President Joe Biden Thursday morning announced that under his direction U.S. Armed Forces “successfully removed a major terrorist threat to the world: the global leader of ISIS.” Later in a nationally televised address, the Commander-in-Chief called that terrorist a “coward.”
“Last night’s operation took a major terrorist leader off the battlefield,” Biden said in a speech from the White House, the Daily News adds. “It sends a strong message to terrorists around the world: We will find you.”
But instead of offering viewers the commentary, insight, and experience of a former Defense Dept. or Intelligence Community official, Fox News invited longtime Republican strategist and lobbyist Karl Rove to share his “instant reaction” on the important national security initiative.
During his time in the Bush 43 White House Rove ran the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the Office of Strategic Initiatives. Rove, 71, was also Bush’s campaign manager. He started working in politics at the age of 18.
Rove is not a military strategist nor does he have any background in the military or in intelligence.
“Except for a lapse of several months, Selective Service records show presidential adviser Karl Rove escaped the draft for nearly three years at the height of the Vietnam War using student deferment,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported in 2004.
On Fox News Thursday morning, Rove praised President Biden for doing “the right thing — this time.”
Then, Rove immediately demeaned America’s Commander-in-Chief, telling viewers, “remember, this is the former vice president who opposed the raid to take out Osama bin Laden.”
It’s important to note that according to a Washington Post 2020 fact check, that’s a false framing of actual events.
Before the attack that killed bin Laden, “Biden suggested that he was not against a raid per se but believed more work needed to be done, such as sending an unmanned aerial vehicle to confirm that bin Laden lived in the home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, identified by the CIA.”
Fox News’ Bill Hemmer worked hard to frame Rove as qualified to comment on the military action, saying the GOP strategist had worked in the West Wing. But Hemmer also tried to not remind viewers that the 9/11 terror attack that killed 2977 Americans and injured another 25,000 people happened on his boss’ watch.
“Your instant reaction, Karl? Is what, after working in the West Wing and having a fair share of terrorist targets on your [he paused], on your own time of duty there,” likening being a political strategist to serving in the U.S.Armed Forces.