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Mediaite Editor Tells Fox News’ Martha McCallum ‘Terror Policy A Political Strength’ For Obama

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In an appearance on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom Friday morning, Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall discussed speculation surrounding the timing of a terror alert during President Obama‘s jobs speech last night. Anchor Martha McCallum asked Hall what he made of the suggestion that the terror alert was part of some media manipulation by The White House. Hall dismissed the premise as “unfair,” and also wondered why the Obama administration has turned the War on Terror into a “real political strength,” but shows no sign of running on it.


McCallum introduced the segment by recapping the reports of a “credible threat” to New York and DC that emerged during the President’s speech last night, and pegged them to Shep Smith‘s suggestion that the White House manipulated the timing of the speech (relative to the NFL season opener) to quash any Republican response.

“What do you make of all these issues that have been raised about the timing, and why would they have done that?” McCallum asked.

Hall responded that there are fair criticisms to be made of the White House, “but this isn’t one of them.”

“This was his big moment,” Hall observed, and the terror alert “stepped on” the post-speech political analysis. “Oddly, terror is a good issue for this president.”

“In the past ten years, the GOP had very successfully used the War on Terror…as a really strong political point, and (the Obama) administration, with the drone attacks, the capture and killing of bin Laden,” Hall explained, “they have taken terror policy, and made it a strength, but for reasons that aren’t clear to a lot of media people, have chosen not to make that a political football.”

McCallum asked if that strength could cut in favor of the administration feeling that it would be a “strong position for the President to be overseeing this possible threat,” calling it a “possibility as to why they would have liked the timing and the order of things as they laid out last night.”

Colby pointed out that, throughout the Bush administration, there were accusations of politicized terror alerts. “I thought that was unfair then, and I think it’s still unfair here. Obama had his moment stepped on, and this terror alert came three, two days before the ten year anniversary of 9/11. If this were to happen in March, that’s a legitimate question.”

“I think it’s a real threat,” he continued, “and the timing was probably an accident that the White House regrets, but also, there is some slight benefit to their political agenda.”

Here’s the clip, from Fox News’ America’s Newsroom:


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  • L_Salazar

    Poor Martha, having to sit and listed to Colby’s crap!

  • Anonymous

    Oh Puke!

  • Johnjguy

    The fact remains here that the action of getting Bin Laden resonates greater than any supposed Whitehouse Agenda.

    Let’s commmerate the anniversary and keep things in perspective.

  • http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

    I didn’t get what Shep was trying to say last night. This makes it a little more clear, but like Colby said, I don’t get the point of the WH wanting to step on O’s moment… 

    And why was Pelosi so mad the Reps weren’t giving a rebuttal? It didn’t seem like the type of speech that needed a rebuttal – especially because the jobs bill hasn’t even been written…

    Perhaps they thought Obama would get a lot more applause than he did, and so it was shorter than anticipated. Maybe TOTUS was on a faster speed than normal. haha 

    Regardless, it isn’t surprising that there would be a terrorist threat on the 10th anniversary after the killing of OBL. I just hope the threat isn’t acted on.

    Nice job, Colby. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Tyler/100001071466947 Steven Tyler

    Wow….Colby’s looking very middle-aged these days

  • Norbit

    “Hall dismissed the premise as “unfair,” and also wondered why the Obama administration has turned the War on Terror into a “real political strength,” but shows no sign of running on it.”

    - Uh, how about because of their irrational base?

    - and notice that these four words “Tort Reform, Trial Lawyers” never appear on a Democrats lips.

    So are we to assume they’ll keep trial lawyer awards uncapped, but will withold monies from our soldiers and seniors?

  • Anonymous

    isn’t it incredible how our special ops guys got smarter the day obama was elected? oh and when we began to provide care for
    the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the
    rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this
    was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored
    our image as the last, best hope on earth…

    bahahahahaha!!

  • Roger_Fails

    The real story here is that Fox News couldn’t resist yet another opportunity to try and stir up a fake nontroversy, raising questions about the timing of Obama’s speech.

