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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumMitt Romney Drops His 3 a.m. Phone Call
SEP 12 2012
The 3 a.m. phone call is shorthand for the unforeseen emergency that requires both a quick reaction and the beginning of longer second- and third-stage responses. Often the most important immediate decision is not to react immediately. There are times when every minute counts, but not usually. The first impulse, the first wave of fragmentary information, the first set of available options -- these often turn out to be misleading.
People at the operational level inside the U.S. government had to respond immediately to news of the attacks and chaos in Egypt and Libya. But U.S. officials did not have to say anything in public right away. And they didn't. This morning, first Hillary Clinton and then Barack Obama expressed sentiments appropriate for a nation whose interests and people had been attacked.
Each began by talking about the commitment and sacrifice of the Americans who serve their country overseas; then they condemned the violence of the attack; then they promised justice; then they affirmed America's belief in free expression of all views but said that this could never be an excuse for violence. They spoke for the country, and its values, and the people it had lost.
Mitt Romney could have waited, as they did. When he spoke, he could have said essentially the same thing as they did. We honor the people who serve us. We condemn the violence they endured. We express sorrow and support to their families, and we affirm belief in our values. Americans disagree on many issues, including foreign policy, but those disputes can wait until another day.
But that is not what he said. When he first heard about the violence and protests last night, he rushed to condemn the administration before anyone knew fully what was going on. After he had had a few hours to think, he dug himself in far deeper with a graceless press conference whose dominant theme was partisan criticism of the administration.
People at the operational level inside the U.S. government had to respond immediately to news of the attacks and chaos in Egypt and Libya. But U.S. officials did not have to say anything in public right away. And they didn't. This morning, first Hillary Clinton and then Barack Obama expressed sentiments appropriate for a nation whose interests and people had been attacked.
Each began by talking about the commitment and sacrifice of the Americans who serve their country overseas; then they condemned the violence of the attack; then they promised justice; then they affirmed America's belief in free expression of all views but said that this could never be an excuse for violence. They spoke for the country, and its values, and the people it had lost.
Mitt Romney could have waited, as they did. When he spoke, he could have said essentially the same thing as they did. We honor the people who serve us. We condemn the violence they endured. We express sorrow and support to their families, and we affirm belief in our values. Americans disagree on many issues, including foreign policy, but those disputes can wait until another day.
But that is not what he said. When he first heard about the violence and protests last night, he rushed to condemn the administration before anyone knew fully what was going on. After he had had a few hours to think, he dug himself in far deeper with a graceless press conference whose dominant theme was partisan criticism of the administration.
More:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/mitt-romney-drops-his-3-am-phone-call/262285/
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Mitt Romney Drops His 3 a.m. Phone Call (Original Post)
TroyD
Sep 2012
OP
Romney drops is very first 3 a.m. phone call. I guess there was no need to worry
silvershadow
Sep 2012
#5
annabanana
(52,791 posts)1. We are all in agreement.
He blew it big time.
charlyvi
(6,537 posts)2. Hell. He didn't even hear it ring. He didn't even have a phone.
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)3. Rookie, rookie!
Cha
(297,249 posts)4. When mitt dug himself in Deeper..was it
"partisan criticism" or was it Vicious LIES?
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)5. Romney drops is very first 3 a.m. phone call. I guess there was no need to worry
about his taxes after all.
high density
(13,397 posts)6. That wasn't just a dropped call
It was like handing the call off to the Three Stooges.