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CBS: “Is this a failure to properly identify the enemy?”

Feb 20, 2015 10:23 am By Robert Spencer

Even the fact that Norah O’Donnell asked the question is astonishing: ordinarily all the mainstream media outlets march in lockstep behind Obama and take everything he says as Gospel. As the official dogma becomes ever more preposterous, however, the facade is increasingly harder to maintain. This is not remotely on the level of the piece in The Atlantic, but it is a small step toward reality. “Only CBS Pushes Back On Obama’s Refusal to Label Terrorists Islamic,” by Kyle Drennen, NewsBusters, February 19, 2015 (thanks to Claire):

While all three network morning shows on Thursday covered President Obama defending his refusal to label terrorism as Islamic extremism during a Wednesday speech, only CBS This Morning actually pushed back on the President’s argument.

Co-host Norah O’Donnell asked former deputy CIA director Michael Morell: “You heard people faulting President Obama for failing to identify this as Islamic extremism. Do you think this is a pseudo-controversy over semantics or is this a failure to properly identify the enemy?”

Morell responded:

I understand what the President is saying and I agree with it. We do not want to create the perception that we are at war with a religion. But the reality is that Al Qaeda and ISIS believe they are religious warriors. They believe that they are fighting on behalf of their religion, for their religion. It’s not rhetoric on their part, they really believe it.

During a news brief on NBC’s Today, anchor Natalie Morales simply quoted Obama: “The President again defending his refusal to call terrorists ‘Muslim extremists,’ saying the U.S. has one thing going for it that Europe doesn’t, a long tradition of embracing immigrants, including Muslims.”

ABC’s Good Morning America did the same, with anchor Amy Robach noting: “President Obama addressing criticism for not using the term ‘Islamic extremists.’ At a White House meeting the President insisted ISIS fighters are not religious leaders, but rather terrorists who have perverted Islam.”

On Wednesday night, the CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News barely touched the controversy.

ABC’s World News Tonight ignored it altogether….

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Filed Under: Featured, journalistic bias Tagged With: CBS, Norah O'Donnell


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Comments

  1. Dr John says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 10:33 am

    This is great. We must keep quoting him.

    • mortimer says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 2:10 pm

      Willingly.

      “Is this a failure to properly identify the enemy?”

    • M S case says

      Feb 21, 2015 at 8:04 pm

      Maybe, just maybe the mainstream news media if going to get it. Now let’s see if CNN will roll over along with MSNBC, NBC, ABC and the giant newspapers.. If all of this group would get on board we just might start something.. Don’t look for it to happen though.

  2. Joan in Houston says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 10:40 am

    Perhaps, they “might really believe it.” The fact that they really believe it does not render it true. It appears that they are in fantasy-land.

    • mortimer says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 11:21 am

      Joan,
      You have this argument in reverse. Obama is doing what he claims ISIS is doing…speculating. ISIS is not speculating. Their theology is meticulously correct.

      The fact that Obama doesn’t believe that ISIS is the correct version of Islam DOES NOT PROVE OBAMA IS RIGHT. Obama merely argues from the authority of his being president, rather than present supporting facts. The person making the claim: “ISIS is a false version of Islam” must prove it. Obama cannot do so.

      Every action of ISIS follows a studiously literalistic interpretation of the consensus of Islamic tradition which cannot be faulted from an Islamic point of view.

      • Kurier Radek says

        Feb 21, 2015 at 9:37 am

        Spot on, Mortimer. People who refuse to submit their views to the fire of open discussion are intellectual cowards who fear that their views cannot take the heat. Deception and lies are key to muddy the obvious clarity of the situation. It’s all how you “frame” the conversation. They are people who have arrived at unworthy points of view for reasons other than logic, reason, and truth; reasons such as politics, power, and position. Obama cannot logically defend his parsing of words to steer the conversation away from his unwillingness to address the real problems with Islam itself as it relates to its compatibility with free societies.

  3. mortimer says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 10:45 am

    Norah O’Donnell is the boy who said, ‘The Emperor has no clothes on.’ Well done!

    Our enemy is the ideology of political Islam, the doctrine that jihad will issue in a mystical utopian age.

    The mystical age looks exactly like ISIS. Western governments have to admit that Islamo-fascism is the enemy and that it must be deconstructed.

  4. Don McKellar says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 10:50 am

    Wait a second — did I just wake up in some alternative universe? An alternative universe where Obama is actually called out on his endless bullshit and protection/advancement of Islam through taqiyya and kitman by the mainstream media? I need some coffee — this couldn’t be real. Oh, I see the rest of the mainstream media are still lock-step with the propaganda who refuse to identify the elephant in the room because their fuhrer doesn’t want them to. Wow, I was really confused for a minute there…

    • Alarmed Pig Farmer says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 11:43 am

      Wait a second — did I just wake up in some alternative universe? An alternative universe where Obama is actually called out on his endless bullshit…

      Yeah, you did. In 15 yrs we’ve gone from Prez Dubya telling the fantastic dangerous whopper of a lie that Islam is a religion of peace, hoping that the nation would accept 9/11 that explanation that the 3,000 dead was the act of Islamic extremists, and a tiny minority one to boot.

