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Subscribe to RSSPresident Obama's speech about the shooting at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater at a campaign rally was "awkward," says NBC political director Chuck Todd. Both leading presidential contenders are suspending advertising in the state.
Updated 12:53 p.m. - The shooting of moviegoers in Colorado “reminds us all of the ways that we are united as one American family,” President Barack Obama said Friday in remarks mourning the victims of the overnight massacre.
Speaking in Florida, where he cut short a campaign trip, the president led a crowd in a moment of silence and called for Americans to reflect on what he called a senseless act of violence.
“Even as we learn how this happened and who's responsible, we may never understand what leads anybody to terrorize their fellow human beings like this,” Obama said. “If there's anything to take away from this tragedy it's the reminder that life is very fragile. Our time here is limited and precious.”
Mitt Romney, speaking early Friday afternoon in New Hampshire, said: "Our hearts break with the sadness of this unspeakable tragedy. Ann and I join the president and first lady -- and all Americans -- in offering our deepest condolences to those whose lives were shattered in a few moments of evil in Colorado."
The presidential campaign was essentially put on hold after a gunman waged an assault on viewers of a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, east of Denver.
Speaking at a planned campaign rally in Bow, New Hampshire GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney set aside politics and spoke of the mass shooting in Colorardo.
Slideshow: Shooting at Batman screening in Aurora, Colo.
Obama canceled a planned campaign stop for later Friday in Florida to return to the White House; Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama also canceled political events set for Friday afternoon. The Romney campaign canceled a planned series of radio interviews this afternoon.
“I am so moved by your support, but there are going to be other days for politics. This, I think, is a day for prayer and reflection,” the president told supporters.
Additionally, the both the Romney and Obama campaigns put a hold on airing political ads on television on Colorado for at least the weekend.
"I stand before you today not as a man running for office, but as a father and grandfather, a husband and an American," Romney said, also striking an apolitical tone in his statement. "This is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how much we love one another and how much we love and how much we care for our great country."
Details from the shooting were still emerging as of late Friday morning, but White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the president was first notified of the shooting at 5:26 a.m. ET by John Brennan, his homeland security adviser. Obama called the mayor of Aurora later in the morning, and received a follow-up briefing from Brennan, White House chief of staff Jack Lew, and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
"The president orders that his administration do everything that it can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time,” Carney said in a gaggle aboard Air Force One.
Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images
President Barack Obama steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Southwest Florida International Airport July 20, 2012 in Fort Myers, Florida.
Most political reaction revolved around expressing sympathies for the victims of the shooting.
"I am stunned and furious at the news of the shooting at the Aurora Century 16 Movie theatre this morning,” said Democratic Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter, whose district includes the site of the crime. “Colorado is not a violent place, but we have some violent people. We are a strong and resilient community, and we will lean on each other in the days, weeks and months to come.”
Few elected officials touched on the impact of the Colorado shootings on the long-simmering debate about gun control laws.
"I would say as you know the president believes we need to take common sense measures that protect the Second Amendment rights of Americans while ensuring that those who should not have guns under existing laws do not get them," Carney said when asked about the impact of the shooting on the gun debate. "We're making progress in that regard in terms of improving the volume and quality of information on background checks, but I have nothing additional on that for you. This is obviously a recent event."
One of the few exceptions to that came from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a longtime advocate for stricter gun laws.
At a planned campaign event in Fort Myers, Fla. President Barack Obama steers away from politics and leads the nation in a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shooting in Colorado.
"You know, soothing words are nice, but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it, because this is obviously a problem across the country," Bloomberg said on WOR Radio in New York. "No matter where you stand on the Second Amendment, no matter where you stand on guns, we have a right to hear from both of them concretely, not just in generalities -- specifically, what are they going to do about guns?"
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So who's idea was it from this so-called administration to make the decision to put the White House flag at half-staff???
Section 7m of the Flag Code: "The President is authorized to half-staff the US flag by proclamation upon the death of principal figures of the US Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as well as in the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries."
So, who among the victims of this senseless crime fall into this catagory? While I mourn these senseless deaths it would be nice if someone from this administration actually knew a few of the important facts of being POTUS.
there were soliders in that movie theatre...but im not gonna get sucked into a debate of politics today...
its time to give it a rest....
dont mess with texsas
Please tell me that you misspelled "Texas" intentionally.
yes i did...lol the other texas was taken...
I heard on the radio this afternoon that several Airmen from the base in Aurora were in the theater. Don't know if they were killed, however.
Guns are going nowhere...not in this society that was forged with weaponry. So have all the guns you like....but sell bullets for $500.00 a piece. That solves everything!!!!!
"This, I think, is a day for prayer and reflection,” the president told supporters." Prayers don't do s---. Action does - stop the easy access to firearms; those designed specifically to kill people. All the jerks flipping out about fast and furious completely turn a blind eye to the fact that 68,000 illegals firearms recovered in Mexico are traceable to US gun shops and gun shows. The U.S. is knowingly arming the drug cartels and won't do a thing about it because of lobby money.
