Despite Crises Abroad, Obama Will Opt To Go On Daytime TV Instead Of Meeting With Foreign Leaders At The U.N. This Week

OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISER ROBERT GIBBS STUMBLED ON WHY OBAMA WILL GO ON “THE VIEW” BUT NOT MEET WITH FOREIGN LEADERS

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Fox’s Chris Wallace: “I want to go back to the UN though and New York this week. You say that he’s got schedules, that foreign leaders have schedules. But the President has blocked out time to appear on The View on Tuesday. So, he has time for Whoopi Goldberg but he doesn’t have time for world leaders?”

Obama Senior Adviser Robert Gibbs: “No, Chris. Look, the President is going to be actively involved at the UN General Assembly.”

Wallace: “He’s not meeting with any private leaders. He’s giving a speech.”

Gibbs: “Chris, they have telephones in the White House. Last week, he talked to the President of Egypt. He talked to the leader in Libya. We don’t need a meeting in Washington just to confer with leaders. We’ve got a strong – “

Wallace: “But he does need the time to be on The View?”

Gibbs: “We have a strong diplomatic – I’m sure if he was doing an interview with you on Fox News, you’d have no problem with that.”

Wallace: “Well, he hasn’t, but that’s not the point.”

Gibbs : “I’m sure that’s not the point. No, look Chris, he’s got a strong schedule. He’s actively involved.”

Wallace: “You don’t have a problem with the fact that he’s not meeting with any world leaders, but he’s going to appear on The View?”

Gibbs: “I have no problem with that, because, Chris, you’re the President of the United States every minute of every day. That’s why you talk to the leader in Turkey, a hugely important leader and country in that region of the world. That’s why you pick up the phone and talk to the President of Egypt and tell them, they have to have a strong reaction to this violence at our embassy, they have to protect our consulate and our embassies and the people that work in them. Chris, this isn’t just about one meeting on one particular day in New York. The President is actively involved and engaged in the most dangerous place in the world every single day of the week.” (Fox’s “Fox News Sunday,” 9/23/12)

DESPITE TUMULTUOUS EVENTS ABROAD, OBAMA OPTS FOR HIS CAMPAIGN INSTEAD OF MEETING WITH FOREIGN LEADERS

Despite World Leaders Gathering In New York At The United Nations, “Obama Has No Plans To Meet Privately With Any Of Them” But Will Make Time For Daytime TV. “The world’s leaders are gathering in New York, but President Barack Obama has no plans to meet privately with any of them. He will make time for ‘The View,’ a freewheeling TV talk show more likely to reach voters than Obama would with the diplomacy he is skipping at the United Nations.” (Ben Feller, “Obama, In Election Mode, Tightens His UN Diplomacy,” The Associated Press, 9/22/12)

With Crises Abroad, Obama’s Decision To “Jump Back On The Campaign Trail” Instead Of Meeting With Top Foreign Leaders Is A “Reflection Of Where His Priorities Lie.” “Obama’s final turn on the world stage before facing voters will be a reflection of where his priorities lie. Despite simmering global crises, he will skip traditional private meetings with foreign counterparts and squeeze his U.N. visit into just 24 hours so he can jump back on the campaign trail.” (Matt Spetalnick, “Obama Foreign Policy Bright Spot Now Looking Dimmer,” Reuters, 9/23/12)

Unlike Obama’s Predecessors, He Is “Skipping The Face-To-Face Meetings With Counterparts Where Much Of The U.N. Work Gets Done…” “Just six weeks until the election, the realities and priorities of campaign politics hang prominently over Obama’s final turn on the world stage before facing voters. Unlike his predecessors, he is skipping the face-to-face meetings with counterparts where much of the U.N. works gets done, leaving Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to pick up more of those sessions herself. Obama’s itinerary on Monday and Tuesday is compressed so that he can get back to campaigning in some of the most contested states such as Ohio and Virginia.” (Ben Feller, “Obama, In Election Mode, Tightens His UN Diplomacy,” The Associated Press, 9/22/12)

• Both President George W. Bush And Bill Clinton Held Meetings With Foreign Leaders During U.N. Visits In Their Re-Election Years. “Both Presidents George W. Bush in 2004 and Bill Clinton in 1996, though, held a series of meetings with foreign leaders during U.N. visits in their re-election years. The Obama White House opted not to jam in a few and risk offending the allies who were left out, administration officials said.” (Ben Feller, “Obama, In Election Mode, Tightens His UN Diplomacy,” The Associated Press, 9/22/12)

Last Year At This Time, Obama’s “Schedule Was Packed With Personal Diplomacy” But “This Year, Not One Is Scheduled.” “This time last year, with Mideast peace at the forefront, Obama’s schedule was packed with personal diplomacy. He set up separate meetings with the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Afghanistan, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Britain, and France, among others. This year, not one is scheduled.” (Ben Feller, “Obama, In Election Mode, Tightens His UN Diplomacy,” The Associated Press, 9/22/12)