NO APOLOGIES…. It’s the kind of analysis that’s so blisteringly stupid, it’s still hard to believe it’s coming from a major news outlet. Fox News’ Steve Doocy told viewers this morning that “some” are referring to the president’s visit to the Middle East “as President Obama’s Muslim apology tour.”
Who are these “some”? Doocy didn’t say. If pressed, the Fox News personality would probably have to point to the frequent references to an “apology tour” on his own standards-free network.
Whether it was a conscious decision or not, President Obama acknowledged the tension between the United States and much of the Middle East, but he apologized for nothing, leaving Fox News and the RNC with precious little to work with.
“[J]ust as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter our principles. 9/11 was an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our ideals. We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.
“So America will defend itself respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law. And we will do so in partnership with Muslim communities which are also threatened. The sooner the extremists are isolated and unwelcome in Muslim communities, the sooner we will all be safer.”
As Spencer Ackerman summarized, “Not a word of apology. On Afghanistan, he said ‘despite the costs involved, America’s commitment will not weaken. Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists.’ He looked squarely at the conspiracy theories about 9/11 in the Muslim world and called them the garbage that they are. ‘Al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale. … These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.’”
I don’t doubt that those who hope to discredit the White House will come up with something negative to obsess over, but after going through the speech a couple of times, I’m not sure what it’ll be. His quoting the Koran? His expression of goodwill through “assalaamu alaykum”?