    I guess it’s like asking a bird not to fly or a fish not to swim. The cylons at Fox are just programmed to do this kind of $hitty journalism over and over again.

  • http://twitter.com/Big_Taters Big Taters

    Unbelievably horrible analysis Colby.

    “oddly, terror is a good issue for the president.”

    WTF?

    Cons could care less if he killed BinLaden and the rest of them. Libs don’t want nothing to do with the wars he’s engaging in due to “terror”….soo….

    When you say, “they took the terror policy”….yeah, straight from W and Cheney – how do you not see why they wouldn’t tout this record? WTF???

    Who the f*&K thinks this is a good issue for the president?

    Unreal, this can’t be professional analysis? can it?

  • http://twitter.com/JCP1975 JCP1975

    The average age of a Fox News viewer is 65.  Enough said.

  • Anonymous

    Martha McCallum is a very interesting reporter. She makes you think, to consider both the big picture & the details.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000152902441 Jeremy Volkens

    So what you’re saying is they have the wisdom that comes with living a long life? Oh heaven forbid!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Tyler/100001071466947 Steven Tyler

    MSNBC viewers are blacks, union members and like you (the spic)

    https://twitter.com/#!/JCP1975

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000152902441 Jeremy Volkens

    With so many political negatives I suppose even things that are generally mediocre become a strength…

  • http://twitter.com/Big_Taters Big Taters

    Ridiculous, they all have major, predictable flaws in their viewership base…MSNBC, FOX, CNN, they all have their niche viewer base which is strategically exploited through their pandering via programming.

    Tell me you have a grasp of such simple concepts?.?.? It’s not possible that you think Fox News is unique in this way, is it?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Tyler/100001071466947 Steven Tyler

    Wow…..Colby is looking very middle aged these days

  • TruDat

    The average IQ of an MSNBC viewer is 65.  Enough said.

  • fanofgrendel

    Try the new COLBY CHEESE Cheez-ITs. Colby without the bad aftertaste.

  • Anonymous

    Speaking of words unspoken, it’s interesting that neither “green” nor “energy” passed Obama’s lips last night.

  • Pit Boss

    I see what you did there.

  • Anonymous

    You go to Colby Hall for analysis?

    LOL

    Yeah, Obama’s jobs speech was a big success: Dow down 300!

  • Anonymous

    Tommy –> Colby –> Obama….. Human Centipede.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah clown, that’s why they beat CNN and MSNBC in every demographic!

  • Norbit

    Tommy,

    Which network might you be likely to appear on?
    (it’s rhetorical) lol

  • http://twitter.com/TommyBennett Tom Bennett

    That had nothing to do with the speech, moron. The market responded in the most part to Europe’s troubles.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, too much talk of Obama’s record on terror and wars would bring somethings out in the open that he would just as soon his base didn’t think about. It would alienate them.

  • Anonymous

    Do you suppose Obama knows the cat is out of the bag on his “green” initiatives and he realizes how much trouble that will be for him?
    The Solyndra scandal seems to be growing and everyone knows that he was closely associated to promoting that. We don’t exactly know how tangled up he is in it and there will be efforts to cover up for our most “transparent President ever”.

  • Anonymous

    Wrong!

    It happened on Obama’s watch, so he is responsible. I’m just using the logic you libs used to pillory Bush, so please, go STFU!

  • Cisco

    Absolutely correct.  After years of intelligence gathering, SEAL Team 6 performed magnificently.

  • Cisco

    Stunningly correct sir.  You retrieving a pole from Joe Biden’s anal cavity, and it confirmed that Fox News 65 year old average is correct, except for all the other viewers under 65 that invalidates your rectal pole. 

  • Anonymous

    Bwahahahaha

    You will believe anything if you believe that; the market voted….thumbs down for Obama.

  • Anonymous

    Bwahahahaha

    You will believe anything if you believe that; the market voted….thumbs down for Obama.

