Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius blasted the GOP presidential candidates for daring to complain about the biased questions asked during last month’s CNBC debate.
Moderator John Dickerson teed up Ignatius by playing a clip of President Obama who mocked the Republicans' debate complaints which prompted the Post columnist to declare the American public want someone who does more than "whines about media coverage."
After Dickerson played the clip of Obama chastising the GOP, the CBS anchor gushed that he “play[ed] that because it seems like he's in a sweet spot before a nominee gets named where he can have fun at the Republicans expense.
Ignatius eagerly agreed that “there was some truth” to Obama’s assertion that if Republicans can’t handle the CNBC moderators “I don't think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you” before the Post columnist launched into a full-throated attack at the Republican candidates’ debate performance:
I thought it was a great line. And I thought there some was truth to it. The Republican debate may have been a disaster for the media asking the questions, but I didn't think the Republican candidates came out very well. And all the squabbling, unfair, the media’s so mean, they're asking nasty questions. I think that makes Republican candidates it diminishes them.
The Washington Post columnist continued to hammer the GOP and wrapped up his comments by insisting that most Americans don’t want a president who complains about the press:
And if they stay on that, it may work with some Republican primary base voters, but I can't imagine it’s going to be effective with the electorate as whole that people are looking for someone who can be commander in chief and that's not the person who whines about media coverage.
See relevant transcript below.
CBS’s Face the Nation
November 8, 2015
JOHN DICKERSON: David, I want to play, we’re going to play a quick clip from President Obama here. Talking about the Republicans and their debate. Anger at the CNBC moderators.
BARACK OBAMA: It turns out they can't handle a bunch of CNBC moderators. If you can't handle those guys -- you know, then, I don't think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.
DICKERSON: David, I play that because it seems like he's in a sweet spot before a nominee gets named where he can have fun at the Republicans expense. What did you make of it?
DAVID IGNATIUS: I thought it was a great line. And I thought there some was truth to it. The Republican debate may have been a disaster for the media asking the questions, but I didn't think the Republican candidates came out very well. And all the squabbling, unfair, the media’s so mean, they're asking nasty questions. I think that makes Republican candidates it diminishes them. And if they stay on that, it may work with some Republican primary base voters, but I can't imagine it’s going to be effective with the electorate as whole that people are looking for someone who can be commander in chief and that's not the person who whines about media coverage.
