CNN's Beinart Blasts Republicans Criticizing Obama For Being In Cuba After Brussels Terror Attacks

Peter Beinart: “These Seem To Be Easy Shots For A Republican Primary Electorate That Can't Stand Barack Obama And Don't Like The Fact He Went To Cuba In The First Place”

From the March 24 edition of CNN's New Day:

Video file

JOHN BERMAN (CO-HOST): We have some video of what President Obama was doing last night in the wake of Brussels. He was in Argentina, as you can see right here, dancing the tango. He was invited to dance, more like forced to dance, and he didn't dance badly, but, Peter Beinart, the question is one of optics. He went to a baseball in Cuba the other day, he defended those actions, dancing the tango last night in Argentina. I'm sure he would defend these actions, too. 

PETER BEINART: Sure, I mean, he'll get slammed for this --

BERMAN: He is getting slammed. 

BEINART: He is getting this -- right. It's an easy attack for Republicans. I think the question is, what exactly do they want Barack Obama to do differently? 

BERMAN: Well, they said he should come back to the United States, some have. They said he should at least not go to the baseball game in Cuba.

BEINART: But, let's be honest. They didn't want him to go to Cuba because they didn't want -- like the opening to Cuba. What was he going to do differently once he came to the United States? This was an attack in Belgium. The United States has actually been, under Barack Obama's presidency, the scale of terrorist attacks, thank God, in the United States has been fairly small, both compared to Europe and compared to 9/11 or under his predecessors. So, these seem to be easy shots for a Republican primary electorate that can't stand Barack Obama and don't like the fact he went to Cuba in the first place.