Obama Diminished Presidency by Addressing Terror Warning on Jay Leno Show, Rush Limbaugh Says
Popular conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh skewered President Barack Obama for diminishing himself and the office of the President of the United States by discussing serious national security issues on NBC's late-night Jay Leno comedy show.
On Tuesday, President Obama publicly addressed terror threats that forced the closure of U.S. embassies across the Muslim world on August 4 on the late night comedian's show for the first time.
Limbaugh, who didn't appreciate the forum in which President Obama chose to address the issue, was mercilessly candid in his critique on his show on Wednesday.
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"Last night, to show you how the country is changing in a very serious way, last night was the first time since this massive upgraded terror warning was put into effect on Sunday, this was the first time the president of the United States spoke to the American people about this," said Limbaugh.
"We closed 21 embassies in the Middle East on Sunday for a full week. The president of the United States of America, the world's lone superpower, the president, by reputation, by tradition, the leader of the free world -- that's somewhat dubious now, but traditionally that's how our presidents have been referred to and thought of. The president of the United States went to a late-night comedy show for his first-ever statement about this increased terror threat. A late-night comedy show," he continued.
While noting that he had nothing against late-night comedy shows or Jay Leno, Limbaugh said President Obama's decision laugh off an issue as serious as a terror threat on Leno's late-night show was unprecedented and shameful.
"There's nothing wrong with late-night comedy shows, but this would not have happened with any prior president. Matters of such consequence, matters of such seriousness would have been dealt with in a far more serious and appropriate way and forum and time of day," said Limbaugh.
"By virtue of appearing on a late-night comedy show, the president saw to it that these events – and it wasn't just the ramping up of the terror threat level or any of that. There were serious items on the agenda in our relationship with Russia, and all of it was treated as a joke. All of it was treated as unserious, halfhearted, nothing to really be concerned about," he noted.
"I don't know whether he thinks he did or not, but what he did was diminish the office of the presidency. He diminished the country. I just think it's a shame," said Limbaugh.
