Obama seemed a little peeved at the G20 press conference this morning when reporter after reporter had the effrontery to ask him about his failed “strategy.”
Reporters, perhaps remembering that the president also said that his counterterrorism strategy in Yemen was a success, wanted to know if he might have underestimated ISIS.
After Obama said that he had not underestimated their strength, CNN’s Jim Acosta reminded him that he had initially called them the “JV team” and said just a few days ago that they were “contained.”
“I think a lot of Americans have this frustration that they see that the United States has the greatest military in the world, it has the backing of nearly ever other country in the world when it comes to taking on ISIS….I guess the question is — if you’ll forgive the language — why can’t we take out these bastards?” said Acosta.
Obama scoffed impatiently, “Well, Jim, I just spent the last three questions answering that very question so I don’t know what more you want me to add.”
Another reporter embarrassed King Putt with this devastating broadside:
“Given the strategies that you’re pursuing — it’s been more than a year now — ISIS’s capabilities seem to be expanding. Were you aware that they had the capability of pulling off the type of attack that they did in Paris, Are you concerned and do you think they have the same capability to strike in the United States? And do you think that — given all that you’ve learned about ISIS over the past year or so, and given all the criticism of you underestimating them — do you think you really understand this enemy well enough to defeat them and protect the homeland?”
Obama insisted that his ISIS strategy is working fine, thank you, and there’s no reason to change a thing.
Fox News’ Bill Hemmer was stunned.
“If you were waiting to hear a US President say, ‘I feel your pain’ or if you were waiting to hear a US President say, ‘It’s them or us,’ that is not what you just heard,” he said.
Hemmer appeared seething as he continued, “President Obama called the attacks in Paris a ‘setback’ at one point.” Before eventually welcoming in Baier to the conversation, Hemmer, standing with the backdrop of a growing memorial in Paris behind him, concluded:
“President Obama has made it quite clear in that Q-and-A that lasted more than 45 minutes that he has accepted there are evils in this world and evils in places like Paris, France and this is something that we all must face today… If you’re at home wondering with your own set of anger and your own set of fears about what can happen next, you are not alone, because that is precisely what you feel here in Paris, France. And if you were awaiting clarification on your feelings through that Q-and-A, you weren’t gonna get it.”
Flashback:
Had a senior EU diplomat, old friend, ask me today, “How does your impeachment work? My government believes Obama is quite mentally unwell.”
— John Schindler (@20committee) October 12, 2015
Nice Deb 