President Obama's spokesman criticized Republican claims today that
the president referred to the deaths of a U.S. ambassador and three
other Americans as "bumps in the road."
White House press
secretary Jay Carney said Obama was referring to Middle East unrest in
general, and called the GOP claim "both desperate and offensive."
The
"bumps" comment came after Steve Kroft of "60 Minutes" asked the
president: "Have recent events in the Middle East given you any pause
about your support for the governments that have come to power following
the Arab Spring?"
Obama replied. "well, I'd said even at the time
that this is going to be a rocky path," and that "the question presumes
that somehow we could have stopped this wave of change. I think it was
absolutely the right thing for us to do to align ourselves with
democracy."
He later added: "I was pretty certain and continue to
be ... pretty certain that there are going to be bumps in the road
because, you know, in a lot of these places, the one organizing
principle has been Islam."
There have been
protests at U.S. diplomatic outposts in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and other
Arab nations, inspired in part by an anti-Islam video.
The
attack in Benghazi, Libya, included the deaths of U.S. ambassador
Christopher Stevens said three other Americans. Investigations are
looking into the possibility of a pre-planned attack designed to
coincide with the 9/11 anniversary.
After the airing of the 60 Minutes
segment, the Republican Party sent out e-mails asserting: "Obama
Described Terrorist Attack In Libya And Unrest Throughout The Middle
East As Just Merely "Bumps In The Road."
Republican challenger Mitt Romney and his staff also noted the comment.
"After
nearly four years in office, President Obama is eager to make excuses
for his failed policies at home and abroad by declaring 'bumps in the
road,' " said a statement from Romney spokesman Ryan Williams. "But it's
clear Americans can't afford four more years like the last four years
under the President's policies. The middle class is in shambles, with
fewer good-paying jobs and record poverty, and our nation's security is
threatened abroad."
Carney described that criticism as election year rhetoric, saying the Republicans are "reaching for reeds to grab onto."
USA Today