Adam Smith’s life has been turned upside-down in the 36 hours that followed his posting the video of his protest at Chick-fil-A, which involved letting a young, female employee at the drive-thru know what he thinks about the company. (You can watch the video here.)
We had an exclusive conversation with Smith where he shared his side of the story. Here’s a taste of what he said:
He has lost his job as Chief Financial Officer at Vante. (Smith claims that he was not given a chance to really explain himself before being terminated)
His family has been threatened with violence and death. (At one point, his email account was getting 3 messages a minute, mostly vulgar and threatening)
Because his home address was made public, he cannot live in his house. (And Mr. Smith is a married father of four – two of his children are adopted, special needs kids.)
Smith said that his original intent was to follow guidelines laid out in an online video, which included quoting a scripture.
FightBigotry.com’s founder and treasurer is Stephen Marks, a well-known Republican opposition researcher whose 2008 book Confessions of a Political Hitman detailed his work in what he called “the dark side of politics.” In 2000, he launched an attack ad under the misleading name “Americans Against Hate,” attempting to tie Al Gore to controversial comments by Rev. Al Sharpton. Another Marks spot in 2004 attempted to link John Kerry to convicted murderer Willie Horton. He was forced to retract a claim in the book about then-Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), acknowledging that “the information was not accurate.”
About the Video:
Beyond the obvious race-baiting, the ad is riddled with factual errors. Holder’s March 2011 statement was criticizing a Congressman for equating an a 2008 New Black Panther Party incident with the much more violent assaults against voting rights advocates in the 1960s – not about “pursuing the New Black Panthers.”
And what this group terms a “racist altercation with police” involved a Harvard University professor being stopped by police for trying to enter his own home. Even conservative Fox News legal analyst and former New Jersey state Judge Andrew Napolitano called it an “improper arrest.”
Okay now for my thoughts:
To Steven Marks, you have the right to do this — but… What does it honestly do for the Conservative movement and the Republican Party? I mean, the stuff is class A, USDA choice, weapons grade, dog-whistle material. I mean, what is the motivation? Is it to inform people, or is it to stir up hostility among white people against Obama?
Simply put, this is nothing more than a losing gambit; for all concerned — White People, The Conservative movement, The Republican Party, Mitt Romney and his supporters. The truth is folks, we can run on Obama’s record; as it is said that he is going to lose big anyhow, we do not need to bring race into this election at all. It is unneeded baggage and it will only hurt us in the long run.
While I am empathetic and sympathetic to the things said in this video, as I am a white person myself; I simply do not believe that this is really needed at all. It does nothing for the Conservative cause and it does well play into the talking-point that Republicans are racist. This is simply something that we just do not need at all.
Some would call this sweet justice, some would not. Seems that fall out from the Chick-Fil-A support day continues.
First off the Video that caused this man to lose his job:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPLNgkP9nzc&hd=1
The Story:
An executive at a medical manufacturing firm lost his job after a YouTube video of him verbally ambushing a young employee at a Tucson Chick-fil-A went viral.
Adam Smith, formerly Chief Financial Officer at Vante, stepped down after the video — which Smith shot and uploaded himself —caused embarrassment to the company.
The video was picked up by countless blogs. Before Smith took it off of YouTube, others had downloaded it and re-posted it. Both the escapade and its fallout filled Tucson-linked tweets.
Smith, who served as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona last semester, filmed himself berating a drive-thru employee at Chick-fil-A, 3605 E. Broadway, Wednesday. Conservative firebrand Mike Huckabee dubbed that day “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” and encouraged customers to eat there to show support for the chain after President Dan Cathy drew controversy for saying the company supports efforts to block gay marriage.
In the video, which runs 2 minutes, 21 seconds, Smith enters the drive-thru, explaining that he’s ordered a free cup of water. Once the employee hands him his cup, he lambastes her employer, calling Chick-fil-A “a hateful corporation” and “a horrible corporation with horrible values” that “gives money to hate groups.”
Vogel said the company has no stance on the gay marriage issue but has always hade a “good relationship” with Chick-fil-A. He said the company will consider contacting the employee Smith ambushed in an attempt to mend fences.
I have some very mixed feelings about this; on one hand, I believe it is good that this guy got tossed, because no company wants to be associated with some idiot being a jerk. On the other hand, if he was on his own time and did this; he has one heck of a good lawsuit against the company. However based upon his dress in the video, he was most likely on his lunch break from work. Which is sort of a gray area, (or is it grey area?) and could be used against him, should he decide to sue the company.
