Obama on Romney: Ready, fire, aim!

By Richard K. Barry 

You didn't realize I was quite this clueless, did you?

According to CBS News, President Obama used some gentle humour to address Mitt Romney's widely lambasted criticism of Obama's handling of recent violence in Egypt and Libya:

"There's a broader lesson to be learned here," Mr. Obama told "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft at the White House. "And I -- you know, Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later. And as president, one of the things I've learned is you can't do that. That, you know, it's important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts. And that you've thought through the ramifications before you make 'em."

Asked if Romney's attacks were irresponsible, the president replied, "I'll let the American people judge that."

You see, Mitt, that's what a measured response sounds like.  

On this, it was easy to think of the proverbial "3:00 a.m. phone call" and who would handle a national crisis better.

James Fallows made the point as comparative responses were unfolding earlier in the day:

On the longer-term temperamental politics, this is a very vivid example of what people mean when they talk about "the 3 a.m. phone call." In these next few hours let us look very carefully at the first-reaction quick responses, and then the considered second-take positions, by the two candidates.* One or the other of them will be in charge of U.S. response to similar inevitable-surprise episodes in the next four years.

And just one more comment, this time from Josh Marshall at TPM:

Some moments show you when a candidate is ready or not to become President of the United States. I suspect last night will become one of those moments for Mitt Romney. The verdict will not be positive.

Pathetic.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)