The White House today said they were caught off guard yesterday by the reaction to President Bush's comments about appeasing "terrorists and radicals" in the Middle East, which were interpreted to be a hit at Sen. Barack Obama.
If anything, the White House expected the president's criticisms to be seen as a slap at former President Carter, said Ed Gillespie, counselor to the president.
"There was some anticipation that someone might say, oh, it's an expression of - a rebuke to former President Carter for having met with Hamas. That was something that was anticipated," Mr. Gillespie told reporters on Air Force One, as Mr. Bush traveled from Israel to Saudi Arabia earlier today.
But instead, Mr. Obama yesterday issued a denunciation of Mr. Bush's remarks to the Israeli Knesset, during a celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary, claiming it was a "false political attack" against him.
Mr. Bush did not mention Mr. Obama, the Illinois Democrat who is likely to vie for the presidency as his party's candidate, or Mr. Carter by name. He did compare meeting with Hamas or Iran to meeting with Hitler prior to World War II, labeling this "the false comfort of appeasement."
Following Mr. Obama's response, the Democratic party exploded in a series of condemnations from each member of the congressional leadership.
Even the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, got into the fray, using the incident to hit Mr. Obama, which then prompted another response from the Obama campaign.
Mr. Gillespie pronounced himself flummoxed.
"I'm surprised and curious as to the reaction," he said.
"We did not anticipate that it would be taken that way, because it's kind of hard to take it that way if you look at the actual words of the president's remarks, which are consistent with what he has said in the past relative to dealing with groups like Hezbollah and Hamas and al Qaeda, relative to standing by Israel, relative to concerns about Iran developing the prospect of a nuclear weapon," Mr. Gillespie said.
Mr. Gillespie implied that Mr. Obama's reaction to the president's speech was driven by media interpretations of Mr. Bush's comments.
"We don't necessarily live in a world where people just report what the president says, they have to report what they think it means," he said.
"I would urge people to write what the president said … and allow readers to look at his words and form their own conclusions. But we live in a world of news analysis and commentary, and I understand that, so people are free to do it," Mr. Gillespie said.
— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times
Comments (8)
President Bush spoke a about appeasement and the fact it has never worked throughout history when dealing with your eneny. That this spolen truth I really believe now that democrats are willing to sell of America's liberties just to regain and hold reins of power a little longer.
Posted by Ralph Woods | May 16, 2008 3:50 PM
Bush Comments
To all DemocRATS, if the shoe fits wear it.
RL
Colorado
Posted by Ruth Lindemann | May 16, 2008 3:59 PM
Those comments were direct at Sen. Obama; let's get real people
Posted by Joyce | May 16, 2008 4:21 PM
It is curious why Obama is having such a hissy as far as i remember Obama did say he wanted to meet with the country's that support terrorism personally,even if Bush was talking about him it's not like he lied,But Obama being the flip flopper,elitist that he is i guess it's to be expected he constantly wines oh there picking on me i did say that but why do they have to bring it up oh my there repeating what i said maybe people will get the wrong idea.Please it's really getting old i cant wait untill November to cast my vote for Mcain, if the superdelagates continue to give this nomination to Obama before all votes are cast,i have a feeling the republicans have a real good campaign coming up,and who cares if they bring out Obama's garbage hey that's politics suck it up take it like a man Obama stop whining oh there picking on my race or my policy's,Obama made his bed now he must lie in it! Obama has no one to blame,not the media,not his Rev,not Hillary supporters,not Hillary he can blame himself he chose to surround himself with terrorists,crooks and the like.the American people are not stupid we have allready got a glimps of the kind of people you will suround yourself if President. Vote Hillary Vote Smart
Posted by Vote Hillary | May 16, 2008 6:01 PM
Bush is the last person to criticize anyone who talk to terrorists or will talk to terrorists.
We shouldn't forget that Bush
(a) provided Jews the loan guarantee for the wall in the West Bank which Jews used to terrorize innocent Palestinians
(b) supplied the Jews with cluster bombs which Jews employed against innocent Lebanese civilians
(c) supplies Jews with arms & financial aid to assist them in stealing land from Palestinians and making their lives a living hell
(d) leads an international embargo against innocent Gazans because innocent Palestinians chose to democratically elect Hamas into power (he also condones the Jews halting the shipment of life saving fuel and food into Gaza)
(e) protects Jewish terrorists from criticism by the UN, the EU and other international entities
(f) and he believes no one, especially Palestinians, have a right to protect themselves against Jewish terrorists.
Certainly, we should help Jews protect themselves but we should draw the line at aiding them terrorize innocents.
Jimmy Carter is right when he says Israelis are terrorists.
Posted by Ed Samson | May 17, 2008 9:07 AM
Where on earth do some of you folks learn how to spell? To display your ignorance so openly is incredible. Are you part of the Bush "no child left behind?
Posted by Pat O'Leary | May 18, 2008 12:42 AM
BHO thinks everything is always about him. "W" is right about appeasers and their naive assumptions. The multicultural dhimmi Carter is iconic of America's weakest link. BHO is riding on the white guilt and political correctness of an immoral bunch of Kool-Aid drinkers. Now, if we could only find a conservative VP that rejects the doctrines of the global warming cult to balance McCain's stupidity.
Posted by pop seal | May 18, 2008 9:19 AM
The total degradation of the GOP is seen in Bush's recent visit to the Middle East.
President Bush, once again showing an acute lack of statesmanship, leadership skills and diplomatic acumen, traveled to the Middle East, where he laid a number of rotten eggs.
With three hundred and twenty million Arabs and probably ten times that many sympathizers around the world recognizing that US�s Middle East policies are tilted worse than that of the planet Uranus, Bush went first to Israel and showed that tilt in every respect.
Simultaneously, genuflecting and kowtowing, he committed treason, in my view. After that sad and sorry ring-kissing, among other things, spectacle, he proceeded to Saudi Arabia. There,this shell of a President, he then sought to plead for Arab oil. The Saudis all but kicked him out on his humiliated subservient presidential bottom.
With what country, in the world, do Bush and his Presidency have any standing, credibility or respect whatsoever? I, frankly, can�t think of one, maybe the Republic of Benin, perhaps? When Senator Reid said the war in Iraq was lost, I took him to mean this entire worldwide sordid mess that Bush has brought upon these United States of America.
If I recall correctly, the 9/11 guys came primarily from Saudi Arabia. Also, isn�t it in Saudi Arabia that they have and fund numerous madrassas schools? Isn�t it in these schools that the fundamentals of terrorism are taught? And Bush doesn�t talk to terrorists or sponsors of terrorists? What was he doing in Saudi Arabia? Further, he doesn�t talk to terrorists but he has no problem talking to and appeasing the North Koreans with bribes! Besides being up to his neck in hypocrisy, Bush�s forked tongue projects much too long for him to hide it.
The even greater horror of this is that McCain condones the hypocrisy of Bush. This indicates that if he, McCain, became President, the wining, dining and duping of the American people will continue, ad nauseam.
Posted by Ernest M. | May 19, 2008 12:04 PM