"Sick and twisted." "Ignorant racists." "Shameful." These are just a few of the reactions to a billboard in Caldwell, Idaho, that compares President Obama to Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes. It is the work of the libertarian Ralph Smeed Foundation and aims to make a point about what they view as Obama's broken promise on withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Instead, it is drawing harsh criticism nationwide.
The billboard features side-by-side images of the president and Holmes. Above Holmes' photograph are the words, "Kills 12 in movie theater with assault rifle"; below, it says, "Everyone freaks out."
Above Obama is the caption, "Kills thousands with his foreign policy," and below his photo, "Wins Nobel Peace Prize."
Maurice Clements, a spokesman for the foundation, in an interview with the Idaho Statesman, acknowledged that the way the group went about trying to make its point was "maybe … poorly done." The goal wasn't to connect Obama to Holmes but to compare how society reacts to different kinds of violence.
"We’re all outraged over that killing in Aurora, Colorado, but we’re not outraged over the boys killed in Afghanistan,” Clements said. "We’re not saying that Obama is a lunatic.”

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