Presidential debate 101: Did Obama make 'apology tour' in Middle East?

Obama did indeed tour Middle East nations in 2009. But the “dismissive and derisive” reference actually comes from a speech he made in Strasbourg, France, in April 2009.

Here’s the full reference of Obama’s words:

“In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world,” Obama said. “Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times when America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

“But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious,” Obama continued. “Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what’s bad.”

Is this an apology? He didn’t say anything near “apologize.” America has indeed shown arrogance at times in international affairs; so has pretty much every other developed nation. In any case, Obama is using that not to self-flagellate but to set up a parallel construction and soften his point that Europe indulges in easy anti-Americanism.

Obama’s “dictate” reference didn’t come from his Middle East tour, either. He made that remark in a speech in April 2009, at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Again, here’s the full reference:

“I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time,” Obama said. “While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership.”

Again, there’s a parallel construction: Obama is using “dictate” to balance his offer of working together, going ahead. Plus, America has dictated terms in Latin America, or tried to. One could start with the US occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965 and move on from there.

Republicans aren’t themselves apologizing for Romney’s use of “apology tour,” however. Far from it.

“The fact-checkers are wrong …. The variance from reality is so great on this one that you realize how potent is the information bubble in which the president and mainstream media reside,” writes conservative Jennifer Rubin on Tuesday in her Right Turn blog at The Washington Post.