President Sigmund Obama On The Threat From ISIS: "We Don't Have To Be Vigilant"

The transcript of Obama's remarks from a recent fundraiser contains a mystifying Freudian slip [Mystery solved by AliceH in comments; see HMMMM... below] on the subject of ISIS and our national security (my emphasis):

We have, since 9/11, built up the capacity to defend ourselves from terrorist attacks.  It doesn’t mean the threat isn’t there and we can’t be -- we don’t have to be vigilant, but it means that we are much less vulnerable than we were 10 or 12 or 15 years ago. 

As someone almost said, eternal vigilance is the price we don't have to pay. Well, Obama needn't worry - I doubt anyone considers him to be excessively vigilant.

But the mystery is, what word was the Greatest Speaker In The History Of Forever looking for? He clearly was fumbling for something, but what? "We can't be complacent"? "We don't have to be paranoid"? Or did "don't" creep in to the sentence about vigilance just as Freud would have predicted?

Well, I would not presume to put words in Obama's mouth. "We don't have to be vigilant" it is, unless someone at the White House wants to clarify that.

Presumably he misspoke, and understandably - Obama must be exhausted after working a whole week. He probably needs a vacation.

HMMM... What Obama said makes more obvious sense if the stray "we can't be" is dropped. "It doesn't mean" relates to both "the threat isn't there" and "we don't have to be vigilant":

It doesn’t mean the threat isn’t there and [] we don’t have to be vigilant, but it means that we are much less vulnerable...

OK, maybe I need a vacation.

Comments

[Carol Herman]

slow news weekend.

While Ferguson has been looped around obama. This is the one that hurts him in the history books.

[Threadkiller]

Reminds me of this:

Maybe this is why Obama isn't shooting point on religious kerfuffles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2qulerCQ78

Iniquities, inequities, let's call the whole thing off.

Posted by: Threadkiller | February 07, 2012 at 10:37 PM

****************************
It is correct in the transcript:

"In the words of the book Isaiah: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”"

He must have been wing'n it.

http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/19/remarks-president-easter-prayer-breakfast

Posted by: Threadkiller | February 07, 2012 at 10:48 PM

Sometimes the words get in the way...

[AliceH]

Hm. Going to disagree with you on this one, Tom. I think he was saying "It doesn’t mean the threat isn’t there and [It doesn’t mean] we can’t be -- [It doesn’t mean] we don’t have to be vigilant...".

Worlds greatest orator.

[henry]

We can't be ....[ insulting Islam, uhhh, it's very peaceful after the headchopping is done, uhhh, Moochelle is easier on the eye when wearing a potato sack over her entire, uhhh are potato sacks big enough, er, uhhh, don't say that, uhhh she's right over there, uhhh, er, ummm, be vigilant, uhh, don't be, er go with that] ...

[narciso]

Well he was just singing for his supper, for Mr, and Mrs, Kelletis, of Libra shipping and UBS honcho, Robert Wolf,

[Danube on iPad]

I'm with AliceH. No-brainer.

[Beasts of England]

The future does not belong to those who continue to point out Michelle's wide ass and thunder thighs...

[Eric in Boise]

Never mind parsing the meaning of "vigilance". There's this:

we are much less vulnerable than we were 10 or 12 or 15 years ago.

Unadulterated horseshit.

[narciso]

they seem to have an interest in skydragons among other things

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libra_Group

[Streetwiseprof]

Double negative. Doesn't mean . . . we don't.

[Sue]

If we are less vulnerable I wonder how we got there...cough...Bush/Cheney...couh...

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

That transcript is a minefield of stoopid. Medved should have to fact check it.

[narciso]

he may have worked for Wolf,

http://www.libra.com/en/people/executive-team/emmanuel-androulakis

they are also big in the health care field.

[rich@gmu]

getting late to this.

Happy Birthday Elliott. Hope it was a great one.

[Ignatz]

I'm with Alice.

Strip out the mumbles and you end up with
"It doesn’t mean the threat isn’t there and we don’t have to be vigilant..."

[Beasts of England]

Awesome Johnny Football commercial for Nissan's Heisman House!!

[rich@gmu]

now back to football and moving.

yeah.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Add me to the Alice-reads-it-correctly group.

[Sue]

Happy birthday Elliott.

[Ignatz]

The problem of course is Barry's definition of "vigilant" is an evaporated southern border, playing footsy with creeps like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas and spreading his legs for the Ayatollahs.

