Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Our National Disgrace or what else is new...lack of class, that is!

Our National Disgrace

This wasn’t a misstep. This was deliberate. Biden could have gone. Eric Holder was in Paris and was prohibited from going. His job was to enforce sharia. He refused to link jihad terror with jihad or Islam. We are at war with “lone wolf” attacks. This was a calculated move signalling his solidarity with jihad groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, “moderate” al Qaeda (his administration’s turn of a phrase, not mine), Hamas, etc.  He attacked free speech when jihadists attacked America on September 11, 2012 (and it wasn’t even an issue).  And he stood with jihadists after the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher slaughters.  He sent an entourage to Michael Brown’s funeral. He sent a letter of commendation to the mosque that preached jihad and hatred of America to the Oklahoma beheader of Colleen Hufford.

He stood with jihadists when he sanctioned the UK government’s ban of my colleague Robert Spencer and me from entering the country. British documents to our banning specifically stated, “… initial feedback from Post to say that they do not expect that there would be any reaction from the US Administration to these exclusions.

More than 40 world leaders attended the demonstration of solidarity, called the biggest public gathering in France’s history.  French President Francois Hollande was joined by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah of Jordan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and others for a total of 50 world leaders joined roughly 3.7 million people who marched for freedom in Paris.

“American Snubs Historic Paris Rally,”
Daily Mail, January 12, 2015
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and British PM David Cameron were among dozens of world leaders that were there.

Neither President Obama or Vice President Joe Biden attended the historic event, though both of their public schedules were open.  Obama told the French on Friday that ‘the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow’ – but he didn’t stand with them in Paris.  US Attorney General Eric Holder was in Paris for a terrorism summit on the march’s sidelines, but was not seen at the march that followed.  No cabinet secretaries or other senior officials attended, leaving only US Ambassador to France Jane Hartley as the top US official there



President Barack Obama and other top members of his administration have snubbed a historic rally in Paris today that brought together more than 40 world leaders from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and even Russia.  ‘France is our oldest ally,’ Obama said during a speech Friday in Tennessee. ‘I want the people of France to know that the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow.’  But he wasn’t standing in Paris as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas put aside their differences and linked arms.  Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov made the same unifying gesture in the march down the Place de la Concorde in defiance of the Islamist terror attacks that rocked the city last week.  According to an administration official, President Obama spent part of his Sunday afternoon watching a National Football League game on television. Both games were broadcast hours after the march.


Heads of state from every major European power, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, joined French President Francois Hollande.  World leaders walk side by side in a show of defiance and unity but the USA was MIA. At the rally in response to the terror attacks that have taken place in France, including (left to right) British Prime Minister David Cameron, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French President Francois Hollande and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The Marche Republicaine saw numerous world leaders from Europe, Africa and the Middle East link arms and walk through the streets of Paris as a show of solidarity with France.  OTHER ATTENDEES: Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (second from left) Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz (third from left) EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (fourth from left) Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, (fourth from left), President of the European council Donald Tusk (third from right), Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (second from right) and Queen Rania (right) and King Abdullah II (not pictured) of Jordan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) - WHERE DID HE GO? Attorney General Eric Holder was in Paris on Sunday for a security summit, but did not appear alongside world leaders when they joined an anti-terrorism march in the afternoon – instead he slipped away to appear on several US morning shows. 

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden remained in Washington, despite having no events on their public schedules Sunday. Secretary of State John Kerry was a world away in India, on a pre-planned trip. Attorney General Eric Holder was in Paris for a terrorism summit held on the march’s sidelines, but he slipped away and made appearances on four American morning television talk shows just as the incredible rally was starting.  The US was represented at the march only by Jane Hartley, the American ambassador to France who is unrecognizable to most Americans, let alone the rest of the world.

A senior administration official was quick to point out, however, that ‘Attorney General Holder – a Cabinet level official – is representing the United States at the security meetings in Paris today.’  ‘He is joined by the DHS Deputy Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas,’ the official added in a statement to many news outlets. ‘The United States is represented at the march by Ambassador Hartley.’

And ‘as far as public signs of French solidarity from the U.S.,’ the official concluded, ‘don’t forget several public statements from the president, his call to Hollande and a condolence stop to the French embassy.’  Obama went to the French embassy in Washington, D.C. on Thursday to pay his respects, and signed a condolence book with the rallying cry ‘Vive la France!’  Holder, Obama’s longest-serving cabinet member, was pictured shaking hands with French officials after the event, but he slipped away – as did Mayorgas – before the march kicked off around 3:00 p.m. The attorney general appeared on four Sunday morning talk shows around the same time as the march, although it’s unclear whether he spoke live from Paris or if his segments were pre-recorded.

