Giordano: Tapper On Target
By Dom Giordano
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- I love bringing Jake Tapper of CNN to listeners. He's a Philly guy, smart and I think objective. I was really proud of what he wrote this morning on CNN's website about the absence of President Obama from the march in Paris yesterday condemning Islamic terrorists stating "I say this as an American-not as a journalist, not as a representative of CNN-but as an American: I was ashamed." Tapper is exactly on target.
Tapper made the point as did many that Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, marched almost side by side with 40 other world leaders. But he also added that for the king of Jordan, a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, to march in a rally brought about by the murders of people who routinely ridiculed Islam is remarkable.
I think Tapper did a good job with this but I want to ask why did the Obama Administration not send someone? My answer is that this is the disengaged President Obama at his worst. This is the Obama that played golf ten minutes after talking about the grisly beheading of an American by ISIS.
It takes a lot for me to conclude that about any American president. However, I'm not ashamed like Jake. I'm angry but that's not my primary emotion. I'm determined. I'm not determined to limit the damage this president can cause and to elect that understands his job as president.