You actually expect me to read an entire 140 character tweet? Oy! The aggravation! That means putting a tremendous strain on my eyeballs. Just a step away from reading the entire "War and Peace" in one sitting.
If you think that was ridiculous, try to pretend that many people won't read an entire tweet as Chris Cillizza did on Friday's New Day on CNN. Cillizza seemed to think that many people will focus only on the "locked and loaded" part of President Trump's August 11 tweet and ignore the rest of it, (which puts that term entirely into context.)
Former Romney foreign policy spokesman Richard Grenell highlighted the absurdity of Cillizza's claim but first let us take a quick peek at Trump's tweet. Even though it stretches way out to about 140 characters, I think all of you could manage to read it all without too much strain upon your mental faculties.
Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2017
Are you still with us? Your minds didn't wander away when only about 70 characters in? Good. Then let us watch Cillizza try to justify focusing only on the "locked and loaded" part of Trump's tweet to the exclusion of the rest.
RICHARD GRENELL: ...Look, political types are going to say keep trying to message "locked and loaded," but they're missing the rest of the sentence. And I think it's really disingenuous and shameful to not continue the rest of the sentence. As Margaret pointed out, he's talking about a missile defense program at this point. He's talking about playing defense. He's saying if they should act.
I want to ask Chris Cillizza, what does he expect the president of the United States to do if North Korea should act? Should he not use language that warns them? I mean, look, we have to remember that Barack Obama used language like we could destroy North Korea. That seems to be lost here. That seems to be lost on the left that we had fiery language from President Obama when his whole policy was strategic patience. That failed.
We have to understand that over the last two administrations, three administrations really, this policy has failed. We are now at a situation that is a very serious threat. We have seen them gather the three pieces that are needed to launch a nuke. We cannot just sit back and have the typical kind of rhetoric and preparations and policies that we've had in the past. Washington may be very comfortable with those. They like the status quo. They may freak out when it comes to somebody doing something new. But what Washington has to understand is the last 20 years this policy has failed.
CHRIS CILLIZZA: Richard may not have heard what I said because I agree with him on the fact that Donald Trump...
GRENELL: What I didn't hear is you finish the "locked and loaded" part. You keep saying "locked and loaded," but you're forgetting the major part which is if North Korea should act unwisely.
CILLIZZA: Right.
GRENELL: That's a key point.
CILLIZZA: I don't disagree at all. I just think that you're...
GRENELL: Well, then say it.
CILLIZZA: Do you want me to read the tweet? I don't have it in front of me.
GRENELL: No, I want you to stop saying locked and loaded without finishing the rest of it because you're being very political with a serious policy.
CILLIZZA: I guess I disagree, obviously. But I do think you have to look at the fact that not every person is going to read every word of that, particularly given what Donald Trump has said fire and, fury and that sort of thing. Don't disagree with you about rhetoric and Donald Trump wanting to -- being elected to talk differently, as I said.
Don't disagree with you about rhetoric and Donald Trump wanting to -- being elected to talk differently, as I said.
But I do think that you -- to assume that everyone around the world is going to read that entire thing, we just showed it again, to assume everyone around the world is going to read the entire thing doesn't have to do with me. I think misunderstands the way in which rhetoric and words matter.
RICHARD GRENELL, FORMER ROMNEY FOREIGN POLICY SPOKESPERSON: Look, what I hear you saying is people are only reading half a tweet. And I find that to be crazy. I find that to be what politics and political people in Washington, D.C. try to do when they're partisan. This is a serious policy.
Yes, Mr. Grenell. It is crazy to think people would only read half a tweet but poor Cillizza seems to have used up his "the dog ate my homework" excuse so he is stuck with the lame half tweet read fallback position.
Even though Cillizza thinks many can't be bothered to put in the effort to read an entire tweet he sure didn't hold back putting over the top energy into microanalyzing a handshake between the French president and President Trump on Bastille Day. Cillizza's second by second detailed analysis included this breathless report at the 22 second mark:
Trump and Brigitte Macron are now holding hands! I repeat: Trump and Brigitte Macron are now holding hands! And Trump and Emmanuel Macron are holding their bro-shake. Three-way handshake. Holy cow. This is truly eye-popping stuff.
Eye-popping stuff right up there with reading an entire tweet.
