I wasn't aware that the invite was that exclusive.

I guess Canada, Brazil, China, India, Monaco and Serbia didn't understand that the invite was strictly for WORLD LEADERS.

I guess the leaders of all of those opposition and political parties that participated just crashed the party.

For the same reason Hillary Clinton didn't go..

It was for WORLD LEADERS.....

Michale

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Whew. Nice dice into reducto ad absurdum. Moving on from all of the logical reason why ANY elected official would not attend this type of rally and moving on from the fact that 3 million pissed off angry people would not be allowed to gather in one spot in this country.

So why didn't the republicans put on the dog and pony show of governing by sending the super duper tag team of dysfunction Orangeman and Snappy the Turtle?

I have read this three times and I STILL don't know what you are trying to say...

Michale

I'm surprised you didn't supersize this by pointing out that this would most certainly have become a thing even if the pres had gone.

Given that the DHS appropriation bill is getting debated and run through the spin cycle, I can easily see the natering nabobs raising a ruckus over the irresponsible secret service expenditure that a last minute trip costs an agency in danger of running out of money because it hasn't been appropriated and how this drain on the prescious resources has caused the DHS to run out of money before "congress" was ready to act thereby endangering the country. I am sure Hitler would be mentioned in this case as well.

OR

If he had appeared via video or had some other not in person method to address the rally he would have been castigated for being superficial and out of touch.

At the end of the day the rally really handed the repubs the opportunity to make a political hay byproduct ....no matter how you slice or spread it.

To put it into context, it would be as if there was a 3 million + demonstration against the excesses of Wall Street and Elizabeth Warren did not attend..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Whew. Nice dice into reducto ad absurdum. Moving on from all of the logical reason why ANY elected official would not attend this type of rally and moving on from the fact that 3 million pissed off angry people would not be allowed to gather in one spot in this country.

Just accepting the above logic and looking at the "outrage" in congress, really Hitler had to be invoked? I have to ask where was the orangeman and his sidekick snappy the turtle? It is not as if they were surprised by the fact that the president or anyone else other than our ambassador attending the rally. If they really felt that this was that important they could have hopped on a plane and gone to the rally, granted it would be very un-GOP-like but still they coulda gone.....

So why didn't the republicans put on the dog and pony show of governing by sending the super duper tag team of dysfunction Orangeman and Snappy the Turtle?

This was a march to support motherhood and apple pie and free speech and everything good and right in the world...

How could our POTUS *NOT* attend??

To put it into context, it would be as if there was a 3 million + demonstration against the excesses of Wall Street and Elizabeth Warren did not attend..

It would simply look as bad as it possibly could...

Michale

What Liz said.. :D

You have to admit.. It was HORRIBLE optics.. Worse than when Obama solemnly spoke of James Foley being murdered and then went to play golf laughing and joking..

It, plain and simple, LOOKED bad..

Even Obama admitted it..

Michale

Just to be clear, the rally in Paris last Sunday wasn't a protest march, at least not in the sense that most Americans know.

It was a massive demonstration of global support for the freedom of expression and of democratic values around the world - the blatant hypocrisy on display, notwithstanding.

Here's a short list:

Did JFK or LBJ attend any of the massive civil rights marches? No.

Did RMN attend any of the massive anti-war marches? No, not really (see below).

Did JEC attend any of the massive anti-nuke marches? No.

Did RWR attend any anti-abortion or "religious right" marches? No. Same answer for the anti-apartheid marches.

Did WJC attend any gay pride marches? No.

Did GWB attend any marches? No.

No president has ever attended a protest march, at least that I know of. Ever. None. Zero. From either party. And that's just here at home -- internationally, it would be a different list of questions (Did RWR march with Lech Walesa in Poland?), but the answers would all still be "No."

As for Charlie Hebdo being unique, there are plenty of examples I could cite from civil rights era that were equal or greater in outrage (the four girls dead in the bombed church springs immediately to mind, or maybe MLK's March On Washington). Presidents didn't attend any of them.

The closest any president came to doing so was actually Nixon, as noted above. Nixon drove out to the Lincoln Memorial the night before (or maybe after or during) a massive anti-war march. He got out of his car, very late at night (past midnight?) and randomly talked to people in an effort to figure out why they were so angry at him. This sounds like a bizarre scene from a Hollywood movie, but it actually happened. But it doesn't really count as "attending a march", although I do have to give Tricky Dick credit for attempting to understand his opposition in such a personal fashion.

In any case, my point is: presidents don't attend protest marches. They just don't. You are holding Obama up to an impossible standard that no other president has ever met.

That's why the smear campaign is all so laughable. Because there simply are no other examples from history to point to. From EITHER party, I might add.

-CW

But if there had been and a GOP POTUS didn't go, you know I would say the same...

Michale

I've given up trying to reconcile the RCP polls with reality..

But you can bet yer bippy that I'll be there when the RCP poll goes below 40%!!! :D

Michale

I've given up trying to reconcile the RCP polls with reality..

