In a recent Facebook message, Sarah Palin manipulated one of Obama’s quotes at the nuclear weapons summit in a way designed to to make him look anti-American.
Here is the Palin message:
Mr. President, is a strong America a problem?
Asked this week about his faltering efforts to advance the Middle East peace process, President Obama did something remarkable. In front of some 47 foreign leaders and hundreds of reporters from all over the world, President Obama said that “whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower.”
Whether we like it or not? Most Americans do like it.
But here is what the President actually said:
But what we can make sure of is, is that we are constantly present, constantly engaged, and setting out very clearly to both sides our belief that not only is it in the interests of each party to resolve these conflicts but it’s also in the interest of the United States. It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them. And that ends up costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure.
A straightforward reading of Obama’s words suggests that “whether we like it or not” refers to the prospect of getting pulled into conflicts that cost American lives. He is not addressing the question of whether we should remain a superpower but whether we should devote resources to resolving conflicts.
The fact that Palin is either stupid or dishonest is no longer worthy of a blog post—we know she is both.
But what is disturbing is that the Associated Press has a story on Sarah Palin’s criticism of Obama’s remarks about America’s superpower status without mentioning it is an utter fabrication.
Here’s the AP’s lede:
Sarah Palin criticized President Barack Obama on Saturday for saying America is a military superpower “whether we like it or not,” saying she was taken aback by his comment.
It is a given that politicians will distort the messages of their opponents. It should not be a given that the press refuses to point out their dishonesty.
All of our institutions are under threat, but none has fallen farther and faster than mainstream media. No one has any reason to get their news from them.
