TheDC Morning: The buck stops here, to some degree

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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1.) The buck stops here, to some degree — President Obama made a strong statement of responsibility that a true leader would make Sunday night on CBS, then uttered three words that greatly mitigated it. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports:

“The president conceded that he deserves some measure of blame for not living up to some of what he had promised. ‘As president I bear responsibility for everything, to some degree, and one of the things I’ve realized over the last two years is that that only happens if I’m enlisting the American people much more aggressively than I did the first two years,’ he said.”

Let see how this might play elsewhere in history. “We shall never surrender,” Churchill said, “to some degree.” Or: “Tear down this wall,” Reagan demanded, “to some degree.” Or possibly: “I’m the decider,” George W. Bush said, “to some degree.” Or how about another formulation: “We shall return!” General MacArthur declared, “perhaps.” Some how these statements no longer sound as strong. 

2.) How quickly can Obama contradict himself?  — Judging by his interview with CBS Sunday night, it takes no more than 30 seconds. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports:

“President Obama first boasted to CBS’s Steve Kroft that he has lowered taxes on families and has issued fewer regulations than his predecessor, former President George W. Bush …’When it comes to regulations, I’ve issued fewer regulations than my predecessor George Bush did during that same period in office. So it’s kind of hard to argue that we’ve overregulated.’ … But thirty second later, just after suggesting Bush instituted more regulations than him during an equivalent time in office, President Obama warned Bush’s strategy of rolling back regulations wasn’t a ‘recipe for success.'”

Huh? If it is true, as President Obama claimed, that Bush issued more regulations than him, how could Obama accuse Bush of having a strategy of rolling back regulations? Now perhaps President Obama meant to say that he has issued fewer but smarter regulations. But he didn’t say that. And within 30 seconds, he said two things that cannot both be true. That has to be some sort of record.

3.) Coulter vs Sharpton? — Yes, please. TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein (ME!) reports why the rhetorical bout may not happen:

“Speaking of MSNBC, will Coulter be debating with the network’s liberal hosts on her book tour? ‘I wish, I wish, I wish,’ she said. ‘I think the mainstream media’s official position on this book is that it doesn’t exist.’ ‘I’m going to try to taunt them into it,’ she added, noting that MSNBC host and activist Al Sharpton may not be too fond of the book. ‘He’s all over this book,’ she said. ‘I think he may be the only black person who will not really like this book. I mean, even Jesse Jackson comes off pretty well in my book.'”

Why wouldn’t MSNBC have Coulter on? Perhaps they just really hate getting good ratings.

4.) Pakistani FM says America should rethink free speech — TheDC Morning thinks America ought to rethink aid to Pakistan, as the recently removed Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani implied we do in a recent speech. Jessica Stanton reports for TheDC:

“In the aftermath of violent protests across the Middle East and the slaughter of four American diplomats, Pakistan’s foreign minister believes the United States should ‘rethink’ its commitment to freedom of speech. ‘It is not good enough to say, ‘It’s free speech, it should be allowed,’ Hina Rabbani Khar said during an interview with CNN on September 20. ‘I think if this does provoke action against American citizens or Americans anywhere else in the world, then maybe we do need to rethink how much freedom is okay.'”

Actually, it is good enough to say “it’s free speech, it should be allowed.” Remember, immigrants from around the world want to come here, not Pakistan, unless they are wannabe terrorists, in which case they do want to immigrate to the tribal regions of Pakistan to meet up with the Pakistani Taliban for training.

5.) Poll of the Day: Democrat Tester in trouble in Montana– Mason-Dixon poll of Montana Senate race: Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg 48%, incumbent Sen. Jon Tester 45%.

6.) Tweet of Yesterday — Ken Jennings: Nothing more satisfying than a shitty driver with bumper stickers from the other side of the political spectrum.

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Jamie Weinstein