That response, and the use of the tamed characterization of "stupidly", jettisoned a minor issue into a national—no—an international event. Partly driven by the conspiratorial Right-wing media, the issue and the President’s response soon consumed the Obama presidency for days to come as the country, the media and the international community ignored paramount concerns, such as the catastrophic economic crisis, and healthcare, all to grapple and fixate their attention on the issue of race.
In case many of his critics have forgotten, Barack Obama is the nation’s first African American President, the issue of race, which almost destroyed his candidacy for the office, and one he so effectively dealt with on the campaign trail, is the proverbial third rail to the NTH DEGREE. It is an issue that he and his administration must make every effort to avoid being entrapped by.
Now we have a second issue, a lying, despicable, internet blogger, aided by an unethical news media, Fox News, decided that they would destroy the character of an honorable African American woman, by doctoring her statements in a video tape in order to portray her as a racist.
This evil intent has now backfired on the perpetrators and what have they done? Without a beat, they have moved to cover the stench of their immoral behavior by blaming the Obama administration for terminating the services of the very woman they so effectively portrayed as a racist. You can’t make this stuff up.
And what has the media and members of this community done? They have bought the strategy hook line and sinker. They have jumped on board, and joined in the odious scheme of affixing blame and making this an issue of Barack Obama's making, an act of prestidigitation worthy of the most skilled Vagas magician.
Is this unbelievable or what? Do these perennial critics of the President have the slightest understanding of what it means to be the first African American President of a nation that is still obsessed with the issue of race??
Do they understand that this administration, unlike, any in the past, must be acutely careful of not appearing to have a racial agenda? I also should point out that while Barack Obama was being raked over the coals for defending Henry Gates, it was not the screaming Daily Kos diarist who was being raked over the coals, it was Barack Obama and his administration.
It cost us absolutely nothing to issue forth criticism and second-guessing from the comfort of our homes. This administration has to see every issue as a potentially destructive political powder keg and deal with them immediately. In such a politically charged environment it is quite easy for mistakes to occur.
But let’s not join Fox News and the rest of the media in pretending that, while Barack Obama was involved in confronting the Republicans over their attempts to deny extending unemployment insurance to their constituents, and involved in finding ways to create jobs, and even involved in attending to a devastating oil spill, he, and not Andrew Breitbart, was involved in doctoring a video tape to smear a decent woman.
I do hope the administration will reinstate this wronged woman to the position from which she was horribly terminated, but let’s not forget who the real villains are, the real villains are Andrew Breitbart and Fox News, unscrupulous spin merchants who are bent on destroying this President, if not this nation, in the interest of their own political agenda. I’m tired of this ridiculous knee jerk propensity by a few to always blame this President, even over issues he had nothing to do with it!
UPDATE:
In a commentary entitled Shirley Sherrod and the shame of conservative media, Conservative journalist David Frum spoke of this blame Obama sleight of hand by Conservatives and the media by saying this:
But you’ll never guess who emerged as the villains of the story in this second-day conservative react. Not Andrew Breitbart, the distributor of a falsified tape. No, the villains were President Obama and the NAACP for believing Breitbart's falsehood.
It is amazing that David Frum could see this, yet many on the left have been overcome by the destructive condition known as the "eagerness to blame Barack Obama for manufactured Right-wing controversies."
Tips to Nena20409, GN1927, lookit, and I’m sure others, for bringing Mr. Frum’s comments to my attention.
David Frum:
http://theweek.com/...
Lynn Sweet:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/...
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