  • Anonymous

    “…..wondered why the Obama administration has turned the War on Terror into a “real political strength,” but shows no sign of running on it….”

    Obama cannot run on that becuase that is truly Bush’s fault;  Obama adopted Bush policies, against the desire of his base, and kept rendition, kept GITMO, kept the policies in place to pursue OBL and got him.  If you look at it factually, it is Bush’s fault, the one time that Obama and the mainstream media won’t say it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dronetek-Bulk-Vanderhuge/100000918732763 Dronetek Bulk Vanderhuge

    You’ll notice that Obama kept all the Bush era policies and gets none of the flack for it. When was the last time anyone in the media manufactured outrage over rendition, Gitmo or warentless wire taps? That’s the only way his foreign policy could be seen as a positive. Of course when Bush was executing the exact same policy, it was evil and needed to be stopped.

  • Anonymous

    The only significant strength eminating from Obama is his godawful stench whenever he enters a room. 

    Why do you libs still insist upon prostituting yourselves for this loser?

    The ( democrat ) party’s over thanks to him yet you still kneel down before him as your false messiah…..WHY?

  • Anonymous

    Yawn. We get it.You will not be voting for him.

  • Anonymous

    Alot of them seem to have been raised by the above mentioned 65 year olds.So the mentality is the same.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VZ6ZEMR7OJKTOCICKUVD2SCCZI Mark

    Because we know that if the choppers would have crashed going into Pakistan, it would have been all their fault, in the eyes of haysee…er…conservatives.

  • Anonymous

    ‘True’–’Obama’s record on terror and wars would bring some things out in the open that he would just as soon his base didn’t think about. It would alienate them’……and as it alienates the ‘far left’ radicals, the ‘far right’ radicals wont acknowledge it………serious flaw with this concept!

  • Anonymous

    Hater

  • Politixisadisease

    I guess the top tier guests were all booked. This moron cant even talk clearly with all that fat hanging from his neck.

  • Anonymous

    Well, actually….it was POTUS Obama, that did what POTUS Bush did not do………………………..’double down’ on Predator Drone Bombings inside Pakistan, decrease the Military footprint inside Iraq, and increase the Military footprint inside Afghanistan…many similarities, many differences, so Not quite the way you stated it;-)!

  • Anonymous

    Colby Hall’s own comments exemplify his disdain for America and by extension, her counter-terrorism efforts. He is the antithesis of all that is good and patriotic.

  • Anonymous

    Colby Hall’s own comments exemplify his disdain for America and by extension, her counter-terrorism efforts. He is the antithesis of all that is good and patriotic.

  • Anonymous

    Colby Hall obviously didn’t get the memo that liberals ought to discount the notion that Obama’s speech making abilities are a panacea.  This was his big moment?  A speech in which an additional half trillion in new spending was requested?  Stimulus round 2?  The country has already surmised that the first round was a waste of their money, Keynesian Paul Krugman being the lone exception.  Give it a few days.  This is going to go over like a lead zeppelin.

    And as to why the Obama administration hasn’t been able to make hay of the war on terror?  Because his base doesn’t like it and for the reason that it wasn’t a policy he initiated.  It’s good that Osama bin Laden was killed.  But Obama didn’t receive a huge bump because it was a forced act, not one of bravery as has been suggested.  If it were subsequently learned that our intelligence services had revealed bin Laden’s location but Obama not acted to kill him, he would’ve been impeached.  Had bin Laden not been killed the administration wouldn’t have come in for any more criticism than had Bush’s for not being able to catch him.

    It’s to Obama’s credit that he continues the War on Terror in spite of there being little political upside in his stewardship of it.

  • Glutton

    So Obama is going to use the Bush strategy to get us to re-elect him.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there was another attack on 9/11 just to give Obama that leverage.

