Wednesday Short Cuts
Nailing it: “I’m going to say something that is going to sound pretty harsh, but I think it is true. [The president’s statement] wasn’t a mistake. That wasn’t weakness, that was policy — his going to the ballpark and spending less than a minute on the attack. I actually believe that the president’s policy, in his heart of hearts is: That is not that big a deal.” —former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden
Still missing the point: “This isn’t about a religion. This is about a warped and brutal, depraved ideology that continues to be attractive to a small number of people in the Muslim faith — radicals and extremists.” —State Department spokesman John Kirby
Half-hearted: “You know, I call it radical jihadist terrorism because, you know, it is clearly rooted in Islamic thinking that, you know, has to be contested first and foremost by Muslims around the world.” —Hillary Clinton
Everything is awesome: “I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas. I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people. … I want you to know, I believe my visit here demonstrates that you do not need to fear a threat from the United States.” —Barack Obama
Non Compos Mentis: “In many ways, the United States and Cuba are like two brothers who’ve been estranged for many years, even as we share the same blood.” —Barack Obama
Observations: “[T]he whole story of [Barack Obama’s] presidency and its foreign policy was seen in the [television] split screen. On one side you had the video footage of the attack in Belgium. This is the real world. And on the other side was Obama in a fantasy world he inhabits where Cuba is of some geopolitical significance. … Obama calls [ISIL] the JV team. He pretends it’s contained and controlled. It is not. Instead he does this ideological holiday trip in Cuba while the world burns.” —Charles Krauthammer
Late-night humor: “The big story is President Obama’s historic visit to Cuba. After landing [Sunday], Obama immediately tweeted out, ‘What’s up, Cuba?’ And Cubans opened up a window and yelled, ‘We don’t have the Internet! It’s like 1955 here!’” —Jimmy Fallon