Obama says America is horrified over Dallas attack

[rooster59]

Obama says America is horrified over Dallas attack

KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, Associated Press


WARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday tried to channel Americans' horror and outrage over the targeted shootings of police officers, decrying the fatal attack in Dallas as "despicable" and declaring there was no justification for the violence.

"I believe that I speak for every single American when I say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas," Obama said early Friday. He spoke just hours after gunfire killed five officers and wounded seven others during protests over fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Obama noted the facts were still coming to light but "what we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement."

The president's message was delivered at long distance as he traveled overseas for talks with NATO and European Union leaders. The distance, and the death toll, presented not-unfamiliar problems for this White House: whether to let a mass shooting upend the president's travel plans and how to participate in a moment of national grief from afar.

Late Friday, the White House announced Obama would cut his trip short by one day. He will attend meetings in Warsaw Saturday, as scheduled, before heading on to Spain, where his itinerary includes meetings with Spanish leaders and a visit with U.S. troops. He will now return to Washington on Sunday, and will visit Dallas at the request of Mayor Mike Rawlings early next week.

The White House has been loath to upend the president's plans in response to outbursts of violence. In March, Obama attended a baseball game in Cuba hours after a terrorist attack in Belgium spread fear across Europe. The president said altering his plans would have represented a concession to terrorists aiming to disrupt ordinary life.

But the Dallas attack appeared to come with complicating political layers for the president and the potential to mark a different sort of moment.

Combined with the recent shootings in Orlando and the rise in so-called lone wolf terrorism, rising anxiety about public safety could mean the shooting has more enduring impact.

Obama has also aligned himself with civil rights protesters and others calling attention to racial disparities in the justice system, and he has taken some heat from those who cast the movement as anti-law enforcement. The debate has largely split along party lines and stands as a potentially potent issue in the presidential election.

Obama tried to walk a delicate balance in his remarks.

Just hours before gunfire erupted in Dallas on Thursday, the president expressed solidarity with those outraged over police shootings in Baton Rouge and suburban St. Paul. A visibly frustrated Obama urged Americans to push for local law enforcement reforms and said all Americans, regardless of race, should care about the treatment of blacks and Hispanics by police.

Obama argued there's no contradiction between supporting law enforcement and working to see that biases in the justice system are rooted out.

"So when people say 'Black Lives Matter,' that doesn't mean blue lives don't matter," he said, referring to police. "It just means all lives matter — but right now, the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents."

But the president also expressed his gratitude to police officers.

He returned to that theme Friday morning.

"Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us," Obama said. "Today our focus is on the victims and their families. They are heartbroken. The entire city of Dallas is grieving. Police across America, which is a tight-knit family, feels this loss to their core."

Obama ordered flags flown at half-staff in honor of the victims and he spoke by phone to Rawlings, Dallas Police Chief David Brown and Attorney General Loretta Lynch. He offered his condolences and federal support to the local officials, the White House said.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-09

[MZurf]

This should bring the fringe elements out of the woodwork...

[daoyai]

He may believe he spoke for all Americans but at the BLM rally in S.F. a speaker said "i don't care about those cops", the crowd cheered, an attendee supporting All lives matter had to be escorted away for his own safety.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Of course he has to say that..however, I bet a fair number of Americans would say they had it coming.

Edited July 9, 2016 by OMGImInPattaya

[Jingthing]

The black lives matter movement has a point. Black people in the USA do receive especially poor treatment in the U.S. justice system, including how treated during police stops. They are focusing on that.

[Jingthing]

He may believe he spoke for all Americans but at the BLM rally in S.F. a speaker said "i don't care about those cops", the crowd cheered, an attendee supporting All lives matter had to be escorted away for his own safety.

Not really surprising. Things are inflamed now. Leadership is needed. Sadly, a large portion of the USA has never accepted the leadership of Obama, in many cases due to racism.

[mania]

Sadly, a large portion of the USA has never accepted the leadership of Obama, in many cases due to racism.

Then there are the rest of us (non-racist citizens) who never saw any leadership from him in 8 useless years to even attempt to accept

Edited July 9, 2016 by mania

[up2u2]

A disappointing speech from Obama. He has had a massive failure in protecting his African American brothers from being executed by police. He has had to pick his fights carefully so this one was let straight through to the catcher.

His praise for the police is misguided they were no match for this lone gunmen. He ran them in circles and picked them off. Having to take him out with a robot bomb suggests there were no police with the courage to take this one gunmen on. Dallas citizens shouldn't have a lot of confidence in this police force protecting them.

