why did we skip the paris march?

[Anonymous]

Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

[Anonymous]

I don't know, I'm usually the first to defend Obama on almost anything. However, this was disappointing. I think we made the wrong call here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

Not all of "us" just because CNN doesn't cover it doesn't mean people are ignoring it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

Not all of "us" just because CNN doesn't cover it doesn't mean people are ignoring it.

I'm glad to hear this. Please direct me to the website, TV, radio where they are giving this issue the attention it should have and any resolution.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good heavens, you people will complain about everything. I'm sad about what happened, but it's time the French woke up and understood this is a problem in their own country. It is tragic, but it was 17 people, not 9/11. (France being the hotbed of 9/11 deniers, btw).

We could have sent Biden, because it's not like he does anything, but Obama on such short notice? Overkill.

Hmmm.... short notice? Well, 40 other world leaders were able to change their schedules:

Dressed in dark coats, leaders from Europe to Africa, including President François Hollande of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, marched slowly and resolutely, sending a potent sign that the world was united and would not be intimidated in the face of terrorism. The crowd roared its approval.

Also in the front line of the dignitaries was Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, flanked closely by a bodyguard. In a rare display of unity, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, stood nearby.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/world/europe/paris-march-against-terror-charlie-hebdo.html

Both Netanyahu and Abbas routinely arrest journalists, as is the case with many -- if not most -- of the leaders there. What does Putin have to tell us about a free press? The entire thing was triumph of hypocrisy.

Amen, Jeff. I almost threw up when I read the list of "leaders" who were there. Opportunists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

Not all of "us" just because CNN doesn't cover it doesn't mean people are ignoring it.

I'm glad to hear this. Please direct me to the website, TV, radio where they are giving this issue the attention it should have and any resolution.

You're going to be waiting. At least past February, probably past 2018.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

Not all of "us" just because CNN doesn't cover it doesn't mean people are ignoring it.

I'm glad to hear this. Please direct me to the website, TV, radio where they are giving this issue the attention it should have and any resolution.

Agree. This is not on the front page of WP. Not even on the front page of the World section. Ditto the NYT. It is front pages news on the World section of CNN, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

Not all of "us" just because CNN doesn't cover it doesn't mean people are ignoring it.

I'm glad to hear this. Please direct me to the website, TV, radio where they are giving this issue the attention it should have and any resolution.

Agree. This is not on the front page of WP. Not even on the front page of the World section. Ditto the NYT. It is front pages news on the World section of CNN, however.

This is where I heard about it.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/12/violence-continues-in-nigeria-after-boko-haram-deadliest-massacre-reportedly/?intcmp=latestnews
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/05/boko-haram-fighters-overpower-multinational-force-in-attack-at-nigeria-chad/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it was world leaders who were joining the march.

And Obama's not a leader.

Which heads of state actually attended? I saw Merkel and Cameron. Good for them, but they are neighbors. Then I saw Netanyahu, who is doing this for his own politics, and Abbas, who had to show because Netanyahu showed. Sheikh Abdullah from UAE. Turkey sent the prime minister, not Erdogan. The rest were various foreign ministers or ambassadors. Meanwhile half of them actively oppress their own journalists.

Not to mention the Russkies. The Putin regime and its allies intimidate, imprison and even kill journalists. Their feckless foreign minister showed up.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:It turns out that the French didn't want Netanyahu to come:

http://www.haaretz.com/.premium-1.636557?v=D9B18F0B6D785F827EDA7137FD551BC6

"French President Francois Hollande conveyed a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend asking him not to come to Paris to take part in the march against terror on Sunday, according to an Israeli source who was involved in the contacts between the Elysees Palace and the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. The fact that this message had been conveyed was first reported by Channel 2."

I'm no Netanyahu fan, but it was a lot more appropriate for him to be there than for some tinhorn African dictators whose countries have no free press.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know, I'm usually the first to defend Obama on almost anything. However, this was disappointing. I think we made the wrong call here.

The WH press secretary basically said it was a screw up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:It turns out that the French didn't want Netanyahu to come:

http://www.haaretz.com/.premium-1.636557?v=D9B18F0B6D785F827EDA7137FD551BC6

"French President Francois Hollande conveyed a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend asking him not to come to Paris to take part in the march against terror on Sunday, according to an Israeli source who was involved in the contacts between the Elysees Palace and the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. The fact that this message had been conveyed was first reported by Channel 2."

I'm no Netanyahu fan, but it was a lot more appropriate for him to be there than for some tinhorn African dictators whose countries have no free press.

Not really. He's doing it because he's on a campaign to bundle up Palestine with ISiS. If you don't believe me, look at his press remarks. It's all politics with him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know, I'm usually the first to defend Obama on almost anything. However, this was disappointing. I think we made the wrong call here.

The WH press secretary basically said it was a screw up.

i think kerry or biden should have gone, but i also think the logistics behind such an appearance at such short notice are gigantic.

i also think we should respect france's right to run their own show. they didn't want bibi there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a stellar moment for Obama, but I agree with the poster who points out the irony of millions of people out in the streets and leaders of multiple countries reacting to the deaths of 16 people in France while virtually ignoring the thousands of victims of Boko Haram.

Not all of "us" just because CNN doesn't cover it doesn't mean people are ignoring it.

I'm glad to hear this. Please direct me to the website, TV, radio where they are giving this issue the attention it should have and any resolution.

Agree. This is not on the front page of WP. Not even on the front page of the World section. Ditto the NYT. It is front pages news on the World section of CNN, however.

This is where I heard about it.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/12/violence-continues-in-nigeria-after-boko-haram-deadliest-massacre-reportedly/?intcmp=latestnews
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/05/boko-haram-fighters-overpower-multinational-force-in-attack-at-nigeria-chad/

Me too. Thats where I heard about it. Is boko haram another terrorist group the Obama admin has stuck their heads in the sand over? By all means Obama should go there too. Or will Michelle just hashtag something about it?

[Anonymous]

maybe the white house people actually knew of the content of Charlie Hebdo. Not everyone who is in the business of publishing magazines is a journalist