Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has blasted President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for the way they have dealt with the kidnapping of hundreds of girls by the Nigerian al-Qaida-linked terrorist group, Boko Haram.
During his show Thursday, Limbaugh said that while
a report by The Daily Beast blamed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for failing to designate the group on the official list of terrorist organizations, the way the Obamas have handled the situation is
not only "pathetic," but raises questions about whether the United States has become entirely powerless under the current president.
"Why just blame Hillary? Certainly Obama could have overruled her," he said.
Limbaugh goes on to say that what he found more shocking is the way in which the president has chosen to deal with the current situation. Specifically, he focused on a photograph put out by the White House showing Michelle Obama holding up a piece of paper with the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
"It's unbelievable…what message does this send?" he said. "Is the United States really this powerless? And then if you answer yes, we are really this powerless, then isn't Obama to blame?"
Limbaugh continued, "This picture is of the first lady. It's about what Boko Haram did, and it is a plea to try to get the kidnapped girls returned… I just think this is pathetic. I'm just stunned.
"We got 300 Nigerian girls kidnapped by an al-Qaida group, and nobody cared or talked about it for a while. Hillary wouldn't call 'em a terror group. Now, all of a sudden, for some reason, we're on a big push to get 'em back and this is how...? It's a plea for people on Twitter to get in gear and bring the girls back."
He said, that while it may give the impression to some in the Twitter community that the administration cares about the issue and is taking action, it boils down to a "pathetic" display of weakness and a signal of America's powerlessness.
"What the hell message does that send? Imagine if bin Laden were still alive. Imagine Ayman al-Zawahiri. Can you imagine? They're laughing at this over in the huts and so forth wherever they are. It is just unbelievable. #BringBackOurGirls," he said.
"This is pathetic, the message this sends to people around the world."
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