[Rick B]

While there's no sense losing our heads over Mahometan terrorists, I'd feel much safer if the JVs were facing something more than a substitute rally girl with a weak grasp of what is purportedly his native tongue.

I suppose we're a bit safer than Ukrainians in Donbas at the moment. That's comforting.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Thanks for not showing up, Fresno; even Gus and Erin Andrews aren't enough to salvage this turd.

[rich@gmu]

this reminds me of one of his better gaffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUgNg7aD8M

didn't matter in the long run.

[Miss Marple]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2738773/Police-plan-mass-raids-sex-gangs-Day-reckoning-hundreds-child-abusers-180-mainly-Asian-men-targeted-Manchester-alone.html

Big doings in Britain. Pics of perps (usual ROP suspects) at link. I say round up the lot including suspected terrorist and dare those Muslims to start whining.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

I don't think I like these new unis of the Criminoles. Typical Nike; screw around with perfection.

[rich@gmu]

How did you get stuck watching Fresno CH? Yikes.

another vote for Alice. confusing though.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

rich, I think their game with USC is a national broadcast.

[narciso]

there's no point in trying to make sense of his vain blatherings, OTOH

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/08/30/video-cruz-presser-at-afp-summit/

[rich@gmu]

oh, i'm livestreaming the FSU OSU game ...was looking for the UF game.

anyway. maybe i ought to blow off everything i need to do and head to the bar.

[henry]

Alice does provide a logical parsing. The sound bite TM focused on is what many will hear.

[Sue]

It's funny how no one ever had trouble understanding what Bush meant.

[Eric in Boise]

"Mainly Asian Men", MM.

Uh Huh. Yup.

Good link, thanks.

[rich@gmu]

that was fast 10-0 Crimonoles in Jerry's Pleasure Palace.

looks like i will be getting some work done tonight.

[Stephanie accidentally OnT?]

Thanks for keeping the southern end up whilst I delivered Chili's to the guys, y'all.

Yes on beer added, no on wine added, though. Wine can make the sausage a bit sour.

Yes on bread and butter. If you want bread sopping available, pour some of the stock in bowls and have at it. Yum. Also, tip for the butter, let it sit out for a while and get nice and soft so you can roll your corn in it without needing a knife. Ditto the taters.

The side benefit of doing a low country boil is the minimal clean up. Fold up the papers on the table and dump the lot in the trash. No utensils = no clean up needed.

Just make sure you have rolls of paper towels handy!

[rich@gmu]

is the florida game delayed?

[Sue]

They are calling it grooming in the article MM linked. What do they mean?

[Eric in Boise]

And for what it's worth, I saw Mainly Asian Men open for China Crisis at the Odeon in 1982.

[narciso]

Fresno ought to show up, any minute now,

[Miss Marple]

Eric, I like how the Daily Mail posted the pictures of those "Asian men" front and center.

Also repeatedly said they were mainly Pakistani.

I wonder how many terrorists will be scooped up in this raid; I hope a lot.

[rich@gmu]

duh weather delay ... thunderstorm.

[Jim Eagle]

Foreget Gators , to bed!

Catch it tommorow:)

[Centralcal on iPad]

Are you talking about me, narciso?

Fresno (well, me anyway) has showed up. Thanks, Steph for the tip: beer vs. wine. Beer it is.

[Rick B]

Sue,

Child grooming. Psychological sexual abuse leading to physical abuse.

[Pagar a bacon, ham and sausage supporter]

Maybe this will help us understand!

http://www.examiner.com/article/cia-now-admits-that-president-obama-is-a-radical-islamic-enemy-of-america

[Pagar a bacon, ham and sausage supporter]

http://iowntheworld.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/behead.jpg

At last, a clear easy to understand explanation.

[Sue]

Thanks Rick.

[Threadkiller]

From Pagar's link:

Clare M. Lopez is the Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy and a Senior Fellow at The Clarion Project, the London Center for Policy Research, and the Canadian Meighen Institute. Since 2013, she has served as a member of the Citizens Commission on Benghazi. Also Vice President of the Intelligence Summit, she formerly was a career operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, a professor at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, Executive Director of the Iran Policy Committee from 2005-2006, and has served as a consultant, intelligence analyst, and researcher for a variety of defense firms. She was named a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute in 2011.

Probably a loon.

[Donald]

It was all Grantham's fault.

Obviously.

It is really neat watching Georgia players in the vicinity of the ball.

[Beasts of England]

Gurley is thumping the Fighting Dabo's.

