OPINION — Editorial

How it's done

A lesson for others up the chain

It took a few hours, but the president of the United States finally got it right back on Monday. His statement that morning about the bigotry and violence--and murder--in Charlottesville struck the right tone. And at times like this, the country always looks to its president for guidance and consolation. (If he could only have left it at that! He took on the press again last night, and this roller-coaster is going too fast for some of us to keep up with. It changes every minute.)

It seemed as though, over the weekend, his political enemies picked through his first off-the-cuff statement about Charlotteville just looking for something to criticize. The man said he condemned in the strongest terms hatred, bigotry and violence. What more could he say?

Well, his critics point out, he could've said something about the kluxers or neo-Nazis or white supremacists or called somebody out by name besides himself (in the third person) or Barack Obama.

Fair point. But that doesn't exactly put a sheet over the man's head. Perhaps was trying to calm everybody down. If a bit clumsily.

For the record, here is the statement from a United States senator named Tom Cotton, soon after the violence from Charlottesville was reported:

"I'm currently traveling in the Balkans, where the long, violent history of ethnic supremacism still stalks the land and is a reminder of how unique America is. White supremacists who claim to 'take America back' only betray their own ignorance of what makes America so special: our country's founding recognition of the natural rights of all mankind and commitment to the defense of the rights of all Americans. These contemptible little men do not speak for what is just, noble, and best about America. They ought to face what they would deny their fellow citizens: the full extent of the law."

That's what leadership sounds like.

The next time the president feels the need to address something gone horribly wrong on his watch, it might be best if he asked his staff: What did Tom say?

Editorial on 08/16/2017

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