After saying Obama seems like "kind of a wuss" Carlson called Obama "rhetoric" "kind of wimpy"

On the July 10 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, host Tucker Carlson continued his pattern of attacking Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), this time calling his "rhetoric" "kind of wimpy" after playing a video clip of a July 10 campaign speech in Des Moines, Iowa. In the clip shown by Carlson, Obama says, "I believe then and I still believe that being a leader means that you had better do what is right and leave the politics aside, because there are no do-overs on an issue as important as war."

After playing the clip, Carlson said to his guest, former Democratic Rep. Tom Andrews (ME): "[T]he guy is a lousy campaigner because he is caught up in his own rhetoric, don't you think?" When Andrews asked what Carlson meant by his question, Carlson replied: "[W]hen he gets up there, he says we're waging a war against cynicism. That is too abstract. It has nothing to do with the concerns of ordinary people, and it is also, frankly, kind of wimpy."

As Media Matters for America documented, on the July 2 edition of his show, Carlson said that Obama "seems like kind of a wuss." Further, as Media Matters for America also noted, Carlson claimed on the July 6 edition of his show that Obama "sounds like a pothead to me."

From the July 10 edition of MSNBC's Tucker:

OBAMA [video clip]: I believed then and I still believe that being a leader means that you had better do what's right and leave the politics aside, because there are no do-overs on an issue as important as war.

CARLSON: Well, that was part of Barack Obama's speech in Des Moines, Iowa, today. Despite his clear advantage over Hillary Clinton on the Iraq war and despite having raised a lot more money from more individual contributors than Senator Clinton has, he can't seem to make a dent in her hefty lead in most presidential polls, national ones anyway. Is the nice rhetoric he puts forth in Des Moines stunting his political growth? Should Barack Obama get tougher with Hillary Clinton about the war and everything else? Joining us once again, A.B. Stoddard, associate editor of The Hill, and Tom Andrews, former congressman from Maine, and now national director of Win Without War. Don't you think -- I mean, Barack Obama is the hope of every good government liberal, right? -- of every Democrat under 35, people who still have high hopes and dreams for this country, Tom. But the guy is a lousy campaigner because he is caught up in his own rhetoric, don't you think?

ANDREWS: Now what do you mean he's "caught up in his own rhetoric"?

[crosstalk]

CARLSON: I mean, when he gets up there, he says we're waging a war against cynicism. That is too abstract. It has nothing to do with the concerns of ordinary people, and it is also, frankly, kind of wimpy.

ANDREWS: Well, look at the crowds he is generating. Look at the support he is building. And of course, right now, I mean, listen: polls, polls. I mean, the Red Sox are up by 10, you know, 10 games --

CARLSON: And they're going to stay there.

ANDREWS: And, my God, I hope so. But I'm terrified of that. Polling numbers here mean very little, except for the insiders, obviously, people who are, you know, giving money because they want to go with the winner. But what matters right now is building a strong organization and taking that base and energizing it and expanding it and increasing its capacity to move. And Obama -- that's exactly what he's doing when he's making these kind of statements. He is focusing on the grassroots base that you need in a state like Iowa to bring those peoples to the caucus. You know, you don't need many votes in Iowa because it is so difficult to go to a caucus. It is not like casting your vote at any time between 8:00 in the morning and 8:00 at night. You have to go and actually --

CARLSON: Oh, no, it's a drag.

ANDREWS: So it is a huge grassroots organization challenge, and you need a strong, invigorated base, and that is exactly what Barack Obama is building.

CARLSON: You know what I'm amazed by, A.B., if you look at the new USA Today poll on a lot of different things -- the president, the different candidates -- the president is just in the John. I mean, it's just -- his numbers are terrible.

STODDARD: What else is new?

—M.B.B.