Columnist Charles Krauthammer criticized President Obama for only showing “passion” and “anger” against Republicans on dealing with Syrian refugees on Monday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
Krauthammer said, “I thought it was an astonishing performance. Aside from all the things he said that are sort of literally unbelievable, the strategy is working, the whole world knows that’s not true. That he said on Friday that ISIS is not growing in strength, of course, it is. Even his own [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) says we’re in — we are not winning this, in fact, they are expanding.”
He continued, “what struck me above all, was not the misstatement of facts and the delusions about what’s going on, it’s the president’s tone. There was this lassitude, passivity, annoyance, he was irritable, you know, you guys are asking me again if the strategy is working, as if you it’s so obvious that it is. But what was the most amazing to me, is the fact that it was — the tone was flat and detached. Now, you could say this is Obama the cool, no, because he does manage to rouse his passion, and he did at the end of the press conference, when he was asked about allowing in the refugees. Well, that’s where he showed passion. You could see the anger, and who is he angry against? Republicans who suggest, ‘slamming the door’ on refugees when their reasons are quite good. So, that to me was the most striking. He said, of course, in his usual condescension, what the critics want is for me to be bellicose. No one is asking for bellicosity of him, all they’re asking of him, is some sign of passion, or commitment, urgency. The French have said this was an act of war, and he calls it a ‘setback.'”
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