Obama faces backlash for his decision to attack Republicans while federal workers were being gunned down just three miles from the White House

Obama delivered a speech touting his fiscal policy and attacking Republicans on Monday after a gunman stormed Navy Yard killing 12 people

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd blasted Obama's decision to go ahead with the planned speech as 'jarring' and totally out of touch

MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' host Joe Scarborough slammed the president for talking politics 'while people were hiding, while people were bleeding, while people were dying'

Obama told Telemundo in an interview Tuesday to 'keep in mind' that he delivered the remarks 'while we were still gathering information' about the shooting

President Obama is facing widespread backlash for his decision to deliver a speech touting his fiscal policies on Monday while three miles away, Navy Yard was under siege by a gunman who slaughtered 12 people in Washington's deadliest day since September 11, 2001.

The move was baffling to Obama's critics and supporters alike. In the midst of the confusion and bloodshed that unfolded Monday, TV networks cut away from the drama to hear Obama address the massacre only briefly before quickly pivoting to an attack on Republicans in Congress.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd blasted Obama's decision in a piece published Wednesday.

In this photo taken Monday, September 16, 2013, President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington

'He could have posted his original remarks on the White House Web site and replaced them with a cri de coeur on gun control, or comfort for the shaken city,' she wrote . 'The 12 who died were, after all, under his aegis as workers in a federal building.'

'But, jarringly, the president went ahead with his political attack, briefly addressing the slaughter before moving on to jab Republicans over the corporate tax rate and resistance to Obamacare.'

Calling the move 'out of joint,' Dowd declared: 'The man who connected so electrically and facilely in 2008, causing Americans to overlook his thin résumé, cannot seem to connect anymore.'

MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' host Joe Scarborough offered an even more scathing review.



'On the day while people were hiding, while people were bleeding, while people were dying, while the nation was locked in on this - he’s talking about harsh partisanship and Republicans wanting to hurt people,' Scarborough said of Obama.



Frantic Search: Emergency responders arrive at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, where 12 people were killed and eight injured on Monday

One of Alexis' victims was Richard Michael Ridgell and a candlelight vigil was held in his honor at Jaycee Park in Westminster, Md.m on Tuesday

'What is more partisan than not being able to put aside one of these stupid Washington battles - [postponing it] for a day? Never came under consideration. Never considered it. There’s not one person in the White House that said, "You know right down the block, people are dying right now and there’s a gunman on the loose and there’s local schools shutdown. The Capitol is on shutdown. And there may be a second or third gunman. And you know what? Maybe we’ll just give this speech tomorrow."'

Republican lawmakers have also been quick to attack Obama, with House Speaker John Boehner calling his speech a 'shame.'



Former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich also weighed in, saying, 'President Obama should have recognized that an event this painful and tragic, in the nation's capital, required being president rather than partisan, and being concerned about people rather than concerned about attacking.'

Vigil for the victims: Frank Calderon, who became step dad to Aaron when he was eight years old, said he did not see any initial signs of PTSD in Alexis after 9/11

Chaos: More than 3,000 people work at the site in Washington D.C. where gunfire erupted on Monday

Feeling the need to jump to his own defense, Obama on Tuesday tried to explain his remarks.

He told Telemundo in an interview to 'keep in mind' that he delivered the remarks 'while we were still gathering information' about the shooting.

'I think that everybody understands that the minute something like this happens, I'm in touch with the FBI, I'm in touch with my national security team, we're making sure that all the assets are out there for us to deal with this as well as we can,' he continued. 'What is also important to remember is that Congress has a lot of work to do right now.'

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney also sought to defend the president's actions, saying Tuesday that Republicans are 'trying to make something' out of nothing.



Escape: Employees at the naval yard run from the building with their hands in the air following the shooting

Traumatized from pulling bodies from the mangled wreckage on 9/11, Alexis didn't sleep for days afterwards and later developed Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome - possibly as a result of what he saw at ground zero

'The president spoke about the Navy Yard at the very top of his briefing,' he said. 'He talked about the cowardly act that had taken place, the tragedy that was unfolding and the loss of life and he called for and demanded a seamless investigation with federal and local law enforcement officials and that is what we're seeing now.'

But a brief statement at the top of his remarks just wasn't enough in light of the tragedy at hand, a Democratic consultant told CNN .

