RUSH: A couple of Obama bites here as he started his press conference today with Sarkozy. Here’s a portion of the Messiah’s opening statement.
OBAMA: The American people greatly appreciate, uh, President Sarkozy’s, uh, uh, approach to, uh, the relationship between our two countries. When he came as president now, to speak, uh, he was treated like a rock star. Everybody loved him, uh, and, uh, I think it was after that that, uh, everybody decided to call French fries ‘French fries’ again.
RUSH: Now, that’s kind of snarky. I mean, we never stopped calling them French fries. But, this is a little thing and this is perhaps something that most people wouldn’t care about, but it’s only because I have knowledge. He references the fact that Sarkozy was treated like a rock star. Does anybody remember why? Sarkozy loved us. Sarkozy was a conservative. Sarkozy came over here and thanked the United States and thanked us for saving their rear end in World War II. He spoke of our greatness. Sarkozy came over. Cookie, get some of these bites. He came over and spoke of American exceptionalism, and I commented at the time, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if an American political candidate spoke this way about his own country,’ the way Nicolas Sarkozy came over and spoke about the United States. That’s why he was loved. The people of this country do not hate their country!
They are not embarrassed of their country. They are not in any way down on it. They know we’re not perfect and we never will be. But we’re a damn site better than practically any place else you could live on this planet — well except the Democrats, of course. The Democrats do have great problems with the country, which we discussed at great length yesterday. Yeah, he’s treated like a rock star. Chirac was not liked here. The French tried to sabotage us in the war on terror with the United Nations. Not just Chirac, but the erudite, sophisticated — oh, all the Drive-Bys loved him — Dominique de Villepin. Remember him? So Sarkozy comes over and he’s sounding like Ronald Reagan. And yeah, he was a rock star. You might learn from this, Obama. Then during the Q&A, an unidentified reporter said, ‘How would you go about this differently than George Bush?’
OBAMA: Let me, ehhh — first of all just remind everybody that, uh, um I’m not, uh, I’m not the president. I’m a —
RUSH: Stop the tape. Now, how about that? I know a lot of people are going to say, ‘There’s a little humility, a little humility, he’s finally showing.’ That’s not what this was. He’s looking out in the audience of the Drive-Bys, his disciples, and saying, ‘I want to remind you I’m not the president of the United States,’ meaning everybody thinks he already is. The Drive-Bys are putting him forth as inevitable as the president. So this is not humility. It sounds like it, but it’s not. Cue that back to the top, Mike. This is Obama basically keeping the whole concept of his inevitable presidency alive. Here it is again in toto.
OBAMA: Let me, ehhh — first of all, just remind everybody that, uh, um I’m not, uh, I’m not the president. I’m a United States Senator. Uh, I am a candidate for president. But there’s a wonderful tradition, uh, in the United States that’s not always observed, but I think is a — is a good one, uh, which is, uh, that, uh, you don’t, uh, spend time criticizing a sitting president when you’re overseas.
RUSH: What?
OBAMA: Uh, because I think that we have one president.
RUSH: Oh?
OBAMA: And it’s very important that our foreign policy is presented in one voice.
RUSH: Really?
OBAMA: Uh, uh, eh — What I can say affirmatively is that, uh, an effective U.S. foreign policy, uhhh —
RUSH: Uh.
OBAMA: — will be based on —
RUSH: Uh.
OBAMA: — our ability not only to project power —
RUSH: Uh.
OBAMA: — uh, but also to listen and to build consensus.
RUSH: Pure drivel, pure psychobabble. But I want to go back to ‘it’s a wonderful tradition in the United States not always observed, it’s a good one, that is you don’t spend time criticizing a sitting president when you’re overseas.’ What did he do yesterday? Sir, you did not use Bush’s name yesterday, but we all damn well knew who you were talking about and what you meant. Who the hell has been accused of committing torture, sir, if not Bush and Cheney? Who the hell has been accused of creating this rift of the Europeans if they don’t like us? Bush, we all knew who you were talking about. You didn’t use his name. By the way, I think, something else, ladies and gentlemen, based on the powers on my observation. We only have one president at a time? It’s very important our foreign policy presented in one voice? Somebody has reprimanded The Messiah.
David ‘Rodham’ Gergen on CNN earlier this week, those are his exact words: ‘We only have one president at a time. It’s very important our foreign policy is presented in one voice.’ He violated this himself when he came out of the meeting with Petraeus. He disclosed the contents. That set the Drive-Bys that didn’t go on a trip, that are still back in the United States a little concerned. I’m sure that somebody got a hold of campaign and said, ‘You stop him from doing this.’ So, again, he’s a learner. They tell him what to say (I’m not exaggerating this) and he can say it. Something else that was interesting today. As you know, one of our all-time favorite irrelevant diplomats, Richard Holbrooke (who was last seen in ’04 angling to be part of Kerry’s administration) now has got his tongue on the pavement salivating trying to become part of the Obama administration.
He was on the Scarborough show today on MSNational Barack Channel and he repeatedly, over and over, said that Obama’s reception in Europe shows that Europe isn’t anti-American. It’s just anti-Bush. So, all of a sudden, somebody who is close to the Obama campaign and wants to be even closer, is a little defensive here about this crowd yesterday and how it reacted because I think they’ve seen some polling data and I think they have seen that this trip isn’t doing them any good. And I think what they’re afraid of seeing is that these pro-Obama pictures from Europe might be interpreted by Americans as Obama siding with the Europeans against his own country, and they would be right if they thought that because he trashed his own country yesterday.
