[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
On the 8 September 2014 edition of New Day on CNN, Jonathan Martin of the New York Times and Bloomberg's Margaret Tavel ran to President Obama's defense over his handling of ISIS. Martin hyped that "the President is in a tough spot here....these two beheadings of journalists...have really outraged a lot of folks....and the President is forced to act. But again, there is not any appetite in this country to put ground troops back in that region. And so, the President is somewhat handcuffed."
When anchor John King raised the controversy surrounding Obama's golf outing shortly after the beheading of James Foley, Talev asserted that the chief executive was powerless to influence many of the crises across the globe:
JOHN KING: ...Margaret – you know, forgive me – good for the President for owning up, saying that was a bad call to go golfing so quickly – but it's not the first time.
MARGARET TALEV, BLOOMBERG: No – and look, it's not like he doesn't get the optics. He just hates that he has to deal with it....and is increasingly frustrated. You know, as you see the rest of his term winding down, he's just like, oh, my God, I'm over it! You know, he's getting bashed over the head by Congress; you know, pummeled by these international crises that he has very little ability to sway. And he's like – the man wants to go out for a few hours and be left alone.