Still waiting for you to take up the second part of my challenge, too. When has any Republican president joined in ANY march ANYwhere in the last 100 years?

There hasn't been a Hedbo style attack that resulted in a 3 million Unity March in the last 100 years...

Michale

As for Joe and Jane Sixpack, seen Obama's polling recently? Hint: it's not down...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

Still waiting for you to take up the second part of my challenge, too. When has any Republican president joined in ANY march ANYwhere in the last 100 years?

-CW

Uhhh.. Democrats complained as well...

Sabotage: a useful French term for tossing a wooden shoe into the gears of a machine.

"400 years ago, on Earth, workers who felt their livelihood threatened by automation, flung their wooden shoes called 'sabots' into the machines to stop them. Hence the word 'sabotage'. "
-Valeris, STAR TREK 6, The Undiscovered Country

:D

For some reason, I always thought it was the Dutch, not the French...

Michale

and a clear signal that this is all that will be for the remaining 2 years. Republicans see no risk in obstruction and no benefit from trying to govern. Sabotage: a useful French term for tossing a wooden shoe into the gears of a machine.

Right after you show me an incident that was comparable to the Hebdo massacre that happened on foreign soil that resulted in a 3 million person unity march.. :D

DOH!!!

Talk about projection... :D

Sorry, I read what you wrote but completely convoluted the meaning.. :D

Regardless, the French and France are unimportant...

If this had happened in Cuba or Venezuela or Russia and there was a huge World Leader Unity March and our POTUS, stayed home to watch the NFL Playoffs, I would be saying the same thing...

The nationality is not the relevant point..

It's the message that Obama sent to the world that is paramount..

And Obama sent completely the wrong message... He even admits it...

Michale

Or Jeb or Christie or Romney..

On the other hand, it would likely have been viewed as pure political machinations..

It was a unity march for world LEADERS...

Not world Leader wannabees...

I think dsws said it best...

One fifth of the world's leaders showed up..

Our "world leader" stayed home to watch the NFL Playoffs...

What does that say to Joe and Jane Sixpack??

Forget reality..

What's the perception not only here at home but around the world..

{LACK OF} Power Perceived Is {LACK OF} Power Achieved

Michale

In days of yore, the USSS would have faded the heat for the POTUS..

"We adamantly told the President that his security was impossible"

But considering the morale of the Secret Service in the here and now, those days of covering the POTUS's PR ass are gone...

I extend this challenge to you, personally. Can you find ONE instance of you commenting on this site where you had a kind word for France? Good luck on that search, pal.

Sure...

Right after you show me an incident that was comparable to the Hebdo massacre that happened on foreign soil that resulted in a 3 million person unity march.. :D

Good luck on that search, pal... :D

I mean, seriously, dude, you were a security type of guy -- there were over a MILLION people at that march. How secure an event was it, really?

Secure enough for two of the most hated men on the planet to attend...

I am not saying that Obama hisself should have gone.. Although it would have been ballsy for him to do so..

But no one else??

And yea, maybe an ambassador might be a good choice..

But sure as hell not THIS ambassador whose ONLY accomplishment in life was being able to funnel over a half a million dollars to an Obama SuperPAC....

It was a mistake not to send someone..

Do you know how I know??

Because the White House said so... :D

And the White House is ALWAYS right... When they agree with me... :D

-Bruce Springsteen, "Spirits In The Night"

Bruce who???

Michale

Yeah, that one really resonated with me, too. I mean, France? Really?

LizM [2] -

I'm surprised you take such a hard line. There were over a million people at that march. The Secret Service would have had an absolute nervous breakdown if confronted with such a possibility. Now, Joe Biden could have made an appearance, I think you'll agree with me there, but Obama? Too risky...

[3] -

I lived in Paris for two years. I know what political demonstrations are like there. It's a little more radical a prospect than a march on Washington, DC. Sure, it would have been good optics for Obama to have been joining hands in that march, but it would have been horrible optics if a lone wolf with a gun had cut him down. To me, the risk just wasn't worth it. Again, that's what we have ambassadors for. It's part of their job description, really.

John From Censornati [4] -

That would have indeed been the way to go. A Jumbotron announcement would have been the perfect balance between support and presidential security. I tip my hat to you, as I didn't even think about a video message when writing this. But you're right, it would have been politically perfect.

Pastafarian Dan [5] -

Now there's another excellent political idea: where was Hillary?

No scandal, agreed, but a lot of political hay could have been made if Hillary had shown up.

But I disagree with you on "the ambassador wasn't enough" idea. Any American ambassador (any ambassador from any country, really) is, diplomatically, exactly the same thing as the leader of the country. Sure, it's a diplomatic fiction, but it's one that's endured for centuries, and for a reason.

Michale [8] -

I direct you to the part of the article which was written with you in mind:

For that matter, can anyone provide an example of any Republican president joining in any such protest march, anywhere in the world, from, say, the past 100 years? I thought not.

