Obama, Palin And Arizona: A Tale Of Two Speeches - The Note

HYDEs NOTE:  This piece from Falcone and Walter is perfect example of the contempt the MSM has for Sarah Palin and how obsessed they are with her.... 

I like Sarah Palin.  Do I see her as being the next President? No...  Do I believe she is good for America? Yes... 

MSM bias-

Example: "Her words, of course, amount to a rebuttal of those who have called her out for using violent images to "target" Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other Democratic lawmakers during the 2010 election....  "violent images"?!? really?!? violent?!? really?!?

Example: "President Obama, meanwhile, was said to have worked throughout the night on the speech he is set to deliver at tonight's memorial service in Arizona, "Together We Thrive: Tucson and America." According to ABC News' Jake Tapper, the goal of his remarks will be to administer to those mourning, honor those impacted by the shootings -- including the victims, the heroes, and all those grieving in Tucson and beyond."..... 

Obama... "working all through the night on this one speech"... (ie. he cares for/about others & he is a good person), but that "Sarah girl", she is self centered & is trying to inject herself into this national tragedy (ie. profit off of the tragedy).

Example:  "Sarah Palin, once again, has found a way to become part of the story. And she may well face further criticism for the timing and scope of her remarks. She is already taking heat for her use of the term "blood libel" (see today's Tweets). In her video she notes, "President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process." It remains to be seen exactly what Obama will say tonight, but White House aides say another goal of his address will be to lift the nation up in this moment, not sully it with politics.".... 

(ie. Obama is Presidential.... Sarah is not....) Well, I sure as hell hope Obama is Presidential... He is the President after all....

HYDEs BOTTOM LINE: Damning Palin & indirectly blaming her for the tragedy as soon as it happened, but when she tries to defend herself... "she is trying to inject herself into this tragedy".... is completely laughable if it weren't sad... The MSMs days are numbered & this is will only help push them off the edge.

The Note

The Note: Obama, Palin And Arizona: A Tale Of Two Speeches

January 12, 2011 9:01 AM

By MICHAEL FALCONE and AMY WALTER

Just hours before President Obama is scheduled to speak at a memorial service honoring the victims of last weekend's shooting in Arizona, Sarah Palin stepped in with her own message addressing criticism that has been leveled against her in the wake of the tragedy.

In a video message posted on her Facebook page, Palin lashes out at "journalists and pundits," who she says "should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn." http://abcn.ws/hAy4Xq

"Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own," Palin says in the message. "They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with those who proudly voted in the last election."

Her words, of course, amount to a rebuttal of those who have called her out for using violent images to "target" Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other Democratic lawmakers during the 2010 election.

President Obama, meanwhile, was said to have worked throughout the night on the speech he is set to deliver at tonight's memorial service in Arizona, "Together We Thrive: Tucson and America." According to ABC News' Jake Tapper, the goal of his remarks will be to administer to those mourning, honor those impacted by the shootings -- including the victims, the heroes, and all those grieving in Tucson and beyond. http://abcn.ws/e8m6CJ

Now is a time for both Obama and Palin to show leadership. For Palin, the challenge is for her to decide who she wants to -- or can -- be. Does she want to be a uniter and a national leader instead of one of the country's most polarizing figures?

In her video today, Palin tried to find a way to be both. She expresses great compassion and sympathy for the victims, praised our "exceptional nation" that is "a light to the rest of the world." But she also used the address as a defense of herself and a critique of the media. Instead of trying to get beyond this controversy, Palin has put herself back in the middle of it.

Should she have ended her video right after her expression of sympathy? After all, isn't today about the victims, not the debate? Then again, if she didn't address the debate swirling around her target map she might just as quickly have been accused of ducking the tough questions.

BOTTOM LINE: Sarah Palin, once again, has found a way to become part of the story. And she may well face further criticism for the timing and scope of her remarks. She is already taking heat for her use of the term "blood libel" (see today's Tweets). In her video she notes, "President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process." It remains to be seen exactly what Obama will say tonight, but White House aides say another goal of his address will be to lift the nation up in this moment, not sully it with politics.

 

A PRESIDENTIAL MOMENT. As ABC's Karen Travers points out, "in times of crisis and tragedy, Americans have turned to their president for leadership and words of reassurance." Today is one of those times. "Several former presidential speechwriters -- Democrats and Republicans -- told ABC News that this speech should not be political and that it is first and foremost a eulogy. … 'Any president has to balance both comforting the immediate families and speaking to the country's values and how to make changes to make sure the things don't happen again,' said Michael Waldman, chief speechwriter for President Bill Clinton from 1995-1999." http://abcn.ws/hhSUai

"William McGurn, chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush from 2006-2008, emphatically said the president should not address the ongoing debate about political rhetoric and what role, if any, it had in the Tucson shootings. 'It's not appropriate,' he said. 'There are some things that make a problem worse.'"

VIDEO SLIDESHOW: Presidents In Times Of Crisis: A look back at how Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and others dealt with national tragedies. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/ep9QHc