If You Think Eric Holder Has Trouble Talking About Radical Islam--Listen To His Boss!

If we were wondering why Attorney General Eric Holder wouldn't--couldn't--bring himself to talk about Radical Islam, the answer has just become clearer.

Jennifer Rubin writes:

Obama Won’t Say Who Killed Daniel Pearl

At a signing ceremony for the Freedom of Press Act, it is ironic and shameful that Obama could not bring himself to identify the killers who beheaded the man who fearlessly reported on the jihadist terrorists. Obama had this to say:

All around the world there are enormously courageous journalists and bloggers who, at great risk to themselves, are trying to shine a light on the critical issues that the people of their country face; who are the frontlines against tyranny and oppression. And obviously the loss of Daniel Pearl was one of those moments that captured the world’s imagination because it reminded us of how valuable a free press is, and it reminded us that there are those who would go to any length in order to silence journalists around the world

As Rubin points out, you would never know from his bland generalities above that Obama was talking about Islamists, who have declared war against western democracies. But then again, phrases such as "radical Islam" and "Jihad" have been written out of official discourse.

One could try to judge Obama's omission more favorably by perhaps suggesting that his point was confined to hilighting freedom of the press. But if so, Obama sure has an odd way of doing it--

As John Steele Gordon writes about Obama's press conference:

He [Obama] might also have taken questions from the press. As Chip Reid of CBS points out, the reporters were herded out of the room after the ceremony. “There was some rich irony at the White House today — President Obama signed the Press Freedom Act,” he wrote, “and then promptly refused to take any questions.” This is nothing new: as his presidency has evolved, Obama has become more and more remote from the press, except when he is in total control.

According to Gordon, Obama has not held a formal press conference since last July 22. That was the press conference where Obama put in his 2 cents about the arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates by the Cambridge police--and later apologized for exacerbating a tense situation.

I'm not sure what was gained by Obama's speaking at the ceremony, other than his taking another opportunity to speak--without being questioned.

Note: Read Jennifer Rubin's post Middle East Democracy Advocates Fed Up with Obama, where she quotes Egyptian democracy advocate, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who writes

George W. Bush is missed by activists in Cairo and elsewhere who—despite possible misgivings about his policies in Iraq and Afghanistan—benefited from his firm stance on democratic progress. During the time he kept up pressure on dictators, there were openings for a democratic opposition to flourish. The current Obama policy seems weak and inconsistent by contrast.

If you can't talk about a problem, how are you going to deal with it, let alone solve it?
The answer so far: Obama can't and we won't

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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