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Could Leaks Sink Obama's Foreign Policy Advantage?
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Chris Stirewalt and David Drucker discuss Obama foreign policy.
- Duration 8:11
- Date Jun 8, 2012
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Let's say they don't want to work with the United States because they can't trust us to keep -- secret.
That's serious.
That's -- Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein at a press conference yesterday.
Where the leaders Republican and Democrat.
Of these and it's senate and house select Intelligence Committees.
Came out to say that the cascade of leaks that we have heard of late.
About counterterrorism.
And other operations.
Are causing serious danger to not only the lives of American operatives but also.
National security overall and this is power play and Internet that was as close as you -- get to have a senior Democrat in the senate come out.
And basically in -- -- fashion.
Make an allegation that the Obama administration.
Is pumping out -- Republicans are much more forward about it and they say that the president's trying to burnish his reelection effort by highlighting things like the Osama bin Laden raid.
The president's so called kill list.
In which he decides which I suspected terrorists will live and die and is use or encouragement of the use the computer virus against Iran.
It's getting pretty testy the president just had a press -- just included in which he said that there is no -- going on and that he's offended even by the assumption of it but it's not gonna go away.
So let's put this in perspective challenge.
And we can do that because we have David -- here you reach him at roll call he is a pretty big deal he's a friend of this Internet telecast welcome back.
Hey -- power play Friday going to be it is -- -- by Friday it's really -- -- power play but you know we we can dig that too.
Friday is a little extra special and I should tell you by the way it's battleground -- -- later on the show we're gonna break down another battleground state Republican Michigan it will be on etc.
etc.
But David I wrote in the power play today.
This if the president hadn't.
Been so football -- about bin Laden.
On the date of and then one year after.
It might not be so hard for him to say that he's not that his administration -- -- responsible for the current leaks right.
I think so what I found curious about his statement today at the news conference was that.
He was.
Vociferously.
In -- -- visibly angry.
And talking about how there's no way this could ever have -- any heat he said and -- could be criminal charges now.
We've seen with.
Past president -- both sides of the -- President Bush presidents before him.
George W.
Bush should say have dealt with this and usually.
Their initial remarks are very cautious.
You know I'm aware of this -- when you do.
In this button and then at any usually rely on the old I'm not -- -- you get in the way of any investigation that may or may not be occurring right.
And -- we all as report is gonna laugh at that and say oh you know you don't wanna talk about it but but -- -- it's usually the prudent way to.
Proceed.
Less you know exactly what is going on and what will be shown to be true and what won't be shown to be true.
Well since Bill Clinton is in the news of late four saying.
Awkward things about the president's reelection effort let us remember the the the phrase clintonian person.
In a clintonian -- -- best exemplified in it depends on what the meaning of the word is is.
He said about to certain activities that he engagement with that certain in terms.
But the good.
Here it depends on how you define leak.
Now everybody defines leak differently.
If you book -- to find a leak as.
That the White House planted stories in the New York Times try to burnish the president's reputation that -- one that's absolutely that didn't happen but clearly there's some confirmation -- the New York Times came sniffing around.
And the administration or senior officials inside the president's intelligence team or helpful.
To these reporters maybe you -- that is now.
Well to me the question Chris is not who won his league east believe me in a -- in other words what was.
What what information was given to a reporter right that was classified to me this is just about perception that the White House maybe.
Parcel -- -- this information to the press him to help themselves politically and even if it's not technically illegal.
I think that you've seen members of congress on including democratic leaders on the Intelligence Committees.
Say that this should not be going on to me this really isn't a question of what was legal -- what was illegal although that is being pursued and those questions are -- ask.
It's about whether or not this administration has been responsible.
And how it has talked about.
National security and what we've been engaged in overseas and I think that's where the president is potentially more vulnerable and also where the questions just won't go away.
Right and you know when you look at.
An average day I should point out you should -- -- usually follow -- you're already following David David -- I'm sure unless whether these phony -- -- tire wall you can get my power play every morning you can be ready to rock this half hour of the Internet.
But my point is is that that the president's team was very aggressive.
In terms of claiming victory especially on bin Laden but other things.
Including going negative on Romney say maybe Romney wouldn't have had the courage to kill them or -- or hope allow camera have been killed.
And all of those things by doing that they -- now they're set up in a moment.
Where as the -- discussion goes on it for Feinstein -- for Feinstein to come out and go public on this is a pretty big deal she's not a she is she's no party busting Democrat.
Should -- certainly has her own mind that this is billable staff.
Their position is materially hurt.
Because of what they did as it relates to them.
It -- and you and I discussed this here before the president all he had to do was say you know a year ago we kill bin Laden all credit go to the guys in the field right let's remember them.
Peace out instead.
It was all about me and my administration and -- courageous decision making.
Which led people to then ask well what about the guys holding the guns could have been killed -- he bungled his entire victory lap that he.
Deserved -- end.
No and it didn't end there which is interest in and to -- mostly you know.
That was troublesome thing that we've heard reported that hasn't been focused on the -- I think it back to haunt him.
Is in the New York Times story about the kill list and how involved the president is but in some -- -- very laudable.
But we know that that David Axelrod was in the room after.
And any you can only imagine if Karl Rove had been in the room.
We'd still be discussing it.
And you know what it is since rightly so because when your chief political advisors in the room when you're when you're engaged at that level policy.
And we know about it as though it's like kind of cool right.
It's probably troublesome for the commander in chief who's running for reelection the president has a great story -- national security particularly based on what kind of candidate he ran on for years ago.
And what kind of president he ended up to -- and he's causing himself trouble.
Which reminds me let's look at the latest Fox News poll that says.
Who do you trust do a better job on the economy or a better job on foreign policy and terrorism here and while -- had a great outing in this Fox News poll.
On foreign policy and terrorism the president carries a big advantage over -- this is his biggest thing so it's understandable that he would want to maximize.
But of course is we talk about a lot here there is a tipping point whenever you have a political strategy it works only up into eight point and then at a certain point constructive the other way.
That's correct and you know when this is potentially going to all come up again regardless of where this leak investigation or whatever it is -- Is if in the fall the movie about seal team six that Kathryn Bigelow it is directing or producing or what have you comes out through Canadian great movie I plan to go see it but everybody's going to be asking so how much of that is true and did the president tell her.
What was true and what was where and where it who's gonna play axle rod that will be the other question.
-- -- that the guy with that with a lavish mustache of.
