Bombed: Bush Amb Destroys Fox’s Claim of an Obama Apology for Hiroshima

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:00 pm

On Fox and Friends Saturday today a panel was set up to advance the right wing claim that President Obama was going to apologize for the bombing of Hiroshima. However the real bomb was dropped when former Bush Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer destroyed the network’s claim, “It certainly was not an apology, and I think he will not issue an apology.”

Here is the video from Media Matters:

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Things were going along fine with the usual FNC Obama setup that “some critics question why the Obama administration is showing up for the ceremony at all,” it is at this point where the Republicans on the panel are supposed to discuss Obama’s apology, but Schieffer didn’t play along, and delivered the facts.

The former Bush ambassador to Japan said, “I went to Hiroshima. Howard Baker my predecessor, went to Hiroshima. We just didn’t go on the date of the bombing. It’s always a close call as to whether you should do that or not, but I think Ambassador Rouse did it because he wanted to offer a gesture of respect to the Japanese, and It certainly was not an apology, and I think he will not issue an apology, and nor do I think he should, but this has been a sore spot for the Japanese for a long time, and I think it was that effort to reach out after a very difficult year in the US-Japan relationship, in which there has been a great deal of strain, and say that 100,000 people lost their lives, they had loved ones and they had families, and we respect the grief that you have for them.”

Um, that isn’t exactly what Fox News had in mind Mr. Ambassador. You see it wasn’t supposed to go down like this. The setup in typical Fox fashion was supposed to provide a platform to spread the false attack on Obama that he is apologizing to Japan for Hiroshima, but nobody seems to have told poor Ambassador Schieffer who was under the delusion that he was appearing on a legitimate news organization that is interested in facts. If Fox News is going to spread propaganda it would probably be best if they clued their guests in first.

Let me make this clear, neither Obama nor his administration is going to apologize to Japan for Hiroshima. This is another baseless right wing rumor designed to make the President of the United States look weak. This is not only bad journalism, but unpatriotic. They call themselves “Real Americans,” but what kind of patriot spends their time spreading lies about the president? Ambassador Schieffer demonstrated to us that it is possible to be an honest conservative who really puts country first. Too bad he demonstrated this on Fox News where this kind of behavior is condemned, not appreciated.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association