No Mr. Obama, you're not OPTIMAL

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
10/19/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Flippant remark shows true colors.

When you have an anti-life president in the White House, you are going to see the mindset manifest itself in various ways, at odd times. That's just what happened when Obama, appearing on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, referred to the deaths of four Americans in Libya last month as "not optimal."

The death of four Americans is no laughing matter.

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NEW YORK, NY (Catholic Online) - The Daily Show is a satirical news production that often provides compelling commentary and food for thought, albeit in a rather humorous light. The topics on the show are typically political, critical, and lean to the left. The show is broadcast nationally on Comedy Central.

When Stewart asked Obama, "Is part of the investigation helping the communication between these divisions? Not just what happened in Benghazi, but what happened within. Because I would say, even you would admit, it was not the optimal response, at least to the American people, as far as all of us being on the same page."

With this question, Stewart is critiquing the President's handling of the tragedy and asking for how he plans to fix it. Note that he used the word "optimal" in his initial question, but not necessarily in a humorous way.

Obama replied, "Here's what I'll say. If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal."

This is more than a poorly worded off-the-cuff response. This is an insight into a president who does not have the same respect or regard for life as the majority of Americans do. And this is our Commander-in-Chief.

Obama proceeded to explain his answer, stating that there would be an investigation and that the administration would "fix it."

"We're going to fix it. All of it. And what happens, during the course of a presidency, is that the government is a big operation and any given time something screws up," Obama said.

Yet, this is not acceptable. The government should not "screw up" in a way such as this. This was not the case of a triplicate form not making it to the appropriate inbox because a clerk mishandled it. Rather, there was a deliberate choice made to deny additional security for our people because President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were afraid it would upset the locals.

Just why locals would have a problem with the presence of a few additional Marines, restricted to an ambassador's compound is a question that remains to be answered.

However, two things are clear. First, that Obama bears primary responsibility, a point he made clear during the debates, and second, he may not be fully capable of handling the job of Commander-in-Chief.

Obama's roots as a community organizer in Chicago may qualify him for certain jobs, however there is no indication that he is qualified to make security decisions when he makes mistakes that cost American lives, then refers to that loss in such a cavalier manner.

The size of the government is no excuse for a "screw up" that costs lives.

Ultimately, it was not the situation or the loss of lives that's not optimal.

It's the President himself.

� 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Obama, Optimal, Libya, terrorism, Daily Show, Jon Stewart

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

Roseann Graham
7 months ago
I hope onNovember 6th, I hope the voters "fix" Obama.
Cody Laws
7 months ago
I really wish the author had put this in better context and at least showed the clip from the actual TV show. I watched the episode and the conversation went verbatim like this. Jon Stewart asked him "I would say and even you would admit it was not the optimal response - at least to the American people as far as all of us being on the same page."

"Here is what I will say, if four Americans get killed it is not optimal," the president responded. "And we are going to fix it, all of it. And what happens during the course of a presidency, you know the government is a big operation at any given time, something screws up and you make sure you find out what's broken and you fix it."

Jon Stewart was obviously testing him trying to get him to talk about the politics of the matter but Barack Obama brought it right back to the most important issue, the death of four Americans, four human beings. This should not have been a political issue by any means, this is an event that is supposed to bring the country together yet it was immediately turned into a political jab by Mitt Romney, before ANYONE knew the facts. The fact of the matter is that in this situation Barack Obama responded to the question using the language that the question was presented to him and his response, in context, brought the issue back to how he feels about Americans dying and the seriousness he relates to that.
John
7 months ago
"Not Optimal" - The antonym for optimal is pessimal. Pessimal is bad to the maximum extent. "Relying on Fox News is a pessimal situation."
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pessimal
Cecilia Lederer
7 months ago
I agreed with your article. The more I listen to Mitt Romney, the more I am convinced that he is a good, decent man that has the ability to fix our nations economic problems, at least improve it. Although, his faith is different than mine, I feel he is a very devout man in his own faith and has great integrity. Yes, I feel he can lead our country. I also believe he can lead our country with the help of God.
r dalton
8 months ago
So the President admits that "the government is a big operation" and things get "screwed up", lives are lost because of screw ups. Do we want the government to run our health care? Think of the number of people involved in the delivery of your health care. Now the government is involved via Obamacare how many "screw ups" will we have to endure? How many American lives will be lost because someone in government screwed up?

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