Obama’s Libya hyperbole dominates debate

Oct. 17, 2012

Katy Grimes: Unlike the first Presidential debate, President Barack Obama showed up to last night’s contest. But he brought his defensive, testy, argumentative, and rather condescending self to the match, and it’s understandable why. Obama does not have much of a record to run on. Many of the points he made last evening during the debate were either exaggerations, or just untrue.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney certainly was a respectable challenger, and made many more fact-based points than the President. But Romney missed several knockout punches. Some are saying that Romney had to remain respectful of the President, and that may be the case. But the fact remains, Romney could have punched much harder, but was by far better in this debate than Obama… despite what CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS say. They had their commentaries written before the debate even took place.

At one point during the debate, clapping could be heard from the pressroom during some of Obama’s obviously scripted “gotcha” moments.

And that is what was wrong with Obama’s debate technique.

Instead of answering the questions, he launched into pre-planned speeches. Moderator Candy Crowley from CNN did nothing to stop him throughout most of the debate, although at the beginning of the debate she did call him on the first two questions, and mentioned that he did not provide answers.

Romney answered the questions and did not sound scripted, particularly when he explained his plans to reform U.S. tax policy, and his 5-point plan to get the economy rolling again.

Crowley was an embarrassment as a moderator. It became evident very quickly into the debate that Crowley is in-the-bag for Obama.

Libya hyperbole

One of the strangest and the worst moments of the debate was when Crowley flagrantly argued on behalf of the President after he lied about claiming that the the Libya embassy attack was terrorism.

Post-debate fact checking quickly proved that Obama did not tell the truth about the events surrounding Libya, and Crowley was wrong in her defense of the President. Crowley apparently realized her error of judgment, and tried to back down from the assistance she gave to Obama… on national television during a presidential debate.

The real story in last night’s debate will probably come in the next few days as Obama’s well-rehearsed disinformation and hyperbole about the Libya embassy attack and murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three Marines, comes out.

Here is an excerpt of the debate on the Libya discussion:

QUESTION: We were sitting around, talking about Libya, and we were reading and became aware of reports that the State Department refused extra security for our embassy in Benghazi, Libya, prior to the attacks that killed four Americans.

Who was it that denied enhanced security and why?

OBAMA: Well, let me first of all talk about our diplomats, because they serve all around the world and do an incredible job in a very dangerous situation. And these aren’t just representatives of the United States, they are my representatives. I send them there, oftentimes into harm’s way. I know these folks and I know their families. So nobody is more concerned about their safety and security than I am.

So as soon as we found out that the Benghazi consulate was being overrun, I was on the phone with my national security team and I gave them three instructions.

Cut ahead to Romney:

ROMNEY: Yeah, I — I certainly do. I certainly do. I — I think it’s interesting the president just said something which is that on the day after the attack, he went in the Rose Garden and said that this was an act of terror. You said in the Rose Garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror. It was not a spontaneous demonstration.

OBAMA: Please proceed.

ROMNEY: Is that what you’re saying?

OBAMA: Please proceed, Governor.

ROMNEY: I — I — I want to make sure we get that for the record, because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror.

OBAMA: Get the transcript.

CROWLEY: It — he did in fact, sir.

So let me — let me call it an act of terrorism — (inaudible) —

OBAMA: Can you say that a little louder, Candy? (Laughter, applause.)

CROWLEY: He did call it an act of terror. It did as well take — it did as well take two weeks or so for the whole idea of there being a riot out there about this tape to come out. You are correct about that.

ROMNEY: This — the administration — the administration — (applause) — indicated that this was a — a reaction to a — to a video and was a spontaneous reaction.

CROWLEY: They did.

ROMNEY: It took them a long time to say this was a terrorist act by a terrorist group and — and to suggest — am I incorrect in that regard? On Sunday the — your — your secretary or —

OBAMA: Candy —

ROMNEY: Excuse me. The ambassador to the United Nations went on the Sunday television shows and — and spoke about how this was a spontaneous reaction.

What Obama said in the Rose Garden the day after the Libya attack was, “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this nation.” The reference to “acts of terror” was a reference to the terrorist attack on America on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as other terrorist attacks.

The Washington Post has the video here of the Libya exchange between Obama and Romney:

Be sure to read the very good Washington Post analysis of the debate in “Obama still wrong on Libya: Crowley blows it.”

There were several really bad questions from audience members. It was clear that the questions were designed as zingers for Romney. The worst of these was the question from an “undecided” voter:

Governor Romney, I am an undecided voter, because I’m disappointed with the lack of progress I’ve seen in the last four years. However, I do attribute much of America’s economic and international problems to the failings and missteps of the Bush administration.

Since both you and President Bush are Republicans, I fear a return to the policies of those years should you win this election. What is the biggest difference between you and George W. Bush, and how do you differentiate yourself from George W. Bush?

If anyone really believes that the woman who asked this question is an undecided voter, I’ve got a bridge for sale.

Romney’s answer wasn’t very strong, although he did try to differentiate his policies from former President George Bush’s.

The most irrelevant, meaningless question came from a young woman:

“In what new ways to you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn?”

Allowing this stupid, inaccurate and incorrect question into the debate only made the liberal bias evident. Fortunately, Obama launched into another story of how his grandmother raised him. You could almost see audience members’ eyes rolling.

The townhall format is awful. Voters want to see a real debate of issues.

Read the Heritage Foundation’s 5 most misleading statements from the second presidential debate.

Here is a full transcript of the second presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York.