Obama Embarrasses Himself and the US via Absence at Today’s Unity March of Millions

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paris-marchThe heads of England, Germany and Israel were there.

But President Barack Obama didn’t attend a unity march in Paris on Sunday, days after the deadly attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Nor did his secretary of state, John Kerry, who has deep ties to France.

Kerry was in India, attending an entrepreneurship summit with new Prime Minister Narendra Modi — with whom the United States is hoping to develop much closer trade ties.

Instead, the United States was represented by U.S. Ambassador to France Jane Hartley.

Attorney General Eric Holder was also in Paris, attending a security summit on combating terrorism. He recorded interviews that appeared on several U.S. news outlets Sunday, but was not spotted at the unity march.

No one from the administration would speak on record about the U.S. representation at the march.

“Attorney General Holder — a Cabinet level official — is representing the United States at the security meetings in Paris today. He is joined by the DHS Deputy Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas. The United States is represented at the march by Ambassador Hartley,” a senior Obama administration official said.

An administration official added: “As far as public signs of French solidarity from the U.S. — don’t forget several public statements from the President, his call to [French President Francois] Hollande and a condolence stop to the French embassy.”

Beyond that, the official said “all relevant components” of the U.S. government have been aiding their French counterparts, in some cases on “essentially a minute-by-minute basis to support their efforts.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were among those who attended, along with religious leaders.

Speaking on air with CNN’s Jake Tapper, who was at the rally, “Global Public Square” host Fareed Zakaria called the absence of top officials a mistake.

France is the United States’ “deepest ideological ally,” he said, and it would have been a meaningful image to have a senior administration member, or the President, standing shoulder to shoulder with other leaders.

Zakaria noted that security concerns didn’t dissuade Netanyahu or Abbas or other leaders from showing up. But Obama’s absence did show that the struggle against radical Islam is “not all about America,” he said.

“Many people have tended to think that Islamic terrorism wouldn’t exist without America,” Zakaria said. “This is really a struggle between the civilized world and a band of extremists. Even if you take the U.S. out of it … the civilized world is up in arms.”

Obama commented on the Paris attacks Friday in Tennessee, saying he wants the people of France to know the United States “stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow.”

CABLE NEWS NETWORK

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


10 COMMENTS

  1. Obama is only by bothered by anti-black and anti-Muslim speech and behavior. Going to this rally would mean that he’s bothered by Muslim extremists!

  2. No way that the Secret Service would allow Obama or Biden to appear at the rally without far more security than was available.

    Also not in attendance was Canada’s Prime Minister Steven Harper, who was committed to speak at the celebration of the 200th birthday of that country’s first Prime Minister, John A. MacDonald.

  3. Misunderstanding. He’s not embarrassed. There’s just no election coming up so now he can do whatever he wants. He gains nothing politically by going so oh well…..he’s off golfing again.

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