The lesson here is this: If you are going to be a douche bag, don’t film it; because if you do and you happen to be a well-known person working for a well-known company — you might just end up out of a job. As someone who has been out for work for over eight years now; except for blogging on this site and at my former blog — I take zero pleasure in knowing that someone lost their job. It stinks, I have and still am there now. However, I really honestly have to say that this man has no one else to blame for losing his employment, except for himself.
It is a cold, hard, lesson to learn — but one that must be learned in this day and age of social media.
Update: Ah, here is a statement from the company via Marketwire:
SOURCE: Vante, Inc.
August 02, 2012 17:02 ET
Vante of Tucson, AZ Regrets Actions of Former CFO
Employee Has Left the Company
TUCSON, AZ–(Marketwire – Aug 2, 2012) – The following is a statement from Vante:
Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A. Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company.
The actions of Mr. Smith do not reflect our corporate values in any manner. Vante is an equal opportunity company with a diverse workforce, which holds diverse opinions. We respect the right of our employees and all Americans to hold and express their personal opinions, however, we also expect our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others.
We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith’s actions against Vante and its employees.
Translation: Please don’t hate us because of our stupid former employee!
MARTINSBURG – Police and fire crews closed down the Chick-fil-A on Foxcroft Avenue in Martinsburg for nearly three hours following a bomb threat that was called in just before 1 p.m. today.
The caller mentioned that a “device” had been placed within the restaurant. The building was evacuated, but was deemed safe at about 3:45 p.m. after no bomb or any other type of device was discovered.
Martinsburg City Police and the Martinsburg Fire Department personnel investigated the scene, along with Berkeley County Sheriff Kenny Lemaster. A National Park Ranger with a canine unit arrived at the scene at approximately 2:45 p.m. to assist, and a second from the West Virginia State Police arrived later as well.
According to a release from police, the location of the call was traced and the investigation is following up on leads about the male caller.
“We prosecute to the fullest extent that the law allows for anyone making these types of threats,” the release states.
First it was Iraq, now it is with the Palin supporters. Whew, ol’ boy can’t just say, “yeah, she’s okay.” Oh no, he’s just got to insult every darned Conservative feminist in America. 😯
Did you happen to hear a rather loud thud sound right after he said the words, “She was not ready?” That was George W. Bush passing out dead cold in the floor. I mean, the poor man has spent the last 3 years trying to build the library and what’s left of his legacy and reputation….and what does ol’ Darth Vader do? This. Memo to Darth Cheney: YOU.ARE.NOT.HELPING….. 🙄
Apparently, Palin’s not “ready” to sit in an administration for eight years which adds 5 trillion dollars to our unpaid debt basically demoralizing the spirit of conservatism leading to four years of Barack Obama. Cheney was “ready” for that, wasn’t he?
Palin’s not “ready” to engage in cronyism which dictates who she’d appoint to lifetime positions on the Supreme Court or to head federal emergency agencies like FEMA. Bush & Cheney were “ready” for that, weren’t they?
Palin is “ready” to balance a budget – since she did it in Alaska.
Palin is “ready” to increase benefits for our esteemed elders while cutting out wasteful spending existing all across our federal government – since she did similar things in Alaska.
Palin is “ready” to call out entrenched special interests like she did when she served up a little justice to the Republican Party’s good old boys and their dealings with big oil. She did that in Alaska, too.
Palin’s “ready” to unabashedly call out Barack Obama. This includes pointing out his past associations, his reckless squandering of billions of our dollars to pay back his Wall Street friends (just as Bush/Cheney once did), and his plans to whip Americans into Greece-like big-government submission. This is in contrast to the establishment’s plans to hold back.
Palin’s “ready” to endorse countless candidates for the Congress. She’s been successful at using her enormous grassroots influence to pull a great deal of them across the finish line.
Palin’s not ready to fall in line with the establishment. Until any candidate (including our perceived “front-runner”) demonstrates a full willingness to truly unify with the party’s grassroots, don’t count on her to make deals behind closed doors or hold high-priced fundraisers at her home.
Considering everything Bush & Company were “ready” for, it’s no wonder why Barack Obama was ever put in the position of becoming President of our great Republic. Now of course, he must be fired.
But after observing the behavior of Cheney, Sununu, and other Romney surrogates, it might serve the interest of the American people to ask whether or not Romney is truly “ready” to do that considering the company he chooses to keep.
