After distancing from remarks praising Sgt. Bergdahl, White House mounts defense of Susan Rice

from TPM:


____ "I realize there has been lots of discussion and controversy around this," Rice told CNN. "But what I was referring to was the fact that this was a young man who volunteered to serve his country in uniform at a time of war. That, in and of itself, is a very honorable thing."

White House aides initially appeared to distance themselves from Rice's praise of Bergdahl, with one unnamed official even telling Time earlier this week that she "will regret" her remarks. Rice eventually received some public backing from White House press secretary Jay Carney.

But the Obama administration is mounting an even stronger defense now, with an unnamed official telling Time that Rice's adversaries have it out for her specifically.

“She sort of brings out this craziness in a certain crowd,” the official said. “If something is taken a half-notch out of context, it’s calls for her resignation and vicious ad hominem attacks against her . . .”

“I’m not here to suggest it’s because she’s a woman or a minority or what it is,” the official said. “But other principals in the national-security team don’t come under this kind of attack.”


read: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/susan-rice-bergdahl-gop-criticism?utm_content=bufferce069&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Rice's remark on ABC:

“Certainly anybody who's been held in those conditions, in captivity for five years, has paid an extraordinary price. But that is really not the point. The point is that he's back . . . He is going to be safely reunited with his family. He served the United States with honor and distinction. And we’ll have the opportunity eventually to learn what has transpired in the past years, but what's most important now is his health and well being, that he have the opportunity to recover in peace and security and be reunited with his family. Which is why this is such a joyous day.”