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FNC digital politics editor Chris Stirewalt on how Obama’s comments to outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will impact his political future.
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Joining us now Fox News digital politics senator -- -- Walter who may want to our.
Go beyond Ed Henry's.
Outlook for the results of the November election first Chris good to have you here.
Let's Begin with the an intrusion if you will.
Of geopolitics and do this race.
Was -- wrong when he said that Russia is the chief.
Geopolitical.
Adversary -- follow of this country right now.
Well you know mr.
dobbs I'm in the business of cynical politics and from -- cynically political point of view we wasn't wrong to say because this is a huge weak spot for the president.
History also tells us that the United States and Russia are nowhere near done.
There are long term confrontation on the world stage so this is this is an issue that Americans pay attention to.
And it's a foreign policy issue that everybody understands and a base in visceral way basic and visceral way this is the other nuclear superpower in the world.
And it and it seems interesting that there is a pouncing.
-- -- -- -- -- -- By the media on Romney when he made what to many including myself seems a straight forward objective statement back.
Let us turn to another and that is that the president.
Who was offering assurances when he made those comments about being more flexible after the election.
The White House still seems to be in a strong if not just desperate.
Effort to.
To minimize the political fallout and damage.
Well it was quite evident and when the president can -- to address the press -- on this subject.
He was holding them for having made so much of this comment.
Because the danger here is that this becomes a defining thing for this president.
Not just that he's talking behind the backs of the electorate about doing things with the freer hand -- -- second term but also the idea.
Which is central to Mitt Romney's campaign against Obama which is Obama unbound.
That he there's all sorts of things that he wants to do if he is given this free political -- That plays right into the Republican playbook for beating Obama is that he would be unchecked as to the president was chiding the press corps and blaming them for making.
The atmosphere in the discussion a less elevated and less appropriate than it should have been -- even their coverage of it so maybe they were let's -- That's almost Carter S trend leaders began buying up -- followers for the failures of leadership.
It's it's intriguing.
The parallel.
If I may draw.
Well let let's turn to the the promises this president is making the assurances is making.
Just as these remarks -- with that open microphone with Dmitry imagine.
Bring back care echoes of Austan Goolsbee assuring the Canadian government that he was just making political.
Eight.
Domestically when he's talked about constraining and altering NAFTA.
It seems to be a practice he's also promising much more in this campaign and yet now we have a record.
Into is -- going to be difficult for him to pull off.
Well the biggest thing the president has to do is convince the American voter the persuade able third in the middle of American politics these mostly independent voters that in fact.
-- is track record to this point shouldn't be the yardstick by which -- measured.
But in fact he should be.
Based that their decision -- be bets on the promises he makes about a second term in the things that will get done.
So he argues that it was impossible for him to do better in the first term because the situation was so dire and the Republicans were so awful and terrible that he couldn't get it done.
But he could do better in a second term.
If only the -- the Republicans behave better I think exactly I get the idea -- -- well thank you very much.