  • Anonymous

    All Americans, with half a brain, know it was the Bush policies that got Osama, Obama was just a sock puppet during the action, most likely, from the look on his face in the situation room.  Looks like he is about to pee his panties!  The only thing I credit Obama for is the Destruction of the American Way of Life.  He knows nothing about American Values because he was raised in Islamic lands during his formable years.  He knows nothing about American Honor, Integrity, and Dignity.  He showed he knew nothing about those thing when he made his Idiotic Apologize Tour!  It will be a Good Day for America when this NonAmerican NonLeader is tossed out on his floppy ears!

  • Anonymous

    Apparently you don’t have half a brain to even consider that because he quit looking, pulled the team that was suppose to be looking for bin Laden away from Afghanistan and put them in Iraq.  One doesn’t have to remember that far back nor do that much googling to have video replays of Bush and reports saying he isn’t looking for bin Laden.
    I think it typical “non-Christian” behavior for the republicans to try to take the occulades for something good but they won’t accept the responsibility for driving our economy into the ditch.  What assholes.

  • Anonymous

    Obama has NEVER used the security and terror game like Bush did.  Don’t expect him to use the “fear and smear tactics Bush used”.  Every time the Bush administration would need more “emergency” money in billions for Iraq or Afghanistan (they NEVER budgeted for the wars) they would change the “color codes to deep orange or red”. Before the election of 2004, it was red all the time because Bush wanted to get re-elected based on that “mushroom cloud” tactic.

  • Anonymous

    Obama has NEVER used the security and terror game like Bush did.  Don’t expect him to use the “fear and smear tactics Bush used”.  Every time the Bush administration would need more “emergency” money in billions for Iraq or Afghanistan (they NEVER budgeted for the wars) they would change the “color codes to deep orange or red”. Before the election of 2004, it was red all the time because Bush wanted to get re-elected based on that “mushroom cloud” tactic.

  • Anonymous

    Obama has NEVER used the security and terror game like Bush did.  Don’t expect him to use the “fear and smear tactics Bush used”.  Every time the Bush administration would need more “emergency” money in billions for Iraq or Afghanistan (they NEVER budgeted for the wars) they would change the “color codes to deep orange or red”. Before the election of 2004, it was red all the time because Bush wanted to get re-elected based on that “mushroom cloud” tactic.

  • Anonymous

    I find it rather unpatriotic to see someone who calls themself an American post garbage like yours.  You wouldn’t recognize Jesus if he wore a democrat button.

  • Anonymous

    I find it rather unpatriotic to see someone who calls themself an American post garbage like yours.  You wouldn’t recognize Jesus if he wore a democrat button.

  • Anonymous

    I find it rather unpatriotic to see someone who calls themself an American post garbage like yours.  You wouldn’t recognize Jesus if he wore a democrat button.

  • Anonymous

    He was forced by the torture loving republicans to keep the Gitmo.  If there is one wish I could have granted, it would be to take Cheney to Gitmo and have him go through the waterboarding and other torture he put others through., And then if he were still breathing, I would ask him if that was torture or not and see if he could be honest just once in his life.

  • Anonymous

    Shows how stupid you are about the stock market.  it is driven by Europe today.  But, why tell the truth when you and the republicans are so use to lying.

  • Anonymous

    Actually, if the market had dropped because of the speech, it would have been the republicans reaction to it to continue being the party of NO and the fact that the republicans don’t give a shit how many people are out of work.  In fact, I hope you lose your damn job.

  • Anonymous

    Of course he promoted it.  It was a company supposedly with a good record and was going to put a lot of people to work.  Now, the FBI and justice are going through the books of that company to see if they lied about everything in order to get the money.

    No different from the fricking Savings & Loan and other damn bailouts from the “borrow & spend Republicans”.

  • Anonymous

    And Bush certainly wouldn’t have had a thing to do with it!!  The republicans never want to take responsibility for the problems they create but they sure want the acculades for the good things even years after Bush gave up.

  • Anonymous

    Apparently you get your “facts” from theNYTimes and MSNBC; all of which stated above are flat out false.

    The killing of OBL was Bush’s fault, the success in Iraq and Afghanistan is Bush’s fault.  The failing economy is the fault of the democrat congress and Obama’s policies.

