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While not to be confused with anything more than a longtime Democratic regime official, Biden National Security Council official John Kirby showed surprising backbone all sides can applaud in Thursday’s White House press briefing when provided refreshing moral clarity upon being dealt a snarky question from the left by Raquel Krӓhenbühl of the Brazilian network TV Globo on whether he should apologize to Gazans for being “insensitive” for predicting innocent civilians will continue to die in the Israel-Hamas war.
Krӓhenbühl’s question came as a diversion from what was similarly a pathetic series of questions from her colleagues standing up for Hamas terrorists and showing scorn for Kirby and President Biden (correctly) showing severe skepticism toward Gaza death tallies put out by Hamas. She began by noting that, on Wednesday, Biden said “innocents will die and that this is the price of the war.”
After she added “[y]ou also said that,” Kirby didn’t budge: “I have indeed.”
Krӓhenbühl then turned it up, asking if he thinks this rhetoric “is insensitive” and since “[t]here’s been very harsh criticism about it.” By whom, of course, she never said.
“For example, the Council of American-Islamic Relations said it was deeply disturbed and call on the President to apologize. Would the President apologize? And does he regret saying something like that,” she continued, citing the radical Islamist-friendly CAIR.
Kirby remained firm, saying “no” to both before unleashing a response Americans should expect from their national security officials, regardless of party and especially concerning the barbarism unleashed on October 7 against thousands of innocents by Hamas terrorists.
“What’s harsh — what’s harsh is the way Hamas is using people as human shields. What’s harsh is taking a couple of hundred hostages and leaving families and — anxious, waiting and worrying to figure out where their loved ones are,” Kirby explained, repeatedly gesturing and poking the podium with a stern look and wide eyes.
He kept going: “What’s harsh is dropping in on a music festival and slaughtering a bunch of young people just trying to enjoy an afternoon. I could go on and on. That’s what’s harsh. That is what is harsh”.
Kirby zoomed out to even more directly address the Brazilian reporter’s question, stating that “being honest about the fact that there have been civilian casualties and that there likely will be more is being honest, because that’s what war is.”
Emphasizing war is “brutal,” “ugly,” and “messy”, he said both his and Biden’s statements of fact about how wars work “[d]oesn’t mean we have to like it and it doesn’t mean that we’re dismissing any one of those casualties” since “[e]ach and every one is a tragedy in its own right. And each and every one we should try to prevent and that is why we’re in close contact with our Israeli counterparts to do everything we can to help them minimize the risk to civilians that are in harm’s way.”
Kirby closed on a smart note by putting the blame for future bloodshed on Hamas seeing as how “[i]t would be helpful if Hamas would let” Gazans “leave” since “there are thousands waiting…and Hamas is preventing them from doing it.”
“That is what is harsh,” he concluded with another tap of the podium.
To see the relevant transcript from October 26’s briefing, click “expand.”
White House press briefing [via ABC News Live subfeed]October 26, 20232:08: p.m. Eastern
RAQUEL KRÄHENBÜHL: So, besides saying that he doesn’t have confidence in these numbers, the President went further to say that innocents will die and that this is the price of the war. You also said that.
JOHN KIRBY: I have indeed.
KRÄHENBÜHL: Yeah. Don’t you think this is insensitive? There’s been very harsh criticisms about it. For example, the Council of American-Islamic Relations said it was deeply disturbed and call on the President to apologize. Would the President apologize?
KIRBY: No.
KRÄHENBÜHL: And does he regret saying something like that?
KIRBY: No. What’s harsh — what’s harsh is the way Hamas is using people as human shields. What’s harsh is taking a couple of hundred hostages and leaving families and — anxious, waiting and worrying to figure out where their loved ones are. What’s harsh is dropping in on a music festival and slaughtering a bunch of young people just trying to enjoy an afternoon. I could go on and on. That’s what’s harsh. That is what’s harsh and being honest about the fact that there have been civilian casualties and that there likely will be more is being honest, because that’s what war is. It’s brutal. It’s ugly. It’s messy. I’ve said that before. President also said that yesterday. Doesn’t mean we have to like it. And it doesn’t mean that we’re dismissing any one of those casualties. Each and every one is a tragedy in its own right. And each and every one we should try to prevent and that is why we’re in close contact with our Israeli counterparts to do everything we can to help them minimize the risk to civilians that are in harm’s way. It would be helpful if Hamas would let them leave. Leave their homes. Leave that leave areas, not shelter in tunnels underneath their houses and in hospitals and let ‘em get out. Let ‘em get out of Gaza if they want to leave. We know that there are thousands waiting to — to leave Gaza writ large and Hamas is preventing them from doing it. That is what is harsh.
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