Congressman Peter King (R-N.Y.) said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, “I wish [President Obama] was more of a Commander-in-Chief than a community organizer.”
This seemed to shock host David Gregory who shot back, “Why do you say that? I mean, that's like a campaign line. What does that mean?” (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CONGRESSMAN PETER KING (R-NEW YORK): First of all, I share some of those concerns. I do believe, though, that there is a real axis between Syria and Iran, that for Syria to be allowed to use chemical weapons, to continue to have their chemical weapons, at the same time we're issuing a red line to Iran not to go ahead with nuclear weapons. That makes that Iran-Syrian axis predominant in the Middle East. It endangers Jordan and endangers Israel, and that necessarily endangers our national security.
I just wish the President had laid this out better. I wish he'd quit backing away from his own red line, and I wish he was more of a Commander-in-Chief than a community organizer.
Watch how visibly uncomfortable Gregory was as a result of that comment:
DAVID GREGORY, HOST: Con, well, that, what is it, why do you say that? I mean, that's like a campaign line. What does that mean, more Commander-in-Chief than community organizer?
After what this President has done regarding Syria, did Gregory REALLY not understand what King said, or just didn't like the object of his affection being criticized on his program?
Fortunately for viewers, King answered Gregory's question quite well:
KING: What I mean by that is, he was Commander-in-Chief. For one year he said this red line was there. And then the red line is crossed, and he sends Kerry and Hagel out, all set to basically have an attack. We're told that Congress is not needed. At the eleventh hour he brings in Congress. And then he says it's not his red line. So here's a person who's vacillating. I can't imagine Harry Truman and John Kennedy or Ronald Reagan or Dwight Eisenhower ever putting the nation in a position like this on a military policy.
No, neither can I, Congressman. Neither can I.
