Appropriateness to the Role

In today's San Jose Mercury News, Victor Davis Hanson (Hoover Institution) expressed my views perfectly. This is not about politics - it's about appropriateness.

Barak Obama appears to open his mouth publicly before he thinks about the fact that he is the President of the United States, not just an average citizen. What he says matters.

So, in the case of the Harvard Professor Henry Lous Gates, and the Cambridge, Mass Police Dept., he shot off his mouth and accused the police department of profiling and being prejudiced - before he had the facts of the case. Even if it had been correct - which it wasn't - the President had no business saying anything about it - although ordinary citizen Barak certainly had freedom of speech.

He opened his mouth again when Arizona tried to pass legislation supporting already existing federal legislation. It was an issue for the State - not for the Federal government. Again, he shot off his mouth.

Now, he's not only ventured an opinion about the Mosque within blocks of ground zero, but because public opinion was against him, he's had to backtrack. His personal views do not belong in the press. He is, or at least should be The President of the United States and everything he says should be weighed carefully.

This is the same guy who touched the Queen of England, whose wife Michelle shows up in a casual cardigan sweater, and who has apparently never learned proper protocol.

It's an embarrassment.