President Obama has ‘pounded his chest’ too much and taken too much pride in the success of the mission to take out Osama bin Laden, according to, of all people, George W. Bush’s former Chief of Staff, Andrew Card.
In an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, Card said that Obama has “pounded his chest” too much over the death of Osama bin Laden, particularly by going to Ground Zero earlier this week, the site of the 9/11 attacks.
“I think he has pounded his chest a little too much,” Card said. “He can take pride in it, but he does not need to show it so much.”
Card, of course, was a top official in an administration noted for its theatrical press events, most notably the decision to have President Bush land a fighter jet on board an aircraft carrier before delivering his famous speech celebrating the invasion of Iraq in front of a giant “Mission: Accomplished” banner.
Card said his issue is not with anything Obama has said about his decision to launch the raid on bin Laden’s compound, but rather with Obama’s actions.
From the interview:
I thought his statement was subdued, but I think his schedule is not subdued. Personally, I think it is premature to go to Ground Zero, in New York. I think my role model in this would be George H. W. Bush, when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. It was a day to celebrate, but we did not dance on the Wall.
Card’s comments come shortly after another Bush administration official, attorney John Yoo, whose controversial memos formed the basis of the administration’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques, also criticized Obama’s handling of the issue. In an interview with CNN, Yoo said that Obama had made a serious mistake by not capturing bin Laden and milking him for information on potential future terror attacks.
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.