- The Washington Times - Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The White House on Tuesday backed away from President Obama’s assertion that opponents of his agenda are “crazies” standing in the way of progress.

The president made the remarks during a Las Vegas Democratic fundraiser Monday night, and the president also used the occasion to sing the praises of retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat. The “crazies” comment was well received at the party fundraiser, but administration officials Tuesday were forced to concede that the president may have been too careless with his rhetoric.

“After spending a few weeks away from the hustle and bustle of Washington, the president came back from vacation and was remarking with Sen. Reid on the challenges they face this fall. And he may have been a little flip in his language, but we have seen Republicans do wildly irresponsible things in the past,” White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One.

Mr. Schultz also denied that the president was calling opponents of the nuclear deal with Iran deal crazy, as had been reported.

In his comments, Mr. Obama didn’t specifically mention Iran while calling out his political adversaries.

“It’s hard for me to express how much I love Harry Reid, but it’s easier to do it in a room of people who love Harry Reid,” the president said. “Harry and I drove over here together, and we were doing a little reminiscing, and then figuring out how we’re going to deal with the crazies in terms of managing some problems. And then we talked about riding off into the sunset together.”

He added, “Everything I’ve accomplished, I’ve accomplished because Harry Reid was there by my side. And I am forever grateful for his friendship and his strength, because the thing about Harry is, he’s a great politician, but he’s also a man with a lot of backbone and is willing to do hard things when it’s required, and that’s what you want out of a political leader.”

Still, some Republicans took great offense at the comment Tuesday, and said it underscores how the administration is simply ignoring the very real concerns of many in Congress over the Iran deal.

“First, he likened opponents of his deal to Iranian hard-liners chanting ’Death to America,’ and now, in an even lazier line of attack, he’s simply resorted to calling us ’crazies.’ That incendiary rhetoric cheapens our political discourse and ignores the real concerns that Americans of all political persuasions have about the implications of this far-reaching deal,” said Rep. Diane Black, Tennessee Republican.

Monday’s remarks were the president’s first since returning from a two-week vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. Before attending Monday night’s fundraiser, Mr. Obama spoke at a Las Vegas renewable energy conference, part of the administration’s ongoing focus on climate change.

The president will continue that focus later this week during a speech in New Orleans marking the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

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