armonpour was "busier"?
This speaks volumes about the anti-american fraud we have in the white house.
I really, really, really am stunned that he is the presntdent.
Not for long.
How soon before that three named hag comes out and says "Great choice bt a great President"?
Van Waffle or something...........
Big surprise? Not really.
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 10:09pm.
After everything that's happened in the last couple of years alone, I wish I could say I was somewhat a smidge surprised by this.
At this point, the only surprise I'll be surprised by is anything that runs contrary to this bogus potus and gets him out of power. Too bad my faith is a bit smaller than a mustard seed right now.
There's just way too much crap happening that should have not happened at all.
If jerkwads like this guy is admitting it and there doesn't seem to be any rebuke against it, what's to stop anything else?
-Jon
Amazing what happens when you
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 11:12pm.
Amazing what happens when you have people who don't respect your Country try to run it. Or is that RUIN it. Socialist media are at fault for this. They did not even begin to do the journalist's job of protecting the USA.
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Yes, the media are most definitely...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:29am.
to blame, in part, for our having Obama as president, but let's not let off the hook the blind and gullible, Kool-Aid drinking American voters who elected him. Was the MSM corrupt and completely derelict and negligent in their duty to investigate and report concerning Obama? Sure...But enough Americans bought the bs they were given by the press willingly, without question, and without doing their own homework.
If nothing else good comes out of this disastrous presidency, hopefully Americans will have learned that the press is largely corrupt, much of it has an agenda and as a result not to believe everything that they are told, and that it is up to them to ask questions and find their own answers.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
Smelliest little turd, ever
Submitted by ConservaSerb on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 11:12pm.
Freddy the Zack. He hates America almost as much as Barry and that Iranian bitch, Drunkenpour.
A wise & frugal government, which shall leave men free 2 regulate their own pursuits of industry & improvement, & shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. T. Jefferson
Private vs. Public Advice
Submitted by Chris Norman on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 11:18pm.
Zakaria advises Obama in private on foreign policy - the rest of the MSM openly advises Obama and the Democrats on foreign policy, domestic policy, economic policy, health care policy - all policies - in public every day and night on the air. It 's not like the policies that they both espouse aren't pretty much the same. At the same time, they promote Obama's and the Democrats policies and criticize and marginalize Republican policies. Of course, the only advice the MSM gives Republicans is "be like the Democrats" - and lose elections.
Interesting perpsective Chris
Submitted by Boil It Down on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 10:33am.
When you only listen to those in your fan base there can be no advancement in thought. -bidn-
This explains many questions
Submitted by d1carter on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 11:53pm.
This explains many questions I have about both Zakaria and BHO...
FAREED ZAKARIA: Mostly it's been face-to-face meetings.
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:01am.
Probably more like face-to-head meetings.
IYKWIMAITYD
Cut Out the Middle Men
Submitted by Chris Norman on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:48am.
Heck, why doesn't MSNBC go ahead and give Valerie Jarret her own nightly show? Even Barak Obama? He's good at reading teleprompters...
Beware
Submitted by Thunder Lizard on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 2:00am.
of the government-media complex. Every bit as real and as bad the military-industrial complex.
The media deserves NO special treatment
Submitted by TheHistorian on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:42am.
The media continues to demonstrate that the Fourth Estate is either part of a Democrat administration or is invested in trashing a Republican one. As an objective partner to the American people they no longer exist.
Let's pull all benefits for them. If they want to ride in Air Force 1, buy a ticket. If they want to cover an inauguration, give them the same treatment that the guy at the back of the crowd receives.
BTW, one of the reasons these guys have ratings at all is the number of people at Media Research Center who watch them. If we quit reporting on them, their ratings would take a giant step downward. Same for buying the New York Times.
Dennis Prager
Imagine if a Republican
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 8:13am.
Imagine if a Republican President was being advised by a tv anchor/pundit? The calls for firing the pundit would be ear shattering (violating the fourth estate objectivity, lack of ethics, etc). The President would also be ridiculed for receiving such advice from the pundit. And then let's look at the results of the advice-loss of a major ally in Egypt, anti Israel protests, threats to tear up the major foundation of peace-the Egyptian-Israeli Peace treaty, the resurrection of the muslim brotherhood (sic) and salafist groups in Egypt, stronger ties between Egypt and Iran, the destruction of the Coptic community.
Why it's almost like the Obama Administration wants Iran and its terror cronies to be the predominant force in the mideast.
Bullcrap. Does the brilliant
Submitted by buddyc on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 11:00am.
Bullcrap.
Does the brilliant Obama really listen to some mediorce reporter on national foreign policy?
roflmao
Probably does BECAUSE he is
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 12:23pm.
Probably does BECAUSE he is NOT brilliant. He is an American hating anti-colonial Marxist. This guy is just perfect for Obama to CHOOSE to get advice from!
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Katrina vanden Heuvel spouts
Submitted by Question_Assumptions on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 1:46pm.
Katrina vanden Heuvel spouts nothing but pro-left talking points, which is why she's such a boring and worthless addition to talk show panels. I could never figure out why ABC kept inviting her back for This Week, since everything she said was predictable, none of it was insightful, and much of it was straight off of a talking point sheet.
You answered your own question, Question
Submitted by Galvanic on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 2:34pm.
They know what she is going to say, and they agree with her viewpoint.
That's why she comes back.
At ABC, The Nation isn't a socialist magazine, but a "left-of-center" journal.
Well, why not,
Submitted by UpNorth on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 6:43pm.
after all, O takes immigration advice from actors, and advice on the law from Eric Holder. What's the downside to taking foreign policy advice from a foreigner?
Another liberal tool
Submitted by Student1776 on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:25pm.
Zakaria is just another liberal tool. Kissing Obama's ass and representing his position while pretending to be an independent journalist. What a sham.
Zakaria.....advisor to presidents
Submitted by Herbster on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 1:42am.
David Gergen with an accent. If Zakaria is busy, the current person living in public housing called the White House could call the following for advice: Eleanor Clift, Contessa (I'm not gay) Brewer, what about Chuckie Todd, Mrs. Greenspan, any one of the CNN Pimpettes, the list is endless. Is it true that he had Michael Vick pay a secret visit to the Whote House to help him with dog training? No, not THAT one, I was talking about Bo.
Amazing. The Libya thing was to last, "Only days." Now the military genius in the White House wants the Libya operation to be "Open ended." He must have gotten that advice from Barney Frank. Have a nice day!
Fareed is backtracking now.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 11:11am.
"Fareed Zakaria Clarifies 'Advising' Obama" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/fareed-zakaria-admits-hes_n_861...