[…..]
Very disappointed in Dick Cheney, especially considering what he knows first hand about media and false narratives.
I’d also like to add some comments made….those who suggest Cheney has a right to his opinion and how we have to unite. They need to only listen to their own advice. Of course Cheney has a right to his opinion, but “uniting” involves telling the truth and judging one on the basis of their record and their conviction. Nobody can claim to fighting for this country to the degree Sarah Palin has since 2008 and nobody can deny her record of accomplishment. He frankly owes her an apology considering who our opponent is supposed to be.
You know that whole thing about “hell hath no fury”? Here it is.
Popcorn? Popcorn hell, this is dinner theater! 😛 😀 😆
Now before I begin this blog entry I want it to be perfectly known; I am a total and complete supporter of Israel and it’s people.
However, I do NOT, nor have I ever; supported Wilsonian foreign policy or the idea of America fighting Israel’s battles for them.
Having said that, check out this Video:
Of course, The Neocons areoverjoyed by this little attempt to suck up to Israel. I personally, don’t buy it; I think Mitt Romney is desperate and wants to advance in the poll numbers. So, he is basically trying to suck up to the Jewish right here in America and in Israel. Which will work, of course, because we all do truly know who controls the Republican Party anymore….and it is not WASP’s like me, Ron Paul or Pat Buchanan anymore, that is for sure!
Another reason I suspect that Romney is possibly going to be Benjamin Netanyahu’s puppet is this little piece that I stumbled across.
Much has been written about the warm personal relationship between the two friends, ex-governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate for the presidency of the United States, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel. Today it has become clear that the two are more than just friends. Romney apparently accepts instructions from Netanyahu who succeeded in getting him to cancel a scheduled and meticulously planned meeting with MK Shelly Yacimovich, the leader of the Labor party.
Here is how things developed: A month ago, when Yacimovich was still the leader of the opposition, Dan Senor, Romney’s key foreign policy adviser, approached Labor Knesset faction head Yitzhak (Buzi) Herzog with a request, in Romney’s name, to meet the then-head of the Israeli opposition during his scheduled Israeli visit. A meeting with the opposition leader is also required as a matter of protocol; when then-senator Barack Obama visited Israel on the eve of the 2008 U.S. elections, he met with Benjamin Netanyahu.
The two bureaus, Romney’s and Yacimovich’s, began coordinating the meeting, where and how long it would be along with a joint statement to the press. But a week ago, after Kadima head MK Shaul Mofaz left the government, Yacimovich ceased to be opposition leader. Herzog took the initiative and informed the Romney staff of the change in Yacimovich’s status, and requested that the meeting be cancelled.
Romney’s staff would have none of it. They told Herzog that they were au courant with happenings on the Israeli political scene, knew that Mofaz was now opposition leader (Romney will also meet with him), and insisted on holding the Yacimovich meeting as planned.
Preparations and coordination continued energetically last week through last night and even this morning. But in the last few days a problem came up in Yacimovich’s schedule for unexpected personal reasons. Herzog checked again with Romney’s staff to make sure that the meeting was still scheduled, and said that Yacimovich might be a little late arriving, for personal reasons. The answer was affirmative, loud and clear.
The meeting was due to take place today, at 1:30 P.M., at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. There were still contacts this morning between Romney’s media staff and Tal Alexandrovitch Segev, Yacimovich’s media adviser. Yacimovich and Herzog, who was due to accompany her, prepared themselves to meet the man who might, in a matter of months, be elected president of the United States.
And then Romney went into a meeting with Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Bureau in Jerusalem. Minutes before the meeting, the candidate’s staff contacted Herzog to inform him that the meeting had regrettably been cancelled, “for reasons of protocol.” Herzog and Yacimovich have no doubts: Netanyahu, or his people, didn’t approve of the Yacimovich meeting and pressured Romney to cancel it – and succeeded.
If that is not a puppet; I do not know what is. I will also say this; that we can expect to see war with Iran in the next few years, that is if Romney is able to pull off a victory. This is why I am voting my own personal convictions and not just going along with the rest of “the right”. This is why I am voting for:
Anything else, is just a vote for more war. In fact, look at the facts:
Goode on the issues, click to make bigger!
On the Issues:
The Constitution: Emphasizing and following the Constitution will mean a smaller less costly government, which is vital for the future prosperity and progress of the United States.
