A Fox News strategic analyst lashed out at President Obama Monday for his Oval Office address on fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“Look, Mr. President, we’re not afraid, we’re angry, we’re pissed off, we’re furious! We want you to react, we want you to do something!” retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters said on Fox Business’s “Varney & Co.”
“You’re afraid!” Peters continued. “I mean, this guy is such a total pussy, it’s stunning.”
Host Stuart Varney rebuked Peters after the rant, saying, “I asked you what your reaction was, but … you can’t use language like that on the program.”
Later in the day, Fox News contributor Stacey Dash said Obama “didn’t give a s–t” during his speech Sunday night.
Both Peters and Dash have now been suspended for two weeks, CNN Money reported.
“Earlier today, Fox contributors Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Stacey Dash made comments on different programs that were completely inappropriate and unacceptable for our air,” said Fox senior executive vice president Bill Shine, according to CNN.
Peters joined other critics in panning Obama’s address Sunday night as lacking any new proposals for defeating ISIS.
As Obama’s only third Oval Office appearance, the speech was intended to allay fears about threats posed by terrorism in the wake of the mass shooting last week in San Bernardino, Calif. One of the attackers had pledged support to ISIS on social media.
During his prime-time address, Obama outlined U.S. efforts to curb international terrorist plots while also pushing back against “letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam.”
“The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us,” Obama said, using an alternate acronym for ISIS.
Another new low. between Trump and Faux News, there seems to be a contest going on for “how low and unprincipled” can you go. I think a local blog is also competing for the title.
Shall we see who wins? Where are the standards? Crickets. There probably are none.
Now let’s have that conversation….does anyone really think that ISIS can be bombed out of existence? ISIS is a concept with thugs to work its mission. Now, you might be able to bomb thugs but it’s really going to be difficult to bomb on concept of an Islamic state out of people’s heads. Probably the way NOT to do it is to marginalize American Muslims.
The Republican party needs to get hold of Trump and stuff a sock in his mouth. At this point, someone like Strom Thurman could get elected as a Democrat and come across looking like a man of all the people.
More to the point, the objective of President Obama’s speech was to reassure the American people. we had had a terrorist attack, or so it seems. People were afraid. The point of the President was not to beat the drums of war. We saw how that worked out last time. We are still in that unfinished war. It was comforting to me to hear cooler heads prevail.
Bullshit and machismo hasn’t gotten us very far. I prefer logic and reassurance to chest thumbing any day of the week. I don’t think being sane, reassuring and logical is being a pussy. Perhaps it’s just me.
I’ve heard that guy Peters before, and he has a tendency to
become apoplectic about things, but this was beyond the pale.
Varney, on the other hand, is usually calm and pleasant.
Wikipedia states that Peters is on his third wife. Just an aside.
Peters let his mouth get ahead of his judgement and forgot to engage in “media speak.”
Varney looked like he was trying to hold back so much laughter when he reminded Peters that they CANNOT have such language on the airwaves.
I sooooo wish there had been a camera on Varney when Peters lost it.
You can’t blame a Lt. Col from speaking his mind. He never made full-bird, which means he wasn’t sufficiently politicized ( I mean internal military politics, not partisan) prior to retirement.
But you should post the comments from Peters and Dash, regarding their respective suspensions: Both were contrite, and admitted that their comments “crossed the line”
If only those on the left could be so contrite.
Hmmm…I just wouldn’t have said that about a president in public. I was taught that by my parents…actually when President Eisenhower had his heart attack and I knew my parents had not voted for him.
If Trump or Cruz get in, all that will go out the window…and my parents can roll over in their graves.
A lot of people getting mighty angry at Obama.
Not the people who voted for him–only those who have hated him all along.
I would assume each knew what the discussion would cover so there was no element of surprise to warrant the lack of self-control exhibited. Varney contacted Peters twice to get a apology – which Peters gave. Dash was quoted as saying she was willing to take the punishment for her comments.
This isn’t a liberal or conservative issue; it’s a matter of self control, manners and responsibility.
