# Barack Obama and the "Tighty-Whitey Bomber" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 17, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735 "2019-02-17T20:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CHealy7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@CHealy7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CHealy7)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/1 "2019-02-17T20:18:14Z")
Why did Obama wait three days to say anything at all about this incident on Christmas Day 2009? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest\_Airlines\_Flight\_253](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_253) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/2 "2019-02-17T20:21:51Z")
Probably so that he had enough information to correctly answer the inevitable questions. We hadn’t yet settled on the Presidential “just make crap up” policy in use today. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/3 "2019-02-17T20:40:04Z")
> [@CHealy7](#): > > Why did Obama wait three days to say anything at all about this incident on Christmas Day 2009? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest\_Airlines\_Flight\_253](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_253) Why should anyone care? Has this been bugging you for the last nine years? ---
**Author:** ![pjacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@pjacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjacks)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/4 "2019-02-17T21:29:59Z")
I always thought it was “tidy-whitey.” ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/5 "2019-02-17T21:35:23Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > I always thought it was “tidy-whitey.” [Nope](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tighty-whities), but that’s an interesting mondegreen. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/6 "2019-02-17T23:31:13Z")
> [@CHealy7](#): > > Why did Obama wait three days to say anything at all about this incident on Christmas Day 2009? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest\_Airlines\_Flight\_253](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_253) Why are you assuming he waited ‘three days’ to say anything? Newspaper articles from the time make it clear that Obama (vacationing at the time in Hawaii) was informed of the incident and spoke with his the security experts, and the White House denounced it as an ‘act of terrorism’, all on the same day. But there was still a lot that was unknown, so waiting a couple of days to get…you know, real information…seems to make sense. Imagine being bewildered for nine years as to why someone would want to wait to get some concrete information instead of making up bullshit on the spot… OP, remember: Sometimes it’s better to remain silent and thought a fool, vs speaking up and removing all doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Pithily\_Effusive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pithily_effusive/32/252_2.png) [@Pithily\_Effusive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithily_Effusive)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/7 "2019-02-20T01:04:57Z")
> [@CHealy7](#): > > Why did Obama wait three days to say anything at all about this incident on Christmas Day 2009? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest\_Airlines\_Flight\_253](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_253) Hi, comrade. I’d answer your question if it wasn’t so easy to question your sincerity in asking it. Do svidania. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/8 "2019-02-20T01:23:32Z")
Are we doing the time warp again? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/9 "2019-02-20T01:52:06Z")
Thanks, OP, for making my resume my pining for the Obama administration, the last Age of Sanity before the Age of Stupid superseded it. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/10 "2019-02-20T03:57:52Z")
> [@Pithily\_Effusive](#): > > Hi, comrade. I’d answer your question if it wasn’t so easy to question your sincerity in asking it. Do svidania. Note #2, Pithily Effusive. It is against the rules - outside of The BBQ Pit - to call another poster a troll, even slantways. I’m glad you’re here. Do please read the rules for posting here before you get in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/11 "2019-02-20T16:09:19Z")
Yes, OP, it’s really weird why Obama did not immediately blame someone, and then insult the media and call Fox News “the enemy of the people”. Why on earth didn’t Obama blame his political opponents for this, moments after the attack before any facts were known? Isn’t this the way presidents are supposed to act? Why didn’t Obama make up an insulting nickname for a celebrity right away, and tweet about it? All these mysteries abound. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/12 "2019-02-20T18:04:26Z")
[Here’s GW Bush’s speech on the evening of 9/11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dTsbPje_6k). How dare he fail to mention Al-Qaeda eight full hours after the attack! [Here’s Bush’s speech three days later](https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911prayer&memorialaddress.htm). How dare he not fail to mention Al Qaeda three days after the attack! Here’s Bush’s “bullhorn speech” at the WTC site later that same day. [How dare he STILL not mention Al Qaeda!](https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/PDFFiles/George%20W.%20Bush%20-%20Bullhorn%20Ground%20Zero.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/13 "2019-02-20T18:56:27Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Are we doing the time warp again? It’s just a jump to the right! And then a step to the ri-i-i-ight… Put your hands on your hips, And then just keep moving right! Let’s do the time warp again! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-and-the-tighty-whitey-bomber/829735/14 "2019-02-22T22:25:40Z")
Madness takes its toll. 🙂