# Where was Barack Obama, to stand for Democracy? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 12, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597 "2015-01-12T03:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/361 "2015-01-14T15:31:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > This wasn’t an oversight. He just doesn’t think this is all that important. You continue to ignore the logistical problems with the president travelling to a foreign country and marching in public on 48 hours’ notice. Even if Obama had said “Fuck it, drop everything, I’m going to France”, the Secret Service would never have allowed it. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/362 "2015-01-14T15:38:20Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You continue to ignore the logistical problems with the president travelling to a foreign country and marching in public on 48 hours’ notice. Even if Obama had said “Fuck it, drop everything, I’m going to France”, the Secret Service would never have allowed it. ['A PETULANT CHILD’: Former Secret Service Agent Blasts Obama For Blaming Service For Skipping Paris March](http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/13/a-petulant-child-former-secret-service-agent-blasts-obama-for-blaming-service-for-skipping-paris-march/) [Secret Service: We Were Never Asked about Paris Trip](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/396286/secret-service-we-were-never-asked-about-paris-trip-ian-tuttle) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/363 "2015-01-14T15:41:34Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Your use of the modifier “incredibly” doesn’t seem to fit here. I can’t help but wonder if you’re trying to blow this out of proportion, despite your claims not to. You’ve heard, “It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup.” before, right? I’m coining a new one here: It’s not the mistake, it’s the shirking of responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/364 "2015-01-14T15:43:26Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > ['A PETULANT CHILD’: Former Secret Service Agent Blasts Obama For Blaming Service For Skipping Paris March](http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/13/a-petulant-child-former-secret-service-agent-blasts-obama-for-blaming-service-for-skipping-paris-march/) > > [Secret Service: We Were Never Asked about Paris Trip](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/396286/secret-service-we-were-never-asked-about-paris-trip-ian-tuttle) And that was on the internet and everything, so it must be true! ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/365 "2015-01-14T15:46:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And that was on the internet and everything, so it must be true! It was [reported by CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/politics/obama-kerry-paris/). Are you disputing it? Do you have a cite that says Secret Service was asked and told the President not to go? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/366 "2015-01-14T15:49:37Z")
The Secret Service thing was just another excuse. I can’t believe that some of you Obama supporters are so gullible. They were never asked because the President never even considered going. It just wasn’t that important to him. After all, the terrorists weren’t attacking something he cared about. It wasn’t as if a Harvard Professor got harassed by the police, or Rush Limbaugh called one of his supporters a slut. That calls for a Presidential response! ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/367 "2015-01-14T15:52:55Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You continue to ignore the logistical problems with the president travelling to a foreign country and marching in public on 48 hours’ notice. Even if Obama had said “Fuck it, drop everything, I’m going to France”, the Secret Service would never have allowed it. He could have been dropped in via parachute. Especially if he was on a [motorcycle](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16859234&postcount=115). Yeah, yeah…I know that reference wasn’t anything that **adaher** had actually said. It’s just too good a joke to pass up. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/368 "2015-01-14T16:10:36Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The Secret Service thing was just another excuse. I can’t believe that some of you Obama supporters are so gullible. They were never asked because the President never even considered going. It just wasn’t that important to him. After all, the terrorists weren’t attacking something he cared about. It wasn’t as if a Harvard Professor got harassed by the police, or Rush Limbaugh called one of his supporters a slut. That calls for a Presidential response! I think we need to add your name to [the list](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746164). ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/369 "2015-01-14T16:23:27Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Where was the march for the 2,000 killed in Nigeria? So every time a nation decides to hold a pity fest the US president is obligated to go? It wasn’t a pity fest. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > If Obama HAD gone, the Reichwingers would be whining about the cost of the trip for a photo op. No doubt this is true. It’s been clear for a long time that there are pundits ready to criticize anything he does (or doesn’t do), because it is him doing it (or not). That’s not a defense of him. That he has mindless, reflexive critics doesn’t mean some choices aren’t actually mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/370 "2015-01-14T16:43:34Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It was [reported by CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/politics/obama-kerry-paris/). Are you disputing it? Do you have a cite that says Secret Service was asked and told the President not to go? What, you _trust_ the liberal media now? Can’t believe what those MSMers say, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/371 "2015-01-14T16:47:08Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > What, you _trust_ the liberal media now? Can’t believe what those MSMers say, you know. Pathetic apologia. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/372 "2015-01-14T16:57:16Z")
Ok, mouth-breathers, everyone gets it. There is nothing more important to your ilk than Obama rushing off to Paris so he can hold hands with a bunch of European socialists and sing Kumbaya. Nah, just kidding. Everyone knows you’re a bunch of lying little bitches. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/373 "2015-01-14T16:58:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I think we need to add your name to [the list](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746164). Convenient, alphabetically. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/374 "2015-01-14T16:58:29Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Pathetic apologia. So do you trust the lying liberal MSM or not? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/375 "2015-01-14T17:12:30Z")
He could have hung out with [these fine examples](http://justice.gawker.com/these-world-leaders-are-a-worse-threat-to-free-press-th-1679032136) of Freedom of Speech. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/376 "2015-01-14T17:19:53Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > He could have hung out with [these fine examples](http://justice.gawker.com/these-world-leaders-are-a-worse-threat-to-free-press-th-1679032136) of Freedom of Speech. Guess you can add [Hollande](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/dieudonne-arrest-facebook-post-charlie-coulibaly-paris-gunman?CMP=share_btn_tw). ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/377 "2015-01-14T17:27:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > He could have hung out with [these fine examples](http://justice.gawker.com/these-world-leaders-are-a-worse-threat-to-free-press-th-1679032136) of Freedom of Speech. You gotta love the “IDF killed journalists” label on Netanyahu. Well, [US military seems to kill](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DEED81E3EF930A25754C0A9619C8B63) journalists - [16 in Iraq at least](https://cpj.org/2010/04/wikileaks-video-iraq-attack-killed-reuters-staffers.php). So yes, Obama would have fit right in. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/378 "2015-01-14T17:29:12Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I think we need to add your name to [the list](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746164). What I said was a rather mild argument. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean I’m among the worst. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/379 "2015-01-14T17:30:18Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Ok, mouth-breathers, everyone gets it. There is nothing more important to your ilk than Obama rushing off to Paris so he can hold hands with a bunch of European socialists and sing Kumbaya. > > Nah, just kidding. Everyone knows you’re a bunch of lying little bitches. The lying little bitches are the ones who said that diplomacy was so important and that we needed someone more sensitive and is okay with the President giving our allies the brush off time and time again. It’s actually much more profitable in this world to be an enemy of Barack Obama than a friend, and that goes for domestic politics too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597/380 "2015-01-14T17:40:49Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > You gotta love the “IDF killed journalists” label on Netanyahu. Well, [US military seems to kill](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DEED81E3EF930A25754C0A9619C8B63) journalists - [16 in Iraq at least](https://cpj.org/2010/04/wikileaks-video-iraq-attack-killed-reuters-staffers.php). So yes, Obama would have fit right in. So that whole “support the troops” bullshit is out of favor now? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-barack-obama-to-stand-for-democracy/709597.md?page=20)