      Now, even *that* bullsheet isn’t claimed, now it’s radical terrorists, or violent extremists, where Islam happens to be present but that’s a coincidence is unjustly used by the perps as an excuse. No religion would justify the killing of innocents. Prez Barack Hussein is asserting the Islam’s claim to reserve status as a religion, sacrosact.

      The weirdest part about Alternate Universe, though, is that the news entertainers and other ruling elites only hope to go back to Dubya’s original lie from Obama’s impossible to sell lie. No mention is made that they aren’t Islamic extremists, they’re Islamic activists doing what Allah sez, they are mujahidin.

      From lie to lie, we paint ourselves deeper into the corner. Rupert Murdoch and Roger Aisles won’t tell the truth, the whole truth, hell they may not even understand that Islam is a world takeover machine.

      Meanwhile, we’re set to give a “thorough vetting” to 300 Moslem “refugees” from Syria and bring them in and put them on the dole. They’ll be solid Democratic voters all, peaceful Moslems who only want to get ahead. Is it a lie to question if multiculturalism is even a good thing to do? Maybe we should minimize our exposure to Moslems as a very bad risk. Maybe we should be prejudiced against them, as a people. The federal gubmint should be and act prejudiced against Moslems, both here and abroad. I’m prejudiced against Moslems, and am dang proud of it. And I that one day the whole nation will be too.

      But that would be prejudiced.

      • cs says

        Feb 20, 2015 at 5:00 pm

        It really looks like that, it is very convincing. Though there is maybe something more to it. That may be planned to make Islam show its real face otherwise in disguise, a device made up to force them to show their ugly face, otherwise they would take over at a slower less perceptive manner.
        Let’s see what happens next.

  5. Buraq says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 10:53 am

    Reminds me of Bill Clinton and Monica; she was having sex with me, but I wasn’t having sex with her!
    When is that clown in the White House going to admit the truth about Islam?

    • umbra says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 12:09 pm

      A rhetorical question. Nevertheless, the answer is Never … like never ever land.

    • Alarmed Pig Farmer says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 8:36 pm

      When is that clown in the White House going to admit the truth about Islam?

      Which truth? The fake truth demanded by Fox RINO and the WSJ, that the terrorism is an extremist version of Islam, or the real truth that there is only one Islam, that surges between relatively placid to fully activist, with mujahidin committing mass murder terror operations to expand the sphere of influence of the Ummah?

      He’ll probably never admit the former, the fake fantastic one, but could. He’ll never even be able to understand the real truth, which is a thousand times worse.

    • M S case says

      Feb 22, 2015 at 5:58 pm

      probably will never admit it… Wonder how he would act if just by some odd chance his daughters were captured by some isis wannabee and sold into sex slavery. Of course they are well guarded and then would isis even try????? kidnap????? knowing whose daughters they are????

  6. cs says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 10:55 am

    Slowly but surely…

  7. Joseph says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 11:08 am

    For Oslima Bama to admit there is such a thing as Islamic terrorism would be for him to say that he has been lying all along. THAT CAN’T BE TRUE.

    Maybe he has been “MISINFORMED.

    SORRY, HIS BAD.

  8. bobm says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 11:20 am

    most hope to exhaust all avenues of compromise; sadly compromise with islam is like giving a cobra a kiss . Most are shape shifting like Kerry and running with the potus ‘ lies in hand trying to avoid confronting the truth.. So they hide in the corner muttering inane spittle hoping the big man will go away. History is replete with the horrors inflicted by the curse of islam on those who presume to negotiate with these liars….these SUPERMEN… but their end draws nigh… … Maranatha.

    • cs says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 11:26 am

      It is, sleep with lions, snakes, bears, eagles, hyenas and hungry wolves is safer.

  9. Dave J says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 11:21 am

    Obama starts his conference with a Muslim (only) prayer, appoints another Muslim Brotherhood member to a top government post and refuses to name the world’s most prevalent source of enslavement, rape and beheadings.

    Because, you know, wouldn’t want to offend the “moderate Muslims”, so let’s sugar coat it.

    They all read the same one book, they all honor the same pedophile barbarian and they all praise the same imaginary friend. And they all want Sharia law to take over the world.

    • mortimer says

      Feb 20, 2015 at 2:13 pm

      Obama is the BLIND LEADING THE BLIND.

  10. jihad3tracker says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 11:32 am

    As a guy who clearly remembers presidents from John Kennedy onward ( I was an early teen when he was inaugurated ) I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE EGO-ENVELOPE OF A PRESIDENT SHATTER SO FAST AS NOW WITH OBAMA.

