Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer had some harsh words for Barack Obama’s address to the nation Friday concerning the George Zimmerman verdict.
Appearing on Fox News’s Special Report, Krauthammer said the President “reinjected” race into the controversy with his words.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: I thought it was a political speech addressed to his constituency on the left which I thought was unfortunate even though it sounded like a philosophical speech addressed to the whole nation. Look, I gave him and Holder credit all week for trying to de-racialize the issue, and what Obama did, I think unfortunately today, is to re-racialize it. The first statement he issued after the verdict on Saturday I think it was, was to talk about the jury’s, we have to honor what the jury had decided. And then he spoke about, you know, helping our communities, thinking about our neighbors, and gun control. But it wasn't about race, and as we know from the trial, race was not an issue in the trial. The prosecution didn't speak of race. The jury said it wasn't an issue. The FBI investigation didn't find any hint of racism in Zimmerman, but Obama reinjected it.
Now, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I'm not sure why I still do - three days in a row, I probably ought to consult a physician by now - I think the main message of the speech was what he buried which was they are not going to continue, they are not going to pursue a federal prosecution. He knows, holder knows there is no case for a hate crime. But he buried it. It was a throw-away line. And the rest, all the racial stuff, and the sympathy he expressed for all those who are upset, I think was the rhetorical fog, or if you like, a compensation for the fact they are not going to get the demand that you're going to hear in the demonstrations tomorrow for a federal charge against Zimmerman. So I think it was a balancing act as a way to mitigate the fact that they are not going to pursue an unwinnable prosecution of Zimmerman.