Wolve is right the anger toward the Preseident is growing, people like Trump stoke it and we’ve all accepted a declining standard of acceptable behaviour. So sad.
Dash caught herself and self corrected. Far be it from me to criticize anyone else for a bit o toilet tongue….
I just wouldn’t call any sitting president a pussy in public. I guess anything goes now though.
I wouldn’t be too sure of that.
I can’t think of anyone I know who fits that bill. Most of my friends and relatives would have been described as Obama voters.
A whopping majority (>60%) disapprove of Obama’s handling of ISIS and terrorism. Clearly that number has to include many who voted for him. A majority also disapproves of his handling of the economy.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/12/06/rel12d.-.obama.isis.pdf
I will bite. What would you prefer him to do about them? (ISIS)
As for the economy, I don’t know what else he can do. What is it you would like to see change? We have 5% unemployment, the stock market has been good until this year, at least. Gasoline is at an all time low…..
Are you sure people aren’t grousing just because it is human nature to do so? 7 years is pretty good recovery time from one of the deepest recessions in modern times.
I am amused at so much angst in the era of “douchebag” and “wingnut”and other colorful terms splashed around so easily in public in this culture. Why is anyone shocked when it slips out on the air once in awhile?
OK, I am going to move the earth backwards and pretty much agree with Wolve. I am not saying it was a good thing but are we surprised? No. I would especially defend the person who self-corrected.
What surprises me is that Fox did something about it.
Now I have to ask….Wolve…is wingnut a vulgar expression? I understand the other two are. If wingnut is vulgar…I have probably said it in all the wrong places.
@Lyssa
Remember when there was such a thing as “civil discourse”?
@Moon-howler
wingnut: crazy person on the Right.
moonbat: crazy person on the Left.
Not vulgar, I guess. Just insulting. Now, if you want vulgar, I can offer………….Nah, Christmas is coming. The grandkids are excited…..Mrs. Wolve is decorating…..I’ll take a pass.
I know a lot of vulgar also, Wolve. Brothers. I was worried that all these many years “wingnut” was vulgar and I didn’t know it.
Thanks!
Individual behavior is just that. On you. it’s not contingent upon others.
Either we leave the area and let them fight it out or we go in and demolish the ISIS forces. Obama is trying to do as little as possible while still appearing to “do something.” His main goal was, originally, to oust Assad. We should never have been involved. All we did was end up arming ISIS.
As for the economy, it is stagnant. the only reason that we have “5%” unemployment is because so many have dropped out of the labor force. We have 94 million not working.
The stock market has no basis in reality and has been supported by quantitative easing and 0% interest from the Fed. It is a bubble.
Oil is down because the Saudi’s are trying to drive our fracking industry out of business and are willing to go broke doing it.
To be honest Moon that only further validates the notion of some that Obama has a cult like following (not my view but I have heard it mentioned).
However, I must say that most of my family in the Peoples Republic of… sorry, the great state of Maryland that overwhelmingly voted for President Obama have been growing increasingly angry with his performance especially when it comes to foreign policy and specifically with his handling of ISIS and Syria.
What do your relatives want him to do over ISIS that he isn’t doing? Syria also. Do they want us to engage in another country’s civil war?
I guess I haven’t really heard anyone come up with real solutions that don’t involve us sending our son, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers into harm’s way. I am not sure I am willing to jeopardize our people over another country’s problems, at least not at this point.
I am just not sure what people want Obama to do.
@Moon-howler
Obama has already engaged us in another country’s civil war. That is how ISIS got some American weapons early on.
And since we are supporting the “good” rebels in Syria, Russia had to warn us that they would fire on US forces supporting the rebels. Thus, the FSA lost any air support.
We should not be involved in Syria AT ALL. But Obama thought this would be another Libya. Too bad the “leaders of the free world” decided that Qaddaffi’s attempt to fight HIS rebels, which included Al Q, were too “harsh” and removed him. That worked out for us soooooo well.