The Ever Expanding Role Of The Oval Office

When an issue arises from a police officer's actions or in-actions, it is not unusual for the department's Command Staff or local political figures to make the mistake of publicly denouncing an officer's actions without any substantive knowledge of the incident. It is well known among all in the profession that anyone above the rank of Captain has become more of a political figure than a law enforcement officer. You see, publicly sacrificing an officer is easier than reserving comment for a time when you are informed on the matter. You can always backtrack later with a short statement that makes the public forget the matter, but leaves the officer's career irreparably damaged. If you later find that the officer has violated legal authority, you have already taken swift action against them. It is a win/win situation for the political body. Any officer is replaceable, as long as the political seas are steady. However, it is unusual for the President of the United States to use his office to engage in such practice relative to a local officer.

The President did a grave disservice to every law enforcement officer by making a determination before having substantive knowledge of the incident. First, he once again interjected the federal government into a local jurisdiction's issue. Second, although he would deny doing so, he made a determination as to what happened without knowledge of the incident by stating the police "acted stupidly". He later tried to change history by excusing the comment by saying he "could have calibrated his words differently" and that his friend may have "also overreacted". Words only need to be calibrated differently when they disclose one's true predispositions and biases.

Perhaps even more distressing is the President's invitation for the officer to meet privately with him and his friend for a beer. In Presidential politics, such invitations are usually reserved for the coercion of party members with dissenting positions from the administration. Make no mistake about it, the officer will undoubtedly receive pressure from the local politicos to subject himself to this meeting. Rather than allowing the President to again supersede the role of his own office, my suggestion would be for the officer to agree only to a public meeting. Whatever is wished to be said individually can be said publicly. After all, the officer is the only one to have already been publicly tried. Why would such a meeting now have to be private?

Every officer knows that, with the exception of family and their beat partners, there are very few people who have a legitimate concern for their well being. The oath to protect and serve the law (yes the law) is often a dangerous one that is undertaken willingly. There will always be those with a bias against law enforcement, and admittedly a much smaller number, with a bias in favor of law enforcement. In the case of President Obama's actions and words, I will simply apply the legal term res ipsa loquitur which means "it speaks for itself".

Obama's Speech To African Leaders Was Ironically Right On Target

In a decidedly "Do as I say, not as I do" speech, President Obama delivered a speech to the political leaders of African countries that said what needed to be said. However, it is unfortunate that the President seemingly does not have the ability of introspection. The President domestically proposes and supports programs and policies that are quite similar to the very political norms that he criticizes and identifies as primary reasons for the lack of advancement of the African continent.

Below are some of the quotes from his speech and the hypocrisy that I find in our President making these comments in false piety.

"We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans"
"It is easy to point fingers and to pin the blame for these problems on others"
"But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants."

He calls for accountability and the taking of personal responsibility. Yet, he supports and intends to expand our countries entitlement programs and fund community organizations. For decades these programs have done very little, but ensure dependence by reinforcing that being poor is a societal ill and has nothing to do with past, present and future poor individual decision making.

"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves"

Let me think for a second, Obama was a recipient of a below market "Friends of Angelo" Countrywide loan among a veritable laundry list of other politicians and government officials.

"No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20% off the top"

Yet with the highest marginal corporate income tax rates among industrialized countries (except for Japan) and the Waxman/Markey bill poised to further plunder of domestic profits, we have been chasing industry from domestic production.

The White House described the President's speech as necessary tough love spoken from a position caring. He spoke of what African countries could do to help themselves and show due diligence and good faith that might facilitate foreign aid. I believe that this speech was necessary. However, the audience for the speech could just as well been the President himself, all three branches of government and the American people.