The President Off the Cuff

For John, BLUF:  If you have a script, use it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The Washington Post we have "Remarks by Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast".  (Here is the White House released version.)  It was a great speech.  Here is an example:

Going forward, we will keep standing for religious freedom around the world.  And that includes, by the way, opposing blasphemy and defamation of religion measures, which are promoted sometimes as an expression of religion, but, in fact, all too often can be used to suppress religious minorities.  (Applause.)  We continue to stand for the rights of all people to practice their faiths in peace and in freedom.  And we will continue to stand against the ugly tide of anti-Semitism that rears it’s ugly head all too often.

And this paragraph:

And here we give thanks for His guidance in our own individual faith journeys.  In my life, He directed my path to Chicago and my work with churches who were intent on breaking the cycle of poverty in hard-hit communities there.  And I’m grateful not only because I was broke and the church fed me, but because it led to everything else.  It led me to embrace Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  It led me to Michelle -- the love of my life -- and it blessed us with two extraordinary daughters.  It led me to public service.  And the longer I serve, especially in moments of trial or doubt, the more thankful I am of God’s guiding hand.

And note the sentence:

It led me to embrace Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

A good example of an Evangelical's expression of his or her faith.  Straight forward.  As American as apple pie.

Where the President got in trouble was where he ad-libbed about Christians getting on their high horse about about religiously motivated violence.  Note that at this point the President was off script.  Here is how New Republic writer Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig wrote the lede to her story:

Conservative critics are in hysterics thanks to a few short remarks made by President Barack Obama on the subject of Christian history during Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast.  Addressing religiously motivated conflict abroad, Obama said, “Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history.  And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.  In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.”

Yes, there were crusades.  Yes, they were about pushing back on Muslim conquests, years late.  Yes, there was the Inquisition, but it wasn't the only such kind of thing.  Remember our own witch trials.  We seem to have evolved (or, if that word offends, changed).  Some on this planet have not.

I did like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's response in The National Review:

“It was nice of the President to give us a history lesson at the Prayer breakfast,” Jindal said.  “Today, however, the issue right in front of his nose, in the here and now, is the terrorism of Radical Islam, the assassination of journalists, the beheading and burning alive of captives.  We will be happy to keep an eye out for runaway Christians, but it would be nice if he would face the reality of the situation today. The Medieval Christian threat is under control, Mr. President. Please deal with the Radical Islamic threat today.”

At the White House debrief, if anyone asked, "Lessons Learned?", one of them should have been, if you have a script, stick to it.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Regards  —  Cliff