  • Anonymous

    Apparently you get your “facts” from theNYTimes and MSNBC; all of which stated above are flat out false.

    The killing of OBL was Bush’s fault, the success in Iraq and Afghanistan is Bush’s fault.  The failing economy is the fault of the democrat congress and Obama’s policies.

  • Anonymous

    So, you support our President getting directly involved in crony capitalism and squandering taxpayer dollars? Don’t we have enough government waste and fraud without the leader of the free world getting his hands dirty with it?

  • cameowalkin

    Many Americans believe that the 9-11 attack was a premeditated, multifaceted plan (Operation Northwoods), implemented by George Bush and the military, and Jeb Bush and Controlled Demolition; using “terrorists” that were hand-picked for recruitment by the CIA, and funded and trained by the CIA, and put into planes by the CIA.  We believe that this was intentional, treasonous betrayal and murder of our own people, essentially by our own people (they being the masterminds, facilitators and underwriters of the plot), to further the political, financial and military aims of warhawk Republicans.

    This was the first mass implementation of terror against us, by our own people, to further political aims.  Some of us believe there’s much more to come, and that it’s already progressing against us, through the use of HAARP, Blue Beam, and eventually the GWEN towers and RFID chips &/or skincodes, and nano-genomed biomass as your combo fuel/food source.  And why … to what end is this being done?  To consolidate power, under a growing fascist malignancy that wants to undermine our government and institute a fascist regime (and they’ll probably appear to be Christian Republicans.)

    But though such people appear on the surface to “be good”, many are Masons, and even more will consent to global ecumenism that leads to a global religion.   They think they can destroy how everything works, and then rebuild the world in their own image (this is “Christian” Reconstructionism).  And we’re told in the Word not to be surprised about this because just as the Devil transforms himself into an angel of Light, so will his workers follow his lead and do likewise.  And this explains so much about the current hateful, political ironies.

  • Anonymous

    You are a stupid blatherskite lib.

  • Anonymous

    No, Barry got educated on the job.

    Lets look at Barry’s other lies:

    Close Gitmo? End rendition? End warrantless wiretaps? End the Patriot Act? Unemployment not to exceed 8%? Provide a missile shield to the Czech Republic and Poland? Transparency? Health Care debate will be carried on C-Span? His mother was denied Health Care coverage? Shovel ready jobs? No lobbyists in his administration? Americans want higher taxes? Pledge to cut the deficit in half during his 1st term? USA involvement in Libya will be in days not weeks?  Pledge not to rest until the BP leak stopped?  ObamaCare Fee is not a new tax?  His pledge to “immediately” implement “Pay-As-You-Go.” No Earmarks in the $787 Billion Stimulus? 2010:Obama vows to cut huge deficit in half in first term? Obama promises a comprehensive immigration bill in his 1st year?

  • Anonymous

    Ahhhhhh, poor boy. Barry is following the troop drawndown in Iraq that was agreed to by the Bush admin and the Iraq govt.

    But don’t let the facts ruin your lib TPs.

  • Anonymous

    Ahhhhhhh, what does this have to do with Jesus, dear?

  • Anonymous

    Ahhhhhhh, what does this have to do with Jesus, dear?

  • Glutton

    Just because someone hasn’t used it before doesn’t mean he won’t.  9/11 is a great time to promote American unity.  I don’t think Obama will be so explicit with using 9/11 to get re-elected like Bush did, but I could see him using it nonetheless.  

  • Anonymous

    Wow!!! You may Need some ‘remedial reading courses’….but, then again, it may not help after all…so, to you be your thoughts!!!

  • Anonymous

    let me ask you a question asshole. name one thing in YOUR life that has been destroyed.

  • Anonymous

    and countless filibusters by the asshole repubs in the senate

  • Anonymous

    I think she may be under the impression that Obama is Jesus.  One too many subtly haloed Reuters photographs, you see.  That’s how I gather I can be called anti-American for complementing the man, only not with her expected level of supplication.

    Either that or she just read my name and blew a gasket.

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