Earlier this morning, I suggested that Obama's comments about America being a strong country that would be able to "absorb" a terrorist attack would provoke the most controversy on the right. Since Republicans have been startlingly open about the ways in which they think terrorist attacks benefit them by pushing Americans into spiraling panic, it's not really surprising that the reaction has been to completely misrepresent what Obama said.
To reiterate, this is the full quote:
We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever ... we absorbed it and we are stronger.
As I wrote this morning, "Chances are, rather than being portrayed as a statement of faith in the American people, this will be cast as a sign of complacency."
The reaction of Fox News is fairly representative. Earlier they displayed a chyron asking if Obama were "inviting another 9/11," and guest John Bolton took a break from walking up and down K Street in a sandwich board that says "Bomb Iran" to say this:
I think that may be the most outrageous thing that's been reported about this book. How can an American president say that as if he's a detached observer and doesn't care about Americans dying? I think people have been worried about his qualifications to be commander in chief for a long time, and that ought to prove it.
Basically Republicans are outraged and offended at the notion that the president has enough faith in the courage of the American people that another terrorist attack wouldn't reduce them to a quivering mass of frightened little children.
