Yesterday, the White House asked YouTube to review the video that supposedly sparked riots across the Muslim world and led to the storming of multiple US and European embassies and consulates. Blatantly ignoring the free speech implications of intervening with YouTube to shut down particular forms of disapproved speech, the White House said that they have “reached out to YouTube to call the video to their attention and ask them to review whether it violates their terms of use.” The video has been up at YouTube for months without incident, and without removal. Today, YouTube stated that the video “is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube.” Nonetheless, the site did restrict access in Libya and Egypt because it is “offensive” in those places.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney idiotically maintains the position that there is nothing behind the global conflagration except this little-known, poorly-produced YouTube video. That remains the White House’s position because the alternative – that Obama’s foreign policy has been an epic failure – would be disastrous for Obama’s re-election campaign. Said Carney, “It is in response to a video, a film, that we have judged to be reprehensible and disgusting. That in no way justifies any violent reaction to it, but this is not a case of protest directed at the United States writ large or at U.S. policy. This is in response to a video that is offensive and — to Muslims. Again, this is not in any way justifying violence. And we’ve spoken very clearly out against that and condemned it.”
He did not mention First Amendment rights.
NOTE: Breitbart News incorrectly reported earlier today that the video in question had been removed from YouTube. As of this writing, it has not been removed.