There are a lot of classic comments this month. We have submissions from first lady Michelle Obama, blogger Matt Wilstein and Secretary of State John Kerry who experienced being photographed on his yacht and in a kayak. Also featured is Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson about Edward Snowden, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro who sets a very low standard of behavior for Snowden and Snowden himself.
THE WINNING BIMBO
“Apple did not conspire to fix e-book pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations,” said an Apple spokesman reacting to a judgment finding the company guilty of colluding with five large publishers. The spokesman added, “We’ve done nothing wrong.” (This is another example of a comment probably driven by lawyers. The company should have said, “We disagree with the court’s decision and we are confident that we have always acted appropriately and legally.”)
The Inquisitor, “Apple Appealing E-book Price-Fixing Guilty Verdict,” July 10, 2013
THE RUNNERS-UP
“We were not bluffing,” said White House press secretary Jay Carney when asked about the administration’s policy on providing assistance to Syrian opposition. (This is a classic example. Noting that the “red line” about chemical weapons had been crossed a reporter asked, “Unless your government was bluffing, what kind of game changing step and when are you going to take it?” Carney picked up the word “bluffing” and repeated it. Carney continued by saying, “The president was very serious,” but he was in a difficult spot since the administration itself had established the “red line.”)
White House daily briefing, July 9, 2013
”I am not a treat hater,” said first lady Michelle Obama during a speech to the National Council of La Raza where she pitched for Hispanic parents to take child obesity more seriously. (Mrs. Obama was tackling a serious topic and she spoke candidly to the group saying, “While food might be love, the truth is that we are loving ourselves and our kids to death. We need to step up. We need to own this as a serious problem in our communities.” Unfortunately, the denial comment crowded out the more important messages and made it into the headline.)
Planet Washington, “First Lady sets the record straight: ‘I am not a treat hater,’” July 23, 2013
“Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I am not defending the actions of these Democratic men,” wrote Matt Wilstein about Republicans’ claim that Anthony Weiner, Eliot Spitzer and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner were waging the real “war on women.” (Wilstein argued that Weiner, Spitzer and Filner were guilty of “horrible” things but they did not add up to a “war” because they were not advocating policy positions opposing or restricting abortions. Wilstein cites 2010 candidates Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock who were indeed extreme in their idiocy, but Wilstein, like many others, simply cannot believe that people can have principled positions different from their own.)
Media Ite, “Why Weiner, Spitzer and Filner Do Not Represent a Democratic ‘War on Women,’” July 26, 2013
“Not unusual” was how Secretary of State John Kerry described the practice of spying on allies after former CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA actions. (People tripped over themselves trying to get away from this controversy. It started with the testimony of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper responding to Sen. Ron Wyden’s question, “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all of hundreds of millions of Americans?” and Clapper replied, “No Sir.” When Snowden’s revelations made it clear that was a lie, Clapper backpedaled by claiming he gave the “least untruthful” answer. Robinson wrote about it in the Washington Post saying, “It pains me to sound like some Rand Paul acolyte. I promise I’m not wearing a tinfoil hat or scanning the leaden sky for black helicopters. I just wish our government would start treating us as adults.” We agree.)
Washington Post, “We can handle the truth on NSA spying,” July 4, 2013
“He did not kill anyone and did not plant a bomb,” said Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro about Snowden’s request for asylum. (Stuck in the transit zone of the Moscow airport, Snowden tried to paint himself as noble saying, “I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell U.S. secrets. I did not partner with any foreign government to guarantee my safety.” He claimed to have only leaked the documents and information to start a conversation. The problem is that he bypassed robust pathways for whistleblowers within the government and Congress.)
Moscow Times, “Snowden Hits Hurdles in Search for Asylum,” July 8, 2013
The Guardian, “Edward Snowden inflames US-Russian tensions with Moscow meeting,” July 12, 2013
“I would say it’s not provocative certainly,” said the head of the U.S. Pacific Command and four star- Admiral Samuel Locklear about a report from the Chinese website Sinocism. Sinocism posted photos of a “fierce confrontation” between the USNS Impeccable, described as an “electronic spy ship,” and a Chinese maritime surveillance ship. However, this “confrontation,” was between a U.S. intelligence-gathering ship and a Chinese security ship. (The admiral must have a different definition of provocative. Maybe he’s taking language lessons from Director Clapper.)
Washington Times, “Inside the Ring: New naval harassment in Asia,” July 22, 2013
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
On the day that Egypt’s military executed a coup and ousted President Mohamed Morsi, CBS News photographed Secretary of State John Kerry’s yacht in Nantucket, implying that he was neglecting his duties during a critical time. The Boston Herald then started following him around, and published photos of him in a kayak. The State Department claimed that the secretary was working remotely and focused on what was happening. The secretary has our sympathies and we feel he deserves exercise and recreation as he had just returned from a two week, 22,500 mile trip to Asia and the Middle East.
Washington Post, “Kerry was in Nantucket during Egypt coup,” July 5, 2013
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