[Sue]

TK,

Have you ever seen Larry Johnson's resume? Or Valerie Plame's? Or her screwball husband's?

[Stephanie a proud athletic supporter...wut?]

I think TK was making a funny, Sue.

[Threadkiller]

No. Have you seen Mike Baker's resume?

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

The state of South Carolina doesn't like to play defense.

[Ignatz]

East Carolina plays D and they have much nicer uniforms than the Criminoles.
Got a couple of their hats.

[Sue]

I have, as a matter of fact. So there's a 50/50 chance she's a loon, right?

[Sue]

Really? What's the tell?

[Sue]

I guess I got he's making a funny. I'm saying her resume means nothing if you know Scary Larry, et al.

[rich@gmu]

The Pirates are pretty far from where you are at Ignatz.

[Beasts of England]

My last comment on the Low Country Boil, lest I head to the grocery store at 8:30 this evening(!), but I'd suggest a nice, buttery Chardonnay for a beverage. I'm sure there are some appropriate beers, as well, but other than suggesting PBR, I'd leave that to henry, et al.

[Stephanie a proud athletic supporter...wut?]

Almost anytime a new resource with new actors is mentioned, he usually responds with "loon" or "might be a loon" as a riff on DoT calling most of the people TK links to as loons. Like Taiz, or the folks involved in the Fuddy conspiracies.

[Ignatz]

Hey, I was rootin' for Argentina a month or so ago, rich. :)

[narciso]

No I meant the team, Fresno State, no Lopez is rather solid from all indications,

[Bori]

Beasts,

Our family just finnished eating a Low Country Boil, thanks to you, Stephanie and JiB.

Thanks, I had never tried to do one, but we are all grateful that I did. Even though, they were complaining how hot it was as they slopped it all down. Ha!

[rich@gmu]

yeah, they defaulted too ... good thing I only have to like metric football once every 4 years.

go rain ... the swamp earning its name.

[Stephanie a proud athletic supporter...wut?]

I'm surprised some lefty loons haven't started complaining about Condi being named to the NCAA playoff committee.

Jameis is playing like he thinks each play should be laid out on a platter for the heisman.trophy.winner. kind of a "don't y'all know who I am" attitude.

[Beasts of England]

Chris Fowler is a quality announcer and syncs up nicely with Kirk Herbstreit.

[Beasts of England]

Awesome, Bori! A great meal and straight-forward in its preparation. I bet they'll want it again soon!!

[narciso]

Give it time, Stephanie,

when you see how Widlanski has cronicled chapter and verse, the knavery of Pillar, (the Flathead of analysis) Scary Larry, going all the way to Tenet lounging in Bandar's pool, we see why we find outself in this location

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Yes, Beasts; I am finally free of the ambulatory liver spot, Brent Musberger.

[Stephanie a proud athletic supporter...wut?]

Yea, Bori!

Hot heat or hot spicy? Andouille can be too hot for some. You can dial it back to a kielbasa if need be.

If hot heat, next time let it cool a minute or two on the table before you dig in.

[Beasts of England]

'...dial it back to a kielbasa...'

Not. Touching. That. One.

[rich@gmu]

good grief ... 63 yard return, no td, another lightning strike.

[Threadkiller]

Sorry, left to guzzle a couple beers.

I was making a funny.

I like the 50/50 loon ratio. My odds have never been so good.

[Stephanie a proud athletic supporter...wut?]

Btw, for large parties, I recommend a fryer ring and pot (like you'd use for fried turkey) with a propane gas tank and get yourself a basket to lift the food out, and you can do multiple batches easily in the same stock.

Geaux Tigers!

[Bori]

Steph,

Yep, it was the Andouille that did it, I loved it! So did they but they complained all the way. They are not used to sweating during a meal. Ha ha!

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Nice to see Mack Brown in the ABC studio; everybody wrote off the Horns after a bad start but Mack kept things from falling apart, the mark of an excellent coach.

[Beasts of England]

And Reggie Love ran one back for Wisconsin.

Also not touching that one...

[daddy]

Perhaps a hashtag symbol was all that was missing and that's what threw him off stride, as in:

#We Don’t Have To Be Vigilant

I think that fits in very nicely with his:

#We Don't Have A Strategy

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Wisconsin playing the Tigers is an intriguing opening game matchup. Has the Mad Hatter started grazing on grass yet?

[Stephanie a proud athletic supporter...wut?]

Should we introduce them to boudin, beasts?

My daughter whines about the andouille, too, so I usually do some regular hillshire farms pork sausage for the weenies, too.

