NBC's Gregory Defends Obama Exploiting Bin Laden Killing: Bush Did 'Same Thing' With 9/11
In an interview with senior Mitt Romney campaign adviser Ed Gillespie
on 
Sunday's Meet the Press, moderator David Gregory noted how President
Obama was "certainly using" the one-year anniversary of the killing of
Osama Bin Laden "against Governor Romney" and quickly justified the
crass political move by claiming "the same sort of tactics that were used in a lot of people's eyes" by President Bush.
After playing a sound bite of Vice President Biden suggesting Mitt
Romney would not have ordered the killing of Bin Laden, Gregory
proclaimed: "Here's an example, back in 2004, of an ad that he
[President Bush] ran as he was running for reelection....Using images from the World Trade Center. A lot of people see that as the very same thing. Is it not?"
Gillespie
pushed back: "...the difference here is you don't see – you know, you
see in the Bush ad saying, you know, he's a strong leader. You don't see
him saying, "And that guy [John Kerry], you know, would have done
something different."
Gregory argued: "Vice President Cheney made it very clear that his view
was that America's defenses would be down and it would be vulnerable to
a terrorist attack if John Kerry had been elected president. So is it
any different?"
Following the earlier clip from Biden, Gillespie condemned the attack:
"You know, David, this is one of the reasons President Obama has become
one of the most divisive presidents in American history. He took
something that was a unifying event for all Americans....And he's
managed to turn it into a divisive, partisan, political attack..."
Before moving on to other topics, Gregory demanded: "Is America safer because of President Obama's leadership?"
Here is a transcript of the April 29 exchange:
10:32AM ET
DAVID GREGORY: Ed Gillespie, you are no stranger to presidential
politics. Former head of the party, counselor to President Bush, and now
a senior advisor to Mitt Romney in a new role. And so, as you settle
in, here is the Obama campaign very much going on the offensive. And I
mentioned Osama Bin Laden. One year later. They are certainly using that
issue against Governor Romney. Here was the Vice President on Thursday.
JOE BIDEN: Thanks to President Obama, Bin Laden is dead and General
Motors is alive. You have to ask yourself, if Governor Romney had been
president, could he have used the same slogan – in reverse?
GREGORY: The argument's clear. That Governor Romney would not have made killing Osama Bin Laden a priority.
GILLESPIE: You know, David, this is one of the reasons President Obama
has become one of the most divisive presidents in American history. He
took something that was a unifying event for all Americans, an event
that Governor Romney congratulated him and the military and the
intelligence analysts in our government for completing the mission in
terms of killing Osama Bin Laden.
And he's managed to turn it into a divisive, partisan, political attack
that former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci for President Reagan
called "sad." John McCain called "shameful." I think most Americans will
see it as a sign of a desperate campaign.
GREGORY: It's interesting, though, if you compare it to the president
you worked for, President Bush, and some of the same sort of tactics
that were used in a lot of people's eyes. Here's an example, back in
2004, of an ad that he ran as he was running for reelection. Let me show
it to you.
GEORGE W. BUSH: I'm George W. Bush and I approve this message.
NARRATOR: The last few years have tested America in many ways. Some
challenges we've seen before, and some were like no
others
GREGORY: Using images from the World Trade Center. A lot of people see that as the very same thing. Is it not? Focusing on...
GILLESPIE: I say-
GREGORY:..leadership moments of a president?
GILLESPIE: Yeah, I think there's a little bit of a distinction here,
though, David. I think if, you know, President Obama had said – even
though he said we wouldn't spike the football, you know, at the time of
this momentous occasion regarding Osama Bin Laden – had said, you know,
"I'm proud of this." I think people would have said you should be proud
of this. We're proud as a country that this happened.
It's the extra iteration. It's the attack that, you know, Governor
Romney wouldn't have done it. I can't envision, having served in the
White House, any president having been told, "We have him. He's here.
Should we go in?" saying, "No, we shouldn't." So the difference here is
you don't see – you know, you see in the Bush ad saying, you know, he's a
strong leader. You don't see him saying, "And that guy, you know, would
have done something different." I mean I think that's the-
GREGORY: Right. But I come to the 2004 campaign and Vice President
Cheney made it very clear that his view was that America's defenses
would be down and it would be vulnerable to a terrorist attack if John
Kerry had been elected president.
GILLESPIE: Well-
GREGORY: So is it any different?
GILLESPIE: David, what we talked about – and, again, we can go back and
talk about, what's that now? Eight years ago. You know, the record of
Senator Kerry, which is what I remember talking about on this show a
number of times, was the record. This is an attack on something that
might have not happened. You know, just – it's a bridge too far.
Again, I think the American people will see through it and I think that
Secretary Carlucci was, you know, when he said it was "sad" and Senator
McCain said it's "shameful," I suspect most Americans would look at
those comments and probably not disagree with those assessments.
GREGORY: Is America safer because of President Obama's leadership?
GILLESPIE: I think that America is not as strong as we should be. And I
think that if you look at the perceptions of America across the
country, you look at the – you know, our relationship, the reset button
with Russia, and you know telling – "Please tell Putin we'll be more
flexible later," our relationships with Israel, I don't think that
President Obama – under President Obama America is as strong as it
should be or will be under a President...
GREGORY: But my question...
GILLESPIE: ...Romney.
DAVID GREGORY: ...is America safer under President Obama's leadership?
GILLESPIE: I – you know we may be – I think we're safe, we haven't been
subject to attack. But I don't know that that's – you know I'm not sure
– I don't know enough in terms of the intelligence. I used to know
that. But I don't believe that President Obama – under President Obama
we are as strong as we should be as a nation. And I believe that under a
President Romney we would be stronger.
(...)
-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.
