The decision of Van Jones to resign as President Obama's "green jobs" czar is not a victory for Republicans who griped about the White House environmental aide's willingness to call them out on their extreme partisanship.
Nor was it a victory for right-wingnuts like Glenn Beck ....
It was an unnecessary and unwise surrender by an Obama administration there is neither ready nor willing to fight "those who spin lies for profit" -- as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People president Ben Jealous described those who smeared Jones. The Nation
It is deeply disturbing that an administration so quickly gave up, but unsurprising. I expect more of this to come.
It was an unnecessary and unwise surrender by an Obama administration there is neither ready nor willing to fight "those who spin lies for profit" -- as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People president Ben Jealous described those who smeared Jones.The Nation
Even the slightest pushback from the Right, the administration is likely to cave in. There have been a few exceptions, but they are just that, exceptions. It is not surprising give Obama's desire to cling to the center, that in this nation is very much tilted to the right. It should have been clear what was to come when Obama appointed Rahm Emmanuel, a hawkish Congressperson that worked diligently in promoting Bush's campaign of war in Iraq in 2003.
During the congressional campaign, he indicated his support of President Bush's position on Iraq, but said he believed the president needed to better articulate his position to the American people. source
One should pause for a moment the consequences of that war. A trillion dollars. and growing. A million lives lost. and growing. The incalculable cost of the loss of respect for the United States.
That war, that occupation, has proved to be catastrophic for the United States, for the people of Iraq, for the planet. Yet this "centrist" retains his spot as Chief of Staff. A progressive appointee, whose support for peace in the Middle East and justice at home, supported by a wide range of progressive groups is Out.
The responsibility rests squarely on the President. It was a cowardly response. Van Jones resignation was a great loss to the nation. Those of us who knew his work locally in the San Francisco Bay Area are not pleased.