Democrats deliberately omitted President Donald Trump from their congratulations Sunday on the successful raid that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS). But Trump had congratulated then-President Barack Obama in May 2011 when he announced the raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
I want to personally congratulate President Obama and the men women of the Armed Forces for a job very well (cont) http://tl.gd/a7dhom
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2011
Trump’s full statement emphasized the need to put country ahead of party as the nation celebrated, as follows:
I want to personally congratulate President Obama and the men [and] women of the Armed Forces for a job very well done. I am so proud to see Americans standing shoulder to shoulder, waving the American flag in celebration of this great victory.
We should spend the next several days not debating party politics, but in remembrance of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and those fighting for our freedom. God Bless America.
Other Republicans were generous to Obama, too, putting patriotism ahead of politics.
As the New York Times noted:
WASHINGTON — President Obama drew praise from unlikely quarters on Monday for pursuing a risky and clandestine mission to kill Osama bin Laden, a successful operation that interrupted the withering Republican criticism about his foreign policy, world view and his grasp of the office.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney declared, “The administration clearly deserves credit for the success of the operation.” New York’s former mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, said, “I admire the courage of the president.” And Donald J. Trump declared, “I want to personally congratulate President Obama.”
The Times observed that Republicans praised Obama even though it was clear the raid would help him politically.
As of Sunday morning, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro had congratulated U.S. forces while pointedly excluding President Trump from their congratulations.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
via Breitbart News
Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.breitbart.com