Lay Off the President

It appears that the President is facing some serious criticism on the left for his speech last night. They are mad that he "didn't give the speech they want him to." President went out and addressed the nation after a national event, an event he was uniquely suited to speak on, and gave what I found to be an appropriate message. He appealed for calm and non-violence. He urged respect for our legal system. He urged our police officers to respect the rights of the people, even as he acknowledged their importance. He called the events a tragedy, and quoted from the parents of the victim. What he did not do is go out and rail against our courts and grand jury system, hammer police officers, or rip the prosecutor. He couldn't have. He shouldn't have.

The President was appropriately calm and gave the right message. I know, some on the left want him to be a radical, and go out there and call for massive change within our society. I'm glad he's not a radical, and I recognized that he never was from the start. There are certainly changes that need to be made in light of the events of Ferguson, and other events in recent months, but last night was a time for him to play healer-in-chief. He did that well. He's the President of the United States, not some rag-tag professional protestor. Urging respect for the rule of law and peaceful protest is exactly what he should be doing, not inciting a riot to appease people that are going to criticize him anyway.