[fatyank]

all stems from a bunch of extreme positions

the blacks don't obey LEO commands

the cops are sadists

[SunsetT]

all stems from a bunch of extreme positions

the blacks don't obey LEO commands

the cops are sadists

It all stems from the US gun law.......or lack of it.

[Jingthing]

America may be horrified. But America is not surprised. America EXPECTS much of the same, next week, and the week after that, and the week after that, and the week after that, ... etc.

[Jingthing]

I am worried about the possibility of a race war being sparked.

But here is good way to frame thinking about that threat we are facing:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/07/there_is_a_war_over_race_in_america_but_it_s_not_whites_vs_blacks.html

This is the central thing to understand about what happened in Dallas: Black people who target whites are fundamentally allied with white people who target blacks. They’re on the same team: the race war team.

...
This is the war Micah Johnson joined in Dallas on Thursday night. He didn’t join the side of black people, any more than Bin Laden or ISIS joined the side of Muslims.

[Boon Mee]

After the most divisive president America has ever had, we hear that he is horrified?

Jesus wept...

[Steely Dan]

If Obama had any guts he would declare BLM to be a terrorist organization, for that's what they are through their actions and their incitement. Perhaps also if the president had not resorted to dog whistle politics relating to the police then being 'horrified' would not ring so hollow coming from him.

[JetsetBkk]

"the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents."

What is he going to say next? "Trayvon Martin Philando Castile could have been me 35 years ago"?

[Jingthing]

If Obama had any guts he would declare BLM to be a terrorist organization, for that's what they are through their actions and their incitement. Perhaps also if the president had not resorted to dog whistle politics relating to the police then being 'horrified' would not ring so hollow coming from him.

The shooter was not a BLM member. I would agree with you if BLM actually had a policy of supporting and planning attacks such as at Dallas. But you and I both know, that is NOT the case. I don't like every statement I've heard from BLM people, in some cases I strongly DETEST them, but there is freedom of speech and protest in the USA, so they have every right, literally, to continue without being demonized as a terror organization.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Jingthing

[samran]

If Obama had any guts he would declare BLM to be a terrorist organization, for that's what they are through their actions and their incitement. Perhaps also if the president had not resorted to dog whistle politics relating to the police then being 'horrified' would not ring so hollow coming from him.

Of course, we all know that 'suspicion of government' and use of constitutional rights to own arms to protect one against government tyranny is only reserved for 'real Americans'.

[Credo]

Black Lives do Matter, as do all other lives. The US has a lot of people with military training and a lot of people who have served in active war zones. Many people do not come back from battle zones with the same moral compass that they left with. Combine that with a lot of heavy duty weapons on the street and you have an explosive situation.

It is fairly obvious that the police need some training as well.

[White Christmas13]

After the most divisive president America has ever had, we hear that he is horrified?

Jesus wept...

Yeah and when Donald Trump becomes president Jesus will be crucified

[MaxYakov]

He may believe he spoke for all Americans but at the BLM rally in S.F. a speaker said "i don't care about those cops", the crowd cheered, an attendee supporting All lives matter had to be escorted away for his own safety.

Not really surprising. Things are inflamed now. Leadership is needed. Sadly, a large portion of the USA has never accepted the leadership of Obama, in many cases due to racism.

Obama's lack of support in the most cases is explained by your post's third sentence:

Leadership is needed.

[Steely Dan]

If Obama had any guts he would declare BLM to be a terrorist organization, for that's what they are through their actions and their incitement. Perhaps also if the president had not resorted to dog whistle politics relating to the police then being 'horrified' would not ring so hollow coming from him.

The shooter was not a BLM member. I would agree with you if BLM actually had a policy of supporting and planning attacks such as at Dallas. But you and I both know, that is NOT the case. I don't like every statement I've heard from BLM people, in some cases I strongly DETEST them, but there is freedom of speech and protest in the USA, so they have every right, literally, to continue without being demonized as a terror organization.

Hmm, not a BLM member eh? Nevertheless he was defended by a current BLM member. I guess those looting and taunting the police were also not BLM members.

P.s Cast your mind back a few years to when many progressive labeled the Tea Party as terrorists for far far less.

[Jingthing]

If Obama had any guts he would declare BLM to be a terrorist organization, for that's what they are through their actions and their incitement. Perhaps also if the president had not resorted to dog whistle politics relating to the police then being 'horrified' would not ring so hollow coming from him.