Remember the Bush doctrine on terrorism? "...the United States had the right to secure itself against countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups" This policy should be adapted to include Congress as giving aid (a willing partner in the gun trade) to terrorist groups (Mexico) to keep US gun mfg profits and their own campaign donations up.
AntiChrist Obama,
It's my birthday and my mom (and family) is arranging for her sick little kid not only have his favorite pizza, but pop and cup cakes as well!
Beat that antichrist...
I left out at first strange speculation about nation wide war powers (usually reserved for other nations) targeting me and then world wide cooperation with every nation that doesn't leave me any foreign power to be left with should the idea that I was sabotaging a program that attacked me from no where -that was impossible for me to know existed -make no sense since usually someone writing about classified @!$%# (what you counted on and forced me to do so long as my bubble had no leakage instead of becoming a world wide snow ball) make no sense...
So after over five years of being suspended in the most sickening state just shy of torture and immediately following your midnight legislation with your world wide war authority and nuclear authority -whose installations were first designed to protect freedom not give imaginary cause to destroy it - conclusive proof that a foreign nation was handling organized crime (till I sent them home with their shameful egos shoved down their throat) and then full blown torture forced me to be dropped into your first documentation and diagnosis (via the most repulsive and dishonorable activity imaginable) after living a functional life for the last five years being suspended in your less than lethal state I have quickly figured how getting help actually digs my grave...
Because they gave me these pills at first that completely suppressed my appetite and caused dry heaving (with the symptoms and side effects both caused by our global pile of @!$%#) till I was forced off of them and then the original symptoms dropped like a rock into the most powerful and unimaginable change in mood along with episodes of my diaphragm turing off when I tried to sleep forcing me to stay awake so I can breath...
All resulting in my most shattering act where I simply ended up getting new meds for my symptoms -still suspended in their lower state -that were carefully documented according to normal assumptions and once again the most severe side effects started to occur (including absolute exhaustion and convulsions at night) with the already lowered symptoms dropping even lower after this round of documentation to include a constant state of my diagram barely working even during the day where the side effects of what I need to breath is pure poison to my body because once a started down this funnel every time I see a doctor is an opportunity to exploit and restate farther what is not even plausible any more into full blown torture within a lethal procedure your shameful ass had to sign off on since you got every western power involved in covering your shameful and pathetic ass...
My new doctor is so confused (because I am calm and seem to articulate well) that she ordered my dosage back to almost zero until I have a full MRI done while my documented symptoms are still at their rock bottom stage and I need what is poison to breath with the name of the game being making any diagnosis and treatment as muddied as possible so you can continue to cover full blown torture-to move forward your lethal procedure-via a half ass original diagnosis of psychosis...
And never to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity with full blown disregard for dignity and life, as soon as my doc said MRI I started to experience a complete loss of equilibrium, which can now be written off and deepen a diagnosis of psychosis once the MRI comes back clean...
The point being antiChrist, what would you wish for...
Here is my wish you worthless and repulsive coward...in the background I have a mother that is trying her best to help me -along normal assumptions - driving me to doctor after doctor me knowing full well that each and every one is an opportunity for your trash to exploit to harden the cement over your historical perversion and increase and further legitimize the suffering -now torture- you are causing me because her pain is worse than mine you pathetic and historic piece of @!$%# so my wish is to go with the flow for as long as possible to at least provide the most basic comfort -through any suffering- and for as long as possible so bring it you repulsive and demonic piece of @!$%#...
Chances are your wife knows the pizza man anyway...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9iEP6h0wRQ
Mute half way...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzAO9A9GjgI
with this underlay...
May God show you no mercy you sick and pathetic @!$%#...
Wish me a happy birthday HU!!!
more lies from the whitehouse muslim. he could give a @!$%# about anyone but his muslim buddies. blacks wake up, hes not giving you 40 acres and a mule. he is trying to be king of socialist America, America is becomming a damn welfare state and obumbo is the pied piper
My Congratulations to the President. It is one of the very few presidential acts he has committed in the last 3 and 1/2 years. What would be the odds of him becoming a real president within the next few months?
It figures that Obama would pretend to care, after all, it's an election year. My prayers go out to all of the victims and their families.
Who are you people? Gun control, flags, liberal, conservative, blah blah blah. Give it up for a minute already. I did. A lot of fun comment people have. It's not the time. Go walk outside and think for a few if you can. Be human.
What really gets me is that people, not unlike yourself, make these statements like you really, genuinely, personally care about each and every one of those people. The president makes a half-hearted plea to save the politics for another day. BS. I'm just as concerned that this stuff happens but because it means that there is a bigger problem at hand. This country is experiencing a melt-down of sorts and we are looking for a way to look like we are good, caring people. Tomorrow your life will go on and, most likely, you'll forget the name of the shooter. You might give little thought to the victims but pretty soon it'll be "business as usual". Don't fool yourself about the the self-appointed Messiah; right now he is only interested in your votes.