    Absolutely nothing that might be done by this White House would surprise me —- Friends, get ready for a possible cataclysmic event. KEEP A NEWS SOURCE ON ALL THE TIME — radio, TV, smartphone. Talks with family about that “emergency preparedness” plan you made long ago.

    Stock up on water and food if your stash is old or non-existent. Get the personal defense weapons ready for use. If you can afford it, stash at least a thousand dollars in SMALL BILL CASH at home.
    Visit solid-advice survivalist websites for more specifics . . .

    And tell your loved ones every day that indeed YOU DO TRULY LOVE THEM. The end may come soon.

  11. bobm says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 11:54 am

    Obama will “admit” the truth about islam when it catches the kaffir securely in its snare… as the brotherhood has said in its open declarations of purpose and intent… it will use our laws against us to the goal of ultimate caliphate status in the land… (which is theirs they believe)…and This slippery worm President actually has brotherhood in the Whitehouse. hi latest appointment is astonishing… I believe he must be impeached …. short of a Sisi solution.

  12. Angemon says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 11:55 am

    Co-host Norah O’Donnell asked former deputy CIA director Michael Morell: “You heard people faulting President Obama for failing to identify this as Islamic extremism. Do you think this is a pseudo-controversy over semantics or is this a failure to properly identify the enemy?”

    Well, sheik Hussein allegedly wants to fight “all forms of violent extremism” and he reminded us not to get on our high horse because Crusades and Inquisition.

    It’s not semantics – he (or whoever is pulling his strings and/or writing his speeches) is keeping his eye on the ball.

  13. pdxnag says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    Terrorism and Islam, they go together, in the same sentence. That may be enough to make the point, that they go together.

  14. MiamiInfidel says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Expect Norah O’Donnell to be branded as a racist for even questioning President Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe.

  15. Rob says

    Feb 20, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    While every conflict has instances of ‘friendly fire’ casualties, Americans didn’t expect it from their President!

  16. Steve says

    Feb 21, 2015 at 7:05 am

    The problem lies in the fact that Obama and others like him do not want to offend so-called moderate Muslims for being what they really are (if they do not want to kill you) is that according to Muhammad, the Quran and Hadiths, they are APOSTATE MUSLIMS. ISIS is Islam, impure and simple. Anything else is just pretend Islam.

  17. el-cid says

    Feb 21, 2015 at 11:23 am

    The President in engaged knowingly or unwittingly in a classic Islamic war tactic–he is sowing moral confusion to keep people afraid, silent, and paralyzed. This is exactly the same result that is obtained through the complementary Islamic tactic–terror and murder.

  18. celticwarriorcanada says

    Feb 21, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    I cannot believe how ignorant and uneducated this President is .The only leader I Know of Who is duller than President Obama, is the so called leader of Canada’s Liberal Party Justine Trudeau ! When the world was fighting Nazism and Japanese Imperialism it was fighting Religion . Hitler promoted and led a movement rooted in ancient European Paganism and Tribalism of which he saw himself as messiah and leader as did many German followers . Japanese Imperialism was rooted in Shintoism. the Japanese seeing their Emperor as the descendant of the Sun Goddess for whom they were willing to die .The hypocritical Democrats under Clinton had no problem wagging war against the Branch Davidian Sect , whether we agree with them or not, they were a religion . Islam is at war with the Western Democracys and ALL UNBELIEVERS . President Obama is either Ignorant and Uneducated or a Deliberate Deceptve Liar who works for the ENEMY !

  19. Mark says

    Feb 23, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Usefull idiot sees someone coming towards them…

    The person comes closer and they see they are carrying a sword…. they can hear the person talking but too far away to hear what they are saying.

    Person gets closer, seen to be wearing muslim attire, holding a book with the word quran on it.

    The Muslim gets closer, he hears them quoting the various verses to do violence to non muslims, sees the look on his face….

    He see’s other muslims are dragging his wife and children over….

    He starts to shake, he cannot but see that this does not look good, that something bad is going to happen to him, his wife and children.

    Suddenly he remembers that talk from that imam that had invited non muslims to his mosque, telling them how islam is a religion of peace and tolerance and that muslims doing evil things in the name of islam are not real muslims….

    He remembers his kind and helpfull muslim neighbour who had told him the same things….. WAIT, one of the muslims dragging his wife and children over IS HIS NICE MUSLIM NEIGHBOUR…

    Desperately he cries out, how dare you do this in the name of islam, your not a real muslim, that iman told me….

    Then he sees his other neighbour that had given him that list of kill non muslim verses from the quran…. and those links to websites… and those links to online qurans… and those links to videos that his neighbour had urged him too please check out……that he never bothered to check out, because people told him islam was a religion of peace and tollerance and many of them were not even muslims.

    Other muslims are dragging him too……

    With a sad look on his face…. he tells him,I tried to warn you……

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