"Romney’s moment was...rash and shameful...Crass, undignified and troubling on many levels."

[ProSense]

When You Learn They’re Not Ready

Josh Marshall

Some moments show you when a candidate is ready or not to become President of the United States. I suspect last night will become one of those moments for Mitt Romney. The verdict will not be positive.

<...>

Romney’s attack was not only ill-judged and ill-timed, it was actually based on what appears to be a demonstrable falsehood. Romney, or folks writing in his name at his campaign, claimed that the administration’s first response to the attacks was to issue a press release condemning the anti-Islam film which had helped trigger the attack....In fact, according to all available press reports and the account of the State Department, the press release in question came from the US Embassy in Egypt and preceded the attacks. So to claim it was a response to the attacks was simply false. So while American diplomats were dying in the field, Romney pops up with an egregious attempt to politicize the deaths with a flat out lie.

Behind the curtains a more chaotic and rash picture emerges...The campaign also authorized Romney’s top foreign policy advisor to give a blistering interview attacking the president while the attacks were continuing.

Politics is hardball....But campaigns are also a prism into the judgment and steadiness under pressure of a person who would be president. This was amateur hour for the opposition campaign last night, reminiscent of John McCain’s rash call four years ago to cancel the presidential debates and the campaign itself to deal with the unfolding economic crisis. There was nothing ignoble or dishonorable about McCain’s suggestion...Romney’s moment was quite different — rash and shameful. Not worthy of a president. Crass, undignified and troubling on many levels.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/09/when_you_learn_theyre_not_ready.php

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Willard is Bush the third

complete with psychopathic tendency. Scary ass individual isn't he? You can't make this shit up,but we here this every day here in Utah complete with robo-calls attacking our President.

Expect this type of drivel will continue until the adults in the room put a stop to it and call this turd out.

[valerief]

13. Dubya probably has a better sense of humor. Um, that's about it.

They're both evil and dumb. Dubya's probably dumber than he is evil, and Mittfalca is probably more evil than he is dumb.

[Zorra]

19. You beat me to it.

First thing i thought of when i saw the OP.

[speedoo]

3. Josh Marshall nails it.

Once again.

[coalition_unwilling]

4. Romney's response makes him look petty and vindictive, further cementing

the branding of him as 'unfit to serve'.

[Skidmore]

5. It made him look even more craven and opportunistic, if that is possible.

[myrna minx]

6. I found his response to be thoroughly chilling.

His body language and smug self satisfied smirk chilled me to the core.

[BlueStreak]

18. More than that, he didn't show any understanding of the situation and

no appreciation for the nuance required.

I mean the last thing we want is for other embassies to come under attack before we can get this situation settled down.

His actions were wrong on every possible level.

[coalition_unwilling]

20. I keep waiting for some Top-Gun Republican to come out and

do a full-tilt slapdown on Romney.

Thinking Dick Lugar, maybe, or Colin Powell (tarnished though his rep may be). Maybe Chuck Hagel.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. K&R

[OKNancy]

8. Interesting that the article points out that he ( or staff) got the misinformation

about the timing of the embassy statement from the right-wing blogosphere.

I've suspected for some time now, that this is where he gets ALL of his talking points.
They just repeat lies and speculation and don't bother to check with any unbiased news source or check things out themselves.

[lunatica]

9. Yes. This moment showed us exactly how unqualified he is to be President

[librechik]

10. and typical of what the entire republican Party has become. If you want a fucked up war for loot

vote Romney.

If you want a government intent on reducing conflicts, vote Obama.

Many don't agree with the president's methods but for god's sake there is no comparison with the nightmare that is the opponent.

[avebury]

11. K&R nt

[smorkingapple]

12. His apple in the mouth moment. It's over.

[Vattel]

14. He was an asshole but what's up with the WH distancing itself from the embassy statement?

Is that report true? There was nothing fucking wrong witht the statement.

[berni_mccoy]

15. Romney is unfit to be Commander-In-Chief.

[lpbk2713]

17. Mittens is guided by the example set by GW Bush.

Shit-for-Brains proved anyone can be President.

[martin061360]

16. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/09/12/the-lost-soul-of-mitt-romney/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/09/12/the-lost-soul-of-mitt-romney/

[Pachamama]

26. Excellent Commentary and summary of what happened and Mitt's response & GOP's Reince Priebus!

Shameful....

[aquamarina]

21. I'd like to +1,000,000,000 this post

and all the comments that followed it.

Spot on, every last one of them.

[lexw]

22. I heard Romney's "press conferenence" on the radio this morning...

Over the radio, Romney sounded like he was acting out..."Gosh! This is what it feels like to be president!"

[sellitman]

23. I hope this turns into his macaca moment.

He certainly needs a good butt kicking at the polls.

[marions ghost]

29. macaca moment

yes... exactly

[Flatpicker]

24. Romney/Ryan

Live by the lie/Die by the lie.

They did it to themselves and I can't help but think it's for the best.

[ProSense]

25. Lying in response to an attack on Americans.

Romney is a disease.

[oswaldactedalone]

27. We've got to work hard to crush these liars

The Thuglican Party has really become a disgrace to America. We've got to kick their asses to the curb. Mobilize folks both with your feet and checkbooks.

[conlibe]

28. Quick Draw Romney

Poor Mitt Romney - born with TWO silver feet in his mouth!!!

Somebody should ASK Romney: Say you are holed up in your Lake Winnipesauke summer mansion in New Hampshire with your sons and grand-kids.

Some disgruntled ex-employees - from a company that Romney's firm Bain Capital took over and fired - show up threatening violence.

They are upset over a film they saw showing how Bain took over their old employer, gutted the company, fired workers here, shipped jobs overseas and made millions in profits.

Would Romney tell these trigger-happy, on-the-edge ticking time bombs to:

(a) Go to hell, this is how capitalism works, get over it...OR

(b) Wave a white flag and try to see how you can work with them to address their grievances, maybe find them jobs at Bain?

Based on Romney's reaction, he would do (a).

But we know that if it was his family, he would NOT stand on principles, would he? He would choose option (b) just like the embassy did!

Like the rest of us would do when it's OUR LIVES on the line!

Quick Draw Romney - ow, ow!! Get Down!!!
http://conlibe.wordpress.com

[CrispyQ]

30. His sense of entitlement skews his world view.

I don't think I've ever seen someone so entitled, someone who feels they can say whatever they want & never be questioned. It's a horrible, horrible trait for a national leader!

[ProSense]

32. Treating Benghazi Like Bain

Treating Benghazi Like Bain

<...>

Romney has managed, in a couple of short vignettes, to showcase so many of the qualities that make people doubt him: the eager opportunism; the indifference to the truth; a certain arrogance; his clumsiness and near-incompetence as a diplomat; the sense that he doesn’t understand what it means for a person to be in hard circumstances, or even danger. The stakes here though, unlike with Bain, are not just people who are losing their pensions—though that is bad enough—but wars that could start, governments that could fall. What compass would he have if he had to manage a major crisis? In addition to Yemen, there were reports of demonstrations in Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco (where Ambassdor Chris Stevens, who died in Benghazi, taught English thirty years ago), and Iraq. And as Romney was babbling about apologies, two navy ships, armed with Tomahawk missiles, had sailed away from Norfolk, Virginia, headed for the Libyan coast.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2012/09/treating-benghazi-like-bain.html

[magnifisense]

31. "rash and shameful...Crass, undignified and troubling on many levels"

And in conclusion, unfit to serve as president.