Wednesday's CBS Evening News twice underlined President Obama's 2012 "red line" remark before playing a soundbite of the Democrat's "I didn't set a red line" reversal earlier in the day. Scott Pelley noted that "a year ago, he [Obama] warned the Syrian dictator that a red line would be crossed if the dictator used chemical weapons against his rebellious citizens." Major Garrett soon added that Obama "set a red line on the use of chemical weapons 13 months ago." [MP3 audio available here; video below the jump]
None of the Big Three evening newscasts played the actual clip of the President's 2012 warning. On NBC Nightly News, Chuck Todd did his best to explain away the President's denial: "The President redefined what he meant by his red line". Jonathan Karl didn't even mention the original "red line" comment during his report on ABC's World News.
During his report, Todd spotlighted the "pressure" on President Obama to make his case to the American people in favor of military strikes in Syria. He continued with his "redefined" spin about the change in the chief executive's "red line":
If anything, if simply to give political cover to a bunch of House Democrats. A lot of them got elected on being anti-war, anti-Iraq, and if they're going to do this for the President, they want the cover from him explaining it to the American people. And one of those explanations has to do, of course, with this red line, and today here in Sweden, the President redefined what he meant by his red line. Take a listen.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA (from press conference): I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line. The world set a red line when governments representing 98 percent of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons are abhorrent, and passed a treaty forbidding their use, even when countries are engaged in war. Congress set a red line when it ratified that treaty.
TODD: The President is making the case that this is everybody's problem on Capitol Hill – everybody's problem in the world community.
The following morning, on Thursday's Today, Todd did point out that "after saying in 2012 Syria's use of chemical weapons would cross a – quote, 'red line', and change his calculus, the President now says the international community's credibility is at stake."
On World News, Karl featured two clips from the Obama's press conference in Sweden, but didn't make any reference to the original "red line" remark:
JON KARL: Shortly after landing in Sweden today, President Obama said responding to Syria's chemical weapons attack is now more than just his leadership.
OBAMA: My credibility is not on the line. The international community's credibility is on the line, and America and Congress's credibility is on the line.
KARL: He pointed out that chemical weapons like those used in Syria have been banned by international law for a century.
OBAMA: I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line.
Karl played the newer "red line" soundbite during his report on Good Morning America the next day, but continued glossing over the 2012 warning from the President.
Unlike ABC and NBC, CBS didn't air any report on the Democrat's denial on Thursday's CBS This Morning. However, Garrett spotlighted how the Defense Department had to "clarify a statement given in open testimony to Congress by...Chuck Hagel, who accused the Russian government of providing chemical weapons to the Syrian regime, led by Basar al-Assad. The Pentagon later, in a statement, said what the defense secretary meant to say, was that Russia has a longstanding relationship with Syria providing conventional weapons, not chemical weapons. No official reaction here in Russia to that gaffe yet."
[Update, Thursday, 2:15 pm Eastern: the full transcript of Major Garrett's report from Wednesday's CBS Evening News can be read on MRC.org.]