...and...

Seriously, I defy anyone to find any Republican quote showing any solidarity with France from the past 14 years.

I extend this challenge to you, personally. Can you find ONE instance of you commenting on this site where you had a kind word for France? Good luck on that search, pal.

But I'll be reasonable, since you're obviously bending over backwards in an attempt to do so.

If JFC's comment (above) had been reality -- if Obama had addressed the crowd via video, in other words -- would there have been any reason for outrage?

I mean, seriously, dude, you were a security type of guy -- there were over a MILLION people at that march. How secure an event was it, really?

Dubya Bush was faced with a similar situation (Madrid train attacks? I forget...) and he issued a tepid statement and then went to NYC for a fundraiser. Were you just as outraged back then? Didn't think so...

As for 70s lake songs... well...

Crazy Janey and her mission man
Were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, "Anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They're build like light
And they dance like spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night)
Stand up right now and let them shoot through you"
-Bruce Springsteen, "Spirits In The Night"

(although Manfred Mann's version is undeniably better... heh... )

:-)

-CW

Who wants to break the news about Uncle Joe
You remember Uncle Joe
He was the one afraid to cut the cake
Who wants to tell poor Aunt Sarah
Joe's run off to Fire Lake
-Bob Seger

:D

Michale

Ahem Part 2

Just as many Democrats were complaining about it as there were Republicans...

Let's say, for the sake of the argument, that you are right.. Hell, let's just say you ARE right, because you probably are...

Obama HAD to know it would be commented on that he wasn't there...

Obama HAD to know how it would look to the rest of the world if he was a no-show...

Obama HAD to know that the GOP would gin up the hysteria over this...

So, this begs the question..

WHY???

Why didn't he go???

Why didn't he tell Uncle Joe, "Dood! Pack yer bags! Yer goin' to Paris!"??

Why didn't he pick up a frakin' phone and tell Holder, "Dood! Get yer skinny ass across the street and link up with the Unity procession!!"??

WHY???

Because Obama doesn't care enough about being the leader of the free world to ACT like the leader of the free world..

Obama could have headed this off quite easily..

Obama knew it would look bad..

Obama didn't care...

If there IS any kind of scandal here, THAT is it.

He didn't care...

Michale

The White House Admits Fault in Not Attending Paris Unity Rally
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-magazine-attack/white-house-admits-fault-not-attending-paris-unity-rally-n284596

dsws,

The heads of state of a fifth of the world's countries could attend, but ours has to hide behind walls and guards. That just might say something about us.

Exactly!!

I agree with PD... While it doesn't rise to the level of a scandal (I don't think anyone has called it that) it sure as hell was a major screw up...

The idea that security was an issue is ludicrous...

The head of the PA and the Israeli Prime Minister (Likely MUCH bigger targets and a helluva lot more concerned about security) were there..

Disrupting things with Obama's presence??

Come on.. Obama has no problem disrupting Americans with his presence every time he steps out to fart!

Nothing stopped GOP leaders from attending??

Now that is an excellent point and dead on ballz accurate..

The long and short of it is this and it is undeniable..

It was horrible optics.. It played into the notion that Obama really doesn't care about islamic terrorism..

Obama is the leader of the free world, fer chreest's sake!!!

Is it too much to ask that he ACTS like it!

Apparently the NFL Playoffs were more important to Obama than acting like a leader....

Michale

Why can't anything not be about us?

That's a very good point, actually. Fareed Zakaria said essentially the same thing when trying to compensate for what he thought was a mistake by President Obama in deciding not to go to the rally.

The thing is, I don't think this event was the one to use to make that point. This event was about all of us who care about defending our freedoms by paying them a little more than lip service.

President Obama missed far more than that. Indeed, to imply that the March for Unity rally in Paris last week was merely an opportunity for a photo op betrays an infinitely cynical viewpoint.

But, then again, Chris, maybe you're absolutely right to think that this was just a fleeting moment in time that won't amount to anything in the grand scheme of things. I just hope you're wrong about that.

Personally, however, I was very disappointed by President Obama's absence in Paris for the March For Unity rally, for a number of reasons I won't bother enumerating here.

I think it was a huge missed opportunity - not for a meaningless photo op or for any conceivable advantage, political or otherwise - but just simply for the leader of the free world being there to stand up, with the victims' families, the people of France and their leaders and Charlie Hebdo in a strong show of support for the freedoms that France, the US and a good chunk of the rest of the world hold so dear and, most importantly, to show the violently deranged Islamist extremists still among us that they are playing a losing hand.

This rally was a truly historical event, anyway you slice it. And, while I am glad that the US Ambassador to France was in attendance, her presence was not enough.

My thought too when I first heard the story.--And I still find the thought chuckle-worthy!

Another flood-lit elephant of a clue that this is purely a partisan put-up job our stalwart gatekeepers in media somehow managed, yet again, to miss.