Jobs, the Debt and Deficit: Under the Obama Administration, unemployment has soared to around 8.5 percent. Our debt has increased by over 4 trillion dollars under the Obama Presidency, which has also given us trillion dollar deficits. The United States can not borrow its way to prosperity. It is incumbent on our next President to propose a balanced budget upon taking office and not ten years down the road. There will be pain, but the old saying that one will not get out of the hole by digging the hole deeper is accurate. Nearly every department and agency will face significant cuts and some will face elimination. Veterans benefits is an example that will not be cut. Examples of programs eliminated include the National Endowment for the Arts, No Child Left Behind, etc. Other programs and departments, such as Foreign Aid and Education, will be slashed and trimmed. Reducing regulations and becoming energy independent will also mean more jobs for America. The Canada to Texas pipeline needs to be built and operational expeditiously and not delayed or stopped as the current Administration is doing. Another way to reduce unemployment, reduce the deficit, and provide more jobs for U.S. citizens is to reduce legal immigration. In recent years about 1.2 million green cards have been issued annually and over 60% go to foreigners who come to the United States and take jobs from American citizens. I have proposed a moratorium (with a few minor exceptions) on issuing green cards until our unemployment rate is under 5 percent. America has one of the most liberal immigration policies in the world and it is time for the citizens of this country to be at the head of the line for jobs. We also need to totally end diversity visas (50,000 per year), reduce chain migration, and dramatically reduce asylees and refugees and their costs to the U.S. taxpayer.
Immigration: Illegal immigration must stop. Our borders must be secure. In Congress, I supported and cosponsored legislation to stop illegal aliens, terrorists, drug smugglers, and other criminals from coming across our Southern border. We need to utilize troops, fences, and other measures to stop the invasion from Mexico. I was the first to sponsor legislation providing for a fence along the Southern Border. We must continue to fight for funding and for adequacy of the fence.
Illegal immigration costs the United States taxpayers billions every year through increased health care costs, social service utilization, emergency room fees, prison expenses, and in other areas. For example, of the 189,000 federal prisoners, 50,000 are illegal or recent aliens costing the taxpayers millions of dollars for their incarceration We must end the anchor baby situation, whereby a child of illegal aliens is an automatic citizen of the United States.
Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants: I oppose granting amnesty for those persons who come into the United States illegally. Amnesty did not work in the 1980s. Amnesty did not work in the 1990s, and it will not solve the problem now. Amnesty only encourages more illegal entry into the United States. Legal immigration must be reduced not increased. Congress, the United States Senate, and the President need to adopt a position of a strong NO to amnesty. As President, I would immediately direct the Attorney General to support and NOT oppose the efforts of Arizona, Alabama and others to deal with the illegal problem in the states.
English as the Official Language: I continue to support English as the official language of the United States of America.
Energy Costs: The United States must be free of foreign fossil fuel. Freedom from the Middle Eastern sheiks, Nigeria, and Venezuela is necessary for a continued bright future for our country. We cannot allow OPEC to control our energy supply. The United States must develop its own resources and alternative fuel sources. Hydrogen, biodiesel, and other alternative energy sources have potential in making us less dependent on foreign fossil fuels. I also support the utilization of nuclear power and expanded drilling opportunities for natural gas and oil in this country so that our energy needs are met by domestic and not foreign sources. I have supported and will continue supporting drilling in Alaska and the continental United States. If President, I would support the drilling off our coasts where it can be done safely and where the states, such as Virginia, have passed legislation requesting offshore drilling.
Being free of a need for foreign fossil fuel will enable us to be free of the shifting sands of the Middle East.
Tax Reductions and Fairness: I support the elimination of the Death Tax. Death should not mean the end of the family farm or the family business. A death tax often precludes families from having the homestead or family business. I support and have voted to terminate the current IRS Code at a date determined in the future so it can be replaced with something simpler and fairer. There are several alternatives to the current Code and include the Fair Tax, the Flat Tax, the Transaction Tax, and others. Between the current IRS code and the Fair Tax, I would support the Fair Tax with certain modifications. For example, the Fair Tax, which is basically a national sales tax, has a prebate of $180 per month per person, which should be limited to United States citizens, who are adults and who reside in the United States. I would support a Fair Tax only if certain other taxes, such as the Death Tax and Income Tax were eliminated. If the Income Tax were to be retained, then I would oppose a national sales tax and have a simple flat rate income tax and scrap the current code with its inequities.
