The Washington Posts Bob Woodward attacked President Barack Obama on Wednesday, saying the commander-in-chiefs decision not to deploy an aircraft carrier because of budget cuts is a kind of madness.
Can you imagine Ronald Reagan sitting there and saying Oh, by the way, I cant do this because of some budget document? Woodward said Wednesday on MSNBCs Morning Joe.
Or George W. Bush saying, You know, Im not going to invade Iraq because I cant get the aircraft carriers I need or even Bill Clinton saying, You know, Im not going to attack Saddam Husseins intelligence headquarters, as he did when Clinton was president because of some budget document? Woodward added. Under the Constitution, the president is commander-in-chief and employs the force. And so we now have the president going out because of this piece of paper and this agreement, I cant do what I need to do to protect the country. Thats a kind of madness that I havent seen in a long time.
The Pentagon announced earlier this month the U.S.S. Harry Truman, which was supposed to leave for the Persian Gulf, will remain stateside due to budget concerns. The sequester, which will cut billions in defense spending, is scheduled to hit on Friday.
Woodward has become an unlikely conservative hero in recent days for calling out the administration over whether Obama had moved the goalposts in negotiations over the sequester.