During an interview with CBS, President Obama referred to chaos in the Middle East, including the terrorist attack in Libya which left four Americans dead, as "bumps in the road."
Now, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is telling the country Obama was misunderstood and his comments were taken out of context. At the press briefing today, Carney said the President was only referring to ongoing challenges Middle Eastern countries face as they go through a transformation and was asked by a reporter, "Is it not bigger than just a bump in the road?" Carney called the classification of Obama referring to the murder of Americans as"bumps in the road" offensive.
“The President was making clear that in this historic transformation that’s taking place in the region that progress won't come in a straight line, that there will be challenges."
“This transformation will not happen overnight and we will certainly encounter challenges.”
“The President as you know is not minimizing what we recognize as historic transformations taking place and the President is certainly not minimizing the challenges."
‘That assertion (of Obama referring to the murders of Americans as 'bumps in the road') is both desperate and offensive.”
“There is a certain desperate attempt to grasp at words for political advantage here and once again, that’s offensive.”
If the "bumps in the road" comment sounds familiar, that's because it is. If the "this will take time" statement sounds familiar, that's because it is.
Former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also defended the Obama administration response to Libya and the ongoing anti-American protests around the world.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member