The shooter was not a BLM member. I would agree with you if BLM actually had a policy of supporting and planning attacks such as at Dallas. But you and I both know, that is NOT the case. I don't like every statement I've heard from BLM people, in some cases I strongly DETEST them, but there is freedom of speech and protest in the USA, so they have every right, literally, to continue without being demonized as a terror organization.

Hmm, not a BLM member eh? Nevertheless he was defended by a current BLM member. I guess those looting and taunting the police were also not BLM members.

P.s Cast your mind back a few years to when many progressive labeled the Tea Party as terrorists for far far less.

If they did label the tea party as terrorists, so what? Nobody took that seriously and nobody is taking what you're suggesting seriously either, except for some totally EXTREMIST right wing pundits.

[brewsterbudgen]

If Obama had any guts he would declare BLM to be a terrorist organization, for that's what they are through their actions and their incitement. Perhaps also if the president had not resorted to dog whistle politics relating to the police then being 'horrified' would not ring so hollow coming from him.

The shooter was not a BLM member. I would agree with you if BLM actually had a policy of supporting and planning attacks such as at Dallas. But you and I both know, that is NOT the case. I don't like every statement I've heard from BLM people, in some cases I strongly DETEST them, but there is freedom of speech and protest in the USA, so they have every right, literally, to continue without being demonized as a terror organization.

Hmm, not a BLM member eh? Nevertheless he was defended by a current BLM member. I guess those looting and taunting the police were also not BLM members.

P.s Cast your mind back a few years to when many progressive labeled the Tea Party as terrorists for far far less.

If they did label the tea party as terrorists, so what? Nobody took that seriously and nobody is taking what you're suggesting seriously either, except for some totally EXTREMIST right wing pundits.

Exactly. The extreme right-wing talk radio hosts, like Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin hold a lot of responsibilty for the current hostile environment. Truly disgraceful but the price to be paid for the 1st Amendment.

[Andreas2]

"the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents."

What is he going to say next? "Trayvon Martin Philando Castile could have been me 35 years ago"?

Just in case, that some of you might have missed this: Confirmed – Philando Castile Was an Armed Robbery Suspect – False Media Narrative Now Driving Cop Killings…

Not to say, that this man deserved death nor that we know what really happened.

But just like Trayvon Martin, this guy was obviously not really a law abiding individual and the MSM seem not really interested to change their narrative: The problem are racist cops, not criminal blacks...

This is just recklessly dangerous and can lead to very bad incidents, even deadly terror attacks, and undeserved hatred. Evil MSM.

[WishWashMan]

I am worried about the possibility of a race war being sparked.

But here is good way to frame thinking about that threat we are facing:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/07/there_is_a_war_over_race_in_america_but_it_s_not_whites_vs_blacks.html

This is the central thing to understand about what happened in Dallas: Black people who target whites are fundamentally allied with white people who target blacks. They’re on the same team: the race war team.

...

This is the war Micah Johnson joined in Dallas on Thursday night. He didn’t join the side of black people, any more than Bin Laden or ISIS joined the side of Muslims.

Obama has already started a race war. Where u been-Pattaya? hahahahaha.

[Chicog]

After the most divisive president America has ever had, we hear that he is horrified?

Jesus wept...

Being black doesn't make him divisive. Being hated by white Republicans for being black is what makes him divisive, no matter what feeble excuses they come up with. Their excuses are like putting lipstick on a pig.

[JetsetBkk]

"the big concern is the fact that the data shows black folks are more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents."

What is he going to say next? "Trayvon Martin Philando Castile could have been me 35 years ago"?

Just in case, that some of you might have missed this: Confirmed Philando Castile Was an Armed Robbery Suspect False Media Narrative Now Driving Cop Killings

Not to say, that this man deserved death nor that we know what really happened.

But just like Trayvon Martin, this guy was obviously not really a law abiding individual and the MSM seem not really interested to change their narrative: The problem are racist cops, not criminal blacks...

This is just recklessly dangerous and can lead to very bad incidents, even deadly terror attacks, and undeserved hatred. Evil MSM.

Wow! This changes everything! Absolutely everything. Thanks for posting this.

[JetsetBkk]

After the most divisive president America has ever had, we hear that he is horrified?

Jesus wept...

Being black doesn't make him divisive. Being hated by white Republicans for being black is what makes him divisive, no matter what feeble excuses they come up with. Their excuses are like putting lipstick on a pig.

He's hated because he failed to usher in a "post-racial society" which is what having a black president was supposed to do.

He failed. Totally.

[Jingthing]

He never promised that.

[Ulysses G.]

He promised that you could keep your doctor and old health plan. That was BS too.