The Uncriticizable President

The Southern Poverty Law Center is out to save Obama!

Appearing on tonight's episode of The O'Reilly Factor, Richard Cohen of the SPLC called for CNN to fire talking head Lou Dobbs for spreading the smear that Obama isn't an American citizen. People who believe that Obama isn't a citizen are called "birthers" because they question the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate. If Barack Obama isn't a US citizen he can't be president. Dobbs repeated this "birther" notion and now the SPLC wants him gone.

I was a little surprised that the Southern Poverty Law Center even took notice of what some tv personality said about Obama. What surprised me even more, though, was the content of SPLC's reaction. Instead of challenging Dobbs on the truth of the "birther" idea, Richard Cohen accused Dobbs of bigotry for questioning Obama's citizenship. Huh?

How does questioning Obama's citizenship, or criticizing him in anyway, make you a bigot? Answer: it doesn't. This is just a ploy by liberals to discourage and discredit any criticism of or critical thinking about their Golden Boy. Don't fall for it. During Bush's presidency liberals' justified their anti-Bush vitriol by constantly repeating the mantra that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Well, if that was true then shouldn't it be true now? Isn't Dobbs just expressing the highest form of patriotic devotion by questioning Obama's citizenship? Sure, such questioning might not be totally rational, but since when did liberals care about rationality?

I think Richard Cohen and the Southern Poverty Law Center came out so strongly against Lou Dobbs because they, like most liberals, are scared. Obama's popularity has plummeted below 50%, due mostly to his reckless spending and broken economic promises. The bloom is off the hope-and-change rose, replaced with deepening skepticism and misgivings. Leftists want to discourage this trend so they try to squash any negative comments about Obama, no matter how kooky those comments may be. The Chosen One must be protected. Making people believe it's racist to question Obama is the main way liberals seek to do that. Again, don't fall for it.

Barack Obama wanted to be president; now he is. He used soaring rhetoric to get elected; now he has to face the consequences of disappointing the hopes of millions who voted for him. Part of those consequences is having his policies, character, and even his place of birth questioned. The Anointed One needs to get used to it or get out of the political kitchen. He can never be the uncriticizable president; that's not the American way. Asking questions is.

Sorry, Richard Cohen.