He accused his country of being a leading torturer, for example, in our imperfections and so here he is being praised by all these Europeans and all these European newspapers. And Holbrook’s out there saying, ‘Wait. No, no, no, no! You misunderstand. Europe is not anti-American. They’re just anti-Bush,’ because they know that at the Obama campaign. They can read their polling data; they can read Gallup. They can read what’s going on. They know full-well here that after you go out and start criticizing your own country as a leading torturer and start listing its imperfections or talking about its imperfections, and that you’re using us to get cheering wildly by Europeans, believe me: There are a lot of Obama voters Obama needs that might look at that and see him more aligned with Europeans than he is with his own country. And you couldn’t blame them, because I got that same impression myself yesterday.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: You’ve got to hear this. This is November of 2007. Remember Obama just talked about how when Sarkozy came to the United States, he was ‘a rock star.’ Obama could learn a lot about this. You want to know why — and Sarkozy was. Do you know why the American people loved Nick Sarkozy? Now, we’ve shortened the applause here for time purposes. He addressed a joint meeting of the House and Senate. We have four bites. Listen to these
SARKOZY (via translator): To the millions of men and women who came from every country in the world and who, with their own hands, their intelligence, and their hearts, built the greatest nation in the world, America did not say, ‘Come, and everything will be given to you.’ Rather, she said, ‘Come, and the only limits to what you will be able to achieve will be those of your own courage, your boldness, and your talent.’
RUSH: I remember playing these bites. (applause) Yeah, right on, right on, right on. I remember playing these bites back in November 2007 and just throwing my arms up in frustration. ‘Why can’t one American presidential candidate talk like this?’ Here’s another one…
SARKOZY (via translator): The America that we love throughout the world embodies this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a second chance, another chance — because, in America, failure is never the last word. There is always another chance. Here, in your country, on this soil, both the humblest and the most illustrious citizens alike know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned. That is what constitutes the moral value of America. (applause)
RUSH: Right on, right on, right on. I’ll tell you why this was so important was because Sarkozy comes from a country where everybody — more and more people, not everybody, more and more people — are feeling entitled. He couldn’t find anybody, had these massive unemployment rates. Socialism was killing the place and he was celebrating and heralding America for what it was and what it’s always been. Again, you don’t find too many American politicians speaking of their country this way — certainly not Democrats. So is it any wonder Sarkozy came over and was treated like a rock star? Here’s another…
SARKOZY (via translator): America liberated us, and this is an eternal debt we owe America. (applause) Every time, whenever an American soldier falls somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France. (applause) I think of them, and I am sad as one is saddened to lose a member of one’s family.
RUSH: Whoa, baby! Oh, baby. Here he is thanking the United States for liberating France. Even the Democrats in the House of Representatives had to stand up and applaud that. I don’t know if Obama was there. Final bite from Sarkozy…
SARKOZY (via translator): We need France to be stronger. I am determined to carry through with the reforms that my country has put off for all too long. I will not turn back. I will implement all of them because France has turned back for all too long. I have come to present to you today a France that comes out to meet America, to renew the covenant of friendship and alliance that Washington and Lafayette sealed in Yorktown. Together let us be true to their memories. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I say this to you on behalf of the French people: ‘Long live the United States of America! Long live France! Long live French-American friendship!’ (applause)
RUSH: Got the applause and a standing ovation there. That’s why he was greeted here as a rock star — and again something there for Obama to learn. Here we have the French president coming over and praising the country, not fawningly, not artificially and not saying things that weren’t true. Now, these liberals have so much guilt, they say one thing good about this country and they feel like they’ve got to say five things bad. If everything isn’t perfect, then everything’s wrong.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: There’s this little show on MS National Barack Channel airs at 9:00 at night. It’s Verdict with Dan Abrams and they played a little audio sound bite from America’s anchorman about Obama.
ABRAMS: The far-right media join the chorus. Rush Limbaugh let loose today over a line in Obama’s speech where he acknowledged America hasn’t always lived up to its ideals.
RUSH ARCHIVE: … I’m growing weary of Democrats and presidential candidates finding something wrong with being an American citizen. [edit] He ripped his own country here! He took shots at the United States of America while in Berlin, speaking as a post-nationalist citizen of the world. [edit] [T]his is just beyond the pale. He’s talking to Germans and making excuses for the United States of America which to this day defends and protects Germany? [edit] This is insulting; it is demeaning.
RUSH: After that sound bite on MS National Barack Channel, Dan Abrams then went to Republican strategist — REPUBLICAN strategist — Joe Watkins and said, ‘Are you upset about this speech?’
WATKINS: It was a great speech. I mean, the speech was well-delivered.
ABRAMS: Yeah!
WATKINS: I mean, the visuals were stunning, but at the end of the day —
ABRAMS: Then what’s the problem!
WATKINS: The problem is this: speeches like that are reserved for the commander-in-chief of the United States.
RUSH: I think a commander-in-chief of the United States would be embarrassed to give a speech like this. In fact, that’s a great way to look at it. Can you imagine a sitting president going over there and talking about how the United States had been guilty of torture and we discriminate and we don’t like people that don’t look like us and we don’t look like people who don’t worship like us? Can you imagine a sitting president that’s saying those things? Can you? I’m talking before November. I’m talking about any time in our past. Can you imagine Bush doing it? Can you imagine Clinton as president doing it? Clinton did go to certain places in Africa and apologize, not for what he had done but for Americans had done before him. But can you imagine a sitting president giving that speech that Obama gave yesterday? You cannot. Now, maybe in January, depending on who wins, we’d better get used to it.