[daddy]

we are much less vulnerable than we were 10 or 12 or 15 years ago.

If we take Obama as honestly believing this, then no wonder he has no problem sitting back and watching Iran develop a Nuclear Weapon---to him it's no big deal.

[Beasts of England]

Several unusual top flight match-ups today, Captain. Really good for the teams and the fans.

One more brutal day of work tomorrow after I receive comments back before midnight. After that, it's just a day or two of documentation and my invoice. Then, I get to party like it's 1999 2014.

Goodnight my friends.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Wow did the Crims get snookered by going to that man in motion so often. Game on!

[daddy]

Pagers link:

[daddy]

I now beheading to the Golf Course.

[narciso]

I imagine the word he was thinking of was complacent, which makes his substitution even more baffling,

btw, Pinnette discovers that amnesty is not all it's cracked up to be,

[Threadkiller]

Ass #ding

[Threadkiller]

Ass #ing

FTFM

[Bori]

Steph,
Thanks for the advice but I think I will do it the same way next time. If they had not eaten it I would reconsider but they were just whining.

Daddy,

Obama and Progs can conceive the notion that if Iran has nuclear weapons that it will not use them. Much like they can't conceive that Russia could invade Ukraine or that ISIS would be unsatisfied with the territory it now occupies and would try to continue to expand.

In their closed minds they never think that others may think and act in ways that may be outside their interests in the long run. They cannot conceive that religion can give someone a purpose, a conviction that their cause is just and realizing that cause overrides other considerations.

This lack of imagination is a fatal flaw for Progs in the long run. I just hate that others have to pay a high price to prove how wrong the Progs are when things go fubar.

[daddy]

we can't be

1) putting the cart before the horse
2) nipping it "at" the bud
3) standing shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainians
4) on the wrong side of History
5) having a strategy yet
6) wearing blue when Khaki is the next big thing

[Bori]

The Ducks trying to make a statement, 1st drive 75 yrds in 1:34 seconds for a TD. Oh, a two point conversion 8 to 0.

[daddy]

Missed this one:

We can't be

7) repeatedly passing by potential off-ramps

Bori,

I still think he is trying to convince himself that Putin is not invading the Ukraine.

Obama also said he had spoken earlier Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the situation in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have reportedly taken control of a key coastal town.

"President [Vladimir] Putin and Russia have repeatedly passed by potential off-ramps to resolve this diplomatically," Obama said. "And so, in our consultations with the -- our European allies and partners, my expectation is, is that we will take additional steps, primarily because we have not seen any meaningful action on the part of Russia to actually try to resolve this in diplomatic fashion."

I BeHeading out with the dogs. Cheers.

[Threadkiller]

8) slandering the prophet of Islam. .

[Stephanie accidentally OnT?]

Bori, another great cajun recipe for you to try sometime...

Cajun Pistolettes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 pound Velveeta, cubed
2 pounds cooked crawfish meat, shrimp and/or crabmeat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
20 pistolettes (football-shaped brown 'n' serve rolls)
Vegetable oil or shortening for frying

Sauté onions, bell pepper, celery, green onions and garlic in butter over medium heat until translucent.

Add evaporated milk, Velveeta, water, seafood and seasoning. Cook on low until just heated through. Cover and keep warm.

Fill a deep frying pan with vegetable oil about halfway. Heat oil. Fry pistolettes until they are browned, turning if necessary.

While still hot, holding fried pistolette in a potholder, make a slit in one end. Stick a spoon inside and twirl it around to make some room inside the roll.

Using a spoon, stuff with seafood mixture.

And enjoy.

[Threadkiller]

Half full of oil?

I have to admit my rookie-ness here. What temp on the oil?

I put on a great many inherited cooking displays to woo my soon to be wife, but mama kept us locked out of the kitchen when the oil was going off and it left me permanently 'fraid.

Draining 200 degree oil on a car never bothered me.

Weird.

[Bori]

Thanks Steph,

My great-grandmother made something similar only she made her own dough, and she used mild cheddar instead of Velveeta. I will give it a try with the pistolettes.

[Danube on iPad]

God would I love to see Okla. St. win this thing.

Herbstreit is always well prepared and smooth as glass.

[Sue]

I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle, which is apropos of nothing, but for me to comment about 1993, the year the movie was made. It is so weird the TVA aren't flat panel and the phones are landlines.

[Sue]

TVA ::eye roll:: sb tvs.

[Bori]

Oregon, second pocession 63 yrds in 1:04 seconds for a TD.