Mr. Juan Williams has a stellar piece in the Wall Street Journal today.
If his presidency is to represent the full power of the idea that black Americans are just like everyone else — fully human and fully capable of intellect, courage and patriotism — then Barack Obama has to be subject to the same rough and tumble of political criticism experienced by his predecessors. To treat the first black president as if he is a fragile flower is certain to hobble him. It is also to waste a tremendous opportunity for improving race relations by doing away with stereotypes and seeing the potential in all Americans.
Yet there is fear, especially among black people, that criticism of him or any of his failures might be twisted into evidence that people of color cannot effectively lead. That amounts to wasting time and energy reacting to hateful stereotypes. It also leads to treating all criticism of Mr. Obama, whether legitimate, wrong-headed or even mean-spirited, as racist.
This is patronizing. Worse, it carries an implicit presumption of inferiority. Every American president must be held to the highest standard. No president of any color should be given a free pass for screw-ups, lies or failure to keep a promise.
He went on to admit that the media went easy on President Obama during the campaign, and that those who tried to oppose him were painted as racists. He correctly points out that everyone ought to hold President Obama to the same strict standards they held other Presidents *cough cough BUSH cough cough* to.
Do I think it will happen? Do I think Obama will be under as heavy a microscope as Bush was? Nope. Not in the mainstream press anyway.
Not only that, but I believe when that no one will make any big deal out of his mistakes. Sort of like the last Dem Pres we had. They’ll have reasons to just sweep it away.
Sort of like, “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t pay my thousands of dollars in taxes, but I can manage the US Treasure & IRS just fine.” Yeah, whatever. If that was to happen in a Republican setting, they’d be ALL up in arms and NEVER allow the appointment. Bah!