The Department of Justice would not immediately comment on Holder’s schedule with DailyMail.com, and a spokesperson for Homeland Security Secretary Johnson similarly did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  The White House press office also did not respond to a question seeking confirmation that the president was engrossed in the NFL playoffs on Sunday afternoon.  Vice President Joe Biden often fills in for the president at events that require White House gravitas, but he was nowhere to be seen either, despite his own empty schedule.  Political opponents – and even some allies – were quick to criticize Obama for not showing up himself, or at least sending a senior administration official to represent him at the street-swelling rally.

An incensed former Speaker of the house Newt Gingrich vented on Twitter and told DailyMail.com that it was ‘sad that 50 world leaders could show solidarity in Paris but President Obama refused to participate.’  ‘The cowardice continues,’ Gingrich jabbed, referring to Republicans’ refrain that he has shown a weak hand when dealing with terrorism overseas.  Politico reporter Ben White tweeted: ‘Is it just me or does it feel like Obama should be at this big March in Paris?’ Fox News host Greta Van Susteren wrote: ‘This is really embarrassing – WHERE IS PRESIDENT OBAMA? Why didn’t he go?’

Obama’s absence was notable as dozens of nations’ show of solidarity unfolded before a global audience – especially considering his public schedule was wide open. According to Buzzfeed, Holder left Paris after the summit to return to Washington.  Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry was half a world away in India, preparing for the president’s upcoming trip to the south Asian country in the coming weeks.

Mistake? Several political talking heads called President Obama’s absence a ‘mistake’.

CNN’s Jake Tapper reported that security for the march was difficult, with 2,300 police officers and paramilitary forces deployed to Paris. The foreign dignitaries were protected with police snipers, plainclothes cops and anti-terror officers. Streets were shut down and parking was restricted. However, the attendance of controversial heads of state like Netanyahu appeared to show that the march was well secured.

‘I don’t mean this as a criticism of the Obama administration,’ Tapper said Sunday while reporting live from Paris, ‘but just as an American I do wish that we were better represented in this beautiful procession of world leaders.’ ‘I’m a little disappointed, personally – this is me speaking personally, not as a representative of CNN, but as an American – that there isn’t more of a display of unity here,’ the host of ‘The Lead’ added.

CNN‘s Fareed Zakaria was one of the many who noticed President Obama’s absence, and remarked that it was a mistake not to show up and support our ‘deepest ideological ally.’  Zakaria said that it would have sent an important message to have an American face among the wold leaders.

Forbes columnist Stuart Anderson echoed Zakaria’s statements, saying: ‘By not attending the unity rally in Paris on Sunday, President Obama has missed an opportunity to show leadership, to demonstrate that Americans are as committed to fight against terrorism as anyone in the world. ‘And that America stands with its allies in a worldwide battle that, unfortunately, is likely to last many years.’

The White House announced on Sunday that it would convene ‘a Summit on Countering Violent Extremism’ in February ‘to highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting, or inspiring individuals or groups in the United States and abroad to commit acts of violence.’  A statement from White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest made no specific mention of Islam, Islamist terrorism, or Muslims in general.

- See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2015/01/our-national-disgrace.html/#sthash.RzOqKiRe.dpuf
  

Obama Had ‘No Public Schedule’ during Paris Rally

White House admits "higher-profile" official should have attended "I am Charlie" rally against Islamic terror.         By:    Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu  |  Published: January 13th, 2015

President Barack Obama’s official routine for Sunday was “no public schedule,” but the White House tried to explain that he did not attend the mass “I am Charlie” rally because of problems of security.  Or perhaps Obama did not attend the rally, because it might have messed up his schedule for Monday, which consisted of receiving the daily presidential briefing, speaking at the Federal Trade Commission on plans to tackle identity theft, and honoring the NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs.  Facing stiff criticism for the absence of a senior American official, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest admitted Monday, “We should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there.”  He explained that security arrangements could not have been completed satisfactorily. Questioned by Fox News why security was good enough for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other foreign officials to participate in the rally, Earnest said that each country has its own standards of security.


However, he was not able to explain the absence of Attorney General Eric Holder, who was attending a security summit meeting at the time of the rally.  Kerry re-arranged his schedule so he could travel to Paris later this week and put a check next to the sentence, “I was in Paris to express solidarity with the war on Islamic terror.”  Concerning his decision to change his schedule on Sunday and fly to Paris for the rally, Kerry stated, “I would have personally very much wanted to have been [in Paris] but couldn’t do so because of the commitment that I had here and it is important to keep these kinds of commitments.”  Instead, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, a former State Dept. spokeswoman, marched in the rally in Washington, while the U.S. Ambassador to France, Jane Hartley, was at the Paris rally.

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