For the most part, I’m with Quin on this one. Indeed, I will say the same of thing of this morning’s lead article by Philip Klein.
I watched the service on FNC last night and the most objectionable thing about it was the behavior of the audience rather than the behavior of President Obama. The worst example of which was when a segment of the audience jeered Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
There have also been red flags raised with regard to the dissemination of the t-shirt “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America” at the event. The t-shirts were reportedly printed by the University of Arizona. It does seem peculiar that one would hand out t-shirts at a memorial service. But until I see further evidence I am not prepared to lay this at the feet of President Obama.
Now one can make the case that President Obama could have asked the audience to temper its enthusiasm. Perhaps. But admonition or not, it doesn’t make Obama responsible for their behavior. One can also make the case that Obama ought to have clipped the wings of the liberal intelligentsia far sooner. Frankly, I’m surprised he said anything at all. So better late than never. Let’s take what we can get.
There are those who question President Obama’s sincerity in the matter. I think he was genuinely choked up when it came to talking about 9-year old Christina Taylor Green. Let’s not forget that Obama’s daughter Sasha is the same age. I’m sure he put himself in the shoes of John Green and the thought of suddenly losing his daughter crossed his mind. It’s a thought no father wants to contemplate and that includes President Obama.
So in the grand scheme of things, President Obama did his job last night. But please don’t come to the conclusion that I now support President Obama. Because he will invariably say or do something that will annoy me to no end and thus compel me to write about it. Hey, it could happen before the day is out. But I’m not going to criticize Obama for the sake of criticizing him. That’s not me.