Medical Costs: A big factor in medical costs is the high cost of malpractice insurance for our physicians and other health care providers. I support tort reform that will limit attorney fees and the amount of damages recoverable for non-economic losses.
Social Security: We must preserve and protect Social Security. Social Security is owed over two trillion dollars. Social Security should be repaid and have real money in the Social Security Trust Fund and not IOU’s.
Marriage: I believe that marriage should be a union between a man and a woman. I am opposed to gay marriages and so-called gay civil unions. I support the federal Marriage Protection Amendment.
Health Care: I support ending Obamacare.
Public Education: Washington should not be running our local school systems. We need to leave local education decisions to the states and localities. I am opposed to national testing of public school students and voted against “No Child Left Behind” with its new mandates and new tests that must comply with national standards. I support ending the federal Department of Education.
Crime and the Second Amendment: We need to maintain capital punishment for certain murders and to fully prosecute those who commit crimes with firearms. I fully support the right of an individual to protect himself or herself against assault and violent attack. I was honored to be co-chair of the Second Amendment Caucus during part of my tenure in Congress.
National Defense: We need a strong national defense. However, reckless federal spending which has given us a deficit in excess of one trillion dollars necessitates cutting defense spending. We must now come home from Afghanistan and reduce our expenditures around the globe.
Veteran’s Benefits: I support funding for veterans’ health care and providing health care benefits to all veterans. We also need to insure that the Veteran’s Administration works with and on behalf of our veterans.
Abortion: In the United States House of Representatives, I had a consistent pro-life voting record and in 2008 the National Right to Life Political Action Committee commended me “for your 100 percent pro-life voting record throughout your twelve years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives”. As President I would continue to oppose abortion and would submit a budget to Congress with zero funding for planned parenthood and any other similar entities.
International Relations: I oppose the placement of our Armed Forces under United Nations command. We need to curtail expenditures to the UN, the World Bank, the IMF, and to foreign nations. Our sovereignty, in my opinion, should always be paramount. I also vigorously oppose Agenda 21 and other globalism schemes so harmful to the citizens of the United States.
North American Union: We need to block any union between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The sovereignty of the United States must be preserved. In Congress I sponsored a resolution against the North American Union.
Trade: Agreements like NAFTA and the trade provisions in fast track authorization lead to the erosion of this country’s vital manufacturing base. I do not favor international trade agreements such as these that result in a loss of American sovereignty and jobs.
Term Limits: Term limits for members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate are necessary for a Congress more responsive to the needs of our country and its citizens. Many members focus too much time and attention on raising money for the next election. Term limits will result in members caring more about the general good for the county. If elected President, I will serve only one term and not focus on raising money and getting votes for the next election. The country shall be first.
——-
Voting for anything else? Is basically this:
…and the worst part? We’re getting played and played hard; by the those who see us as nothing more than useful idiots. 😡
I mean, if a white person, like me, had said this; I would be out of a job. But not this woman:
In an interview, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said that she believes Republican Jews are “being exploited,” but she was sure to add, “And they’re smart people.”
Pelosi made the comments in response to whether Jewish voters would support President Barack Obama in the presidential election later this year.
“I think [Obama] will” win the Jewish vote, Pelosi said, when pressed on the subject. “I think that he will, because the fact is when the facts get out. You know, as many of the Republicans are using Israel as an excuse, what they really want are tax cuts for the wealthy. So Israel, that can be one reason they put forth.”
The interviewer then added, “That’s why some of the Republican Jewish supporters are really active.”
Pelosi responded, “Well, that’s how they’re being exploited. And they’re smart people. They follow these issues. But they have to know the facts. And the fact is that President Obama has been the strongest person in terms of sanctions on Iran, which is important to Israel. He’s been the strongest person on whether it’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling, any of these weapons systems and initiatives that relate to Israel. He has been there over and over again.”
So, I guess if you are a cannoli eating dago, you can say stuff like this. In other words, in liberal logic, if you are a minority, you can take pot shots at other ethnic minorities. However, if you are WASP like me, and you say something like this about the Jews; you would be out of a job.
Just another example of a sick society we live in today. It is also a perfect example of the warped liberal logic of today as well.
Yes, I am blaming Obama and his brown shirts. (Update: ….and if anyone does not like it, I think it is just too darned bad… everything is coordinated by this Marxist President, everything — including harassment.)