Why was Obama commenting on this at all? It was quickly determined not to be a terrorist threat. So why is he making a speech and getting his face attached to the tragedy? "There will be other days for politics..." Yeh, right. Apparently he thought those "other days" was today, right here and right now.
Our presidents have always made such statements after tragedies. If he hadn't, you'd probably be the first one condemning him, since you can't seem to put your politics aside for a minute.
He was at what was going to be a campaign speech. Give him a break on this one.
He's always at a campaign speech. You give him a break.
This country is coming apart at the seams.
The State this Country is in, if you are a real man or a single mom, you will find a gun store and ask how to apply for a Concealed Carry Permit for a handgun. You then ask the gun store people to help you with a weapon you will be comfortable with. Then proceed to get some sanctioned training. Take a defensive course. When you leave your home with your Family or a child have the thought you could come into harms way. You don't ever want to be in a position those poor folks were in at that theatre. At least give yourself a fighting chance. Remember the only people who want gun control are Terrorists, Criminals and Spineless. If they took away all the guns in this Country who would be the ones with guns. Not the law abiding folks.
How come it sounds that simple? It really is. What is difficult is the fact that so many people are brain-washed to believe the opposite. Washington knows that there are people like us and they want us to be thought of as the "bad guy". Some people thought the Nazi movement was good, too.
reaper - the young man in question was not a terrorist according to the FBI and didn't have a criminal record - which would make him a "law abiding" citizen. Please tell me why it is legal to buy a gun from a garage sale and why more criminals than "law abiding" citizens have guns. I won't be surprised to find out that all the protective paraphernalia Holmes was wearing was purchased from the Internet.
Another case of obama involveing his muslim a$$ in something thing that is none of his business; move along rag head nothing to see here! I can only wonder what the obama administration paid this guy, and I don't have to wonder who supplied the guns! Don't give up your God or your guns!
I don't much like President Obama, and I certainly won't vote to re-elect him, but he struck the right tone today in his speech. He did the right thing and I have to give credit where it is due.
I see all you misinformed Romney and Obama bashers are polluting the Internet with your illiteracy. Same tired lies and misinformation. I care less who gets voted in. I hope whoever does finally gets Congress to pass the Law that forbids anonymous postings and comments. That way all you crackheads and illiterates who dropped out of school in the ninth grade can disappear. You know who you are. You repeat comments like a drunk parrot. Same worthless diatribe everyday from the same useless posters.
Let's give it a break today.
Come Monday though....The Stormin Mormon is gonna smack Barry the Bad like Barry's momma should have done.
With all the banter back and forth that can get a bit heated at times, I wish you all well. My thoughts are with the families that will now have to sort this horror out. No easy answers.
Best regards to you all!
There seem to be a lot of crazy people in Colorado...and they have guns.
Prez. Hobama, what a freakin thoughtful guy taking a day off from campaigning. What the F. He's been campaigning for 3 years and 6 months straight as it is. Wow, one f'n day off. Thank you my messiah.
IT IS time to take from all the bickering,,mud slinging politics..ect....i know most of you will and some will not..
i am.....peace be with the families of colorado...
Jimreaper (great name), you are completely whacked and consumed. People do care. No, they might not fall over themselves crying out in grief for people they didn't know, but out of some kind of respect human beings they give things a rest for a while out of respect for what has happened. Man, you must have floated in from Pluto or something, not even a real planet anymore.
Heard after the French Revolution "Hey, why are you cutting off my head, I was with you alll while you were choppin' off the other peoples heads?" Oh well.
Bob You are wrong. He is a political pro and has never stopped campaigning. I posit that we are going to see a very desperate person if he believes he is loosing. the Chicago connection will turn against him.
Obama, is chopping at the bit. Ceasar Odumbass and the "Skank" Hillary "Rotten" Clinton will be working on their gun control agenda over the weekend. Uhe U.N. global ban is approaching.
I personally would like to thank President Obama for thinking of the people in Colorado. Your words were needed by all of us! We need to put away our swords of hatred and pray for hope. The only things we should wonder about gun control is why there are so many want to be killers in Colorado, and why no one shot back?
Obama, will tell you anything you want to hear, and then some.
As the President said at his campaign even there's many more days left for politics and let us just pray for the families of these victims so they can feel that the American people is still a nation that can come together in a time of tragedy. Now what the guys have said about the President making it political so did there leader Mr. Romney if you're being on the up and up about it. But both men have the right to speak there mind and there feelings on this because one is the President Of the United States and the other wants to be the President of the Untied States and as you know tragedy strikes all of sudden and the President has to be handle it and I'll give both men credit.