YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Gingrich blasts Obama’s apology to Afghan president

    By | The Ticket – Thu, Feb 23, 2012

    Republican White House hopeful Newt Gingrich has angrily denounced President Obama's apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the burning of Korans at a U.S. military base.

    The former speaker took to his Twitter feed to condemn Obama's letter to Karzai, saying: "It is an outrage that on the day an Afghan soldier murders two American troops, Pres. Obama is the one apologizing."

    The incident at Bagram Air Base triggered a violent response from Afghans, with 14 dead over three days of protests. Two American soldiers were shot dead when an Afghan soldier turned his weapon on them at their base in Khogyani in eastern Nangarhar province, district governor Mohammad Hassan told AFP.

    Obama's apology mirrored that given by then-President George W. Bush in April after an American sniper in Afghanistan shot a Koran, peppering the Muslim holy book with bullet holes. At the time, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino had emphasized that it was important to show that the US president "knew that this was wrong."

    Ahead of Gingrich's vitriolic comment, Obama spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One that the apology was "wholly appropriate, given the sensitivities to this issue, the understandable sensitivities."

    "His [Obama's] primary concern as Commander-in-Chief is the safety of American men and women in Afghanistan, of our military and civilian personnel there," said Carney. "And it was absolutely the right thing to do."

    Asked whether Obama was concerned that Republicans might seize on the letter to reinforce their charges that Obama too-easily apologizes for the United States, Carney replied: "That's a fully false, fallacious and ridiculous narrative that is not borne out by any facts."

    More popular Yahoo! News stories:

    • Obama defends his energy policy in Florida speeach, after coming under fire for high gas prices

    • How the iphone is changing the way Washington thinks: Machine Politics

    • 'Parks and Recreation' funnyman Aziz Ansari talks about hosting an Obama fundraiser and doing standup for the President

    Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or add us on Tumblr. Handy with a camera? Join our Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

    Loading...

    News for You »

    • Cricket-Root comes of age for England in familiar surroundings

      By Justin Palmer LEEDS, England, May 25 (Reuters) - Proud sons of Yorkshire have served England well with the bat in 136 years of test cricket and Headingley rose as one on Saturday to acclaim a new home-grown hero in centurion Joe Root. The likes of Herbert Sutcliffe, Leonard Hutton, Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan have batted with distinction for England. Sutcliffe and Hutton's run-scoring feats have never been forgotten by proud Yorkshire folk despite fading in the mists of time since they made hay in the first half of the 20th century. ...

    • Fired for word: 'Negro' in Spanish class

      One of the first lessons one learns in English class is that context is everything. The same holds true in Spanish.

    • Vintage Apple computer auctioned off for $668,000

      An auctioneer says one of Apple's first computers — a functioning 1976 model — has been sold for a record 516,000 euros ($668,000). German auction house Breker said Saturday an Asian client, who asked ...

    • The Video of the Washington Bridge Collapse Is Terrifying

      Seattle's KIRO-TV got their hands on surveillance video capturing the very moment when a too-heavy truck starts crossing the bridge and the supports start to collapse. You can see the next truck start to cross the bridge as the whole thing is coming apart. It is a terrifying video. Watch the whole thing below: 

    • Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees tragedy behind him

      MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the icy Skagit River.

    • 5 climbers missing on world's 3rd highest mountain

      KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Nepalese official says five climbers are missing and feared dead on the world's third highest mountain.

    • Damage reported from magnitude-5.7 quake in Calif.

      GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Residents in rural northeastern California assessed damage to their homes and businesses Friday from a magnitude-5.7 earthquake, one of the strongest temblors to hit the densely forested region in decades.

    • No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn’t Working

      Henny Youngman, the late borscht belt comedian, told hundreds of politically incorrect jokes. One of them was his response when asked, “How’s your wife?” “Compared to what?” he’d say.

    Show More
    Loading...

    Follow Yahoo! News