News 3 has learned that Donald A. Perry, the Vice President of Corporate Public Relations has passed away.
Ross Cathy, the owner of the Midland, GA Chick-fil-A and family member of company CEO, Dan Cathy, tells News 3, Perry passed away this morning from a heart attack.
Chick-fil-A Inc. relased the following statement:
We are saddened to report the news to you that our dear friend Don Perry, vice president of public relations, passed away suddenly this morning.
Don was a member of our Chick-fil-A family for nearly 29 years. For many of you in the media, he was the spokesperson for Chick-fil-A. He was a well-respected and well-liked media executive in the Atlanta and University of Georgia communities, and we will all miss him.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
You can read all about the latest involving intolerant liberal fascists and Chick-fil-A, by going here and here.
Well, Liberals, pat yourselves on the back. You have reached a new level, with me at least. You have actually achieved the feat of driving a man to his grave, with your idiotic and quite fascist ways. Now, bask in the glory that is of murderers. It really should not be of any strange feeling; after all, your people on a daily basis commit the murder of millions of unborn children every year. So, this should not be any different really. The man disagreed with your worldview, and you drove him to his grave.
For the record, the so-called right does it too; namely to me. However, I never thought I would ever see the day, when someone would drop dead, because someone who owns a company dared to take a stand for Christian Morals and gets persecuted for it, even to the point of one his own company officers dying of a massive heart attack.
My friends, this, is the Neo-Left and this; is why I no longer vote progressive — nor will I ever again. 😡
The neo-left, which is represented by the Democratic National Committee; is not the party of Roosevelt or Truman — and is not even remotely the honorable party as referenced by Ronald Reagan. It is a totalitarian fascist party, that is a small wooden bridge’s width away from outright Communism. The sad part is, that is that it is taking American and its people with it.
This is why I continue to blog, even when my own people attack me. This why I fight against the Neo-leftist, Anti-Christian, Anti-Business. progressive menace. Because of stuff, like this here.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Mitt Romney is recounting a Jim Baker anecdote in which President Reagan ordered Baker, as White House chief of staff, to hold no national security meetings over a hundred day period early in his first term so that President Reagan and his team could focus on the economy. If the Journal‘s reporting is accurate—and I don’t believe the Romney camp has challenged it—Romney should stop telling this false and foolish tale.
[….]
“Given the challenges a Romney administration will face – from a spiraling Syria to key decisions on the way forward in Afghanistan to dealing with Iran’s nuclear program and the threats from al Qaeda in Yemen and East Africa – it is unlikely Romney will have the luxury of ignoring foreign policy for his first 100 days….But the fact that Romney thinks it would be desirable to ignore the world for his first 100 days is troubling. Yes, the American people are focused on the economy – and understandably so. But Romney isn’t running for treasury secretary – he is running for Commander in Chief. And those responsibilities begin on Day 1 of his presidency.”
What’s more, I can’t believe the story is true. Or if Reagan did once say what Baker says he said, it was an expression of exasperation after one (presumably unsatisfactory) meeting that neither Reagan nor Baker followed through on. In fact, I’ll buy Jim Baker a very good dinner next time he’s in Washington if he or anyone else can find a 100-day stretch (or a ten-day stretch) of the Reagan presidency in which President Reagan was involved in no national security meetings. I encourage interested readers to research this eminently researchable topic, and e-mail us what you find at webeditor@weeklystandard.com. I was able to spend just a few minutes scrolling thought the Reagan Foundation’s helpful account of President Reagan’s daily schedule, and I see no week, let alone three months, in which President Reagan doesn’t seem to have held some sort of national security and foreign policy meetings. To say nothing of the fact that he ran for the presidency highlighting national security issues, and was a historic president in large part because of his national security accomplishments.
So, reminder to Mitt Romney: With respect to the presidency, national security isn’t a bug; it’s a feature.
To be quite honest, I do not believe this to be overly damaging to his campaign; like the previous story I reported, this just seems to be a matter of getting his message tightened up a bit. It might be that Romney was fed some inaccurate information. Although, I have to wonder if this piece by Bill Kristol is not some sort of underhanded Neoconservative attempt to kneecap Romney. It would make sense, Romney has not been exactly thundering hawk, when it comes to Iran. Maybe this is supposed to be a gentle reminder as to who controls the strings in the GOP. Of course, I have to watch it, or the Wilsonian Republican Blogosphere will start a crusade against me again. 😉
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