Am I The Only One Getting A Little Irritated by President Obama?

By Gary A. Johnson

I’ll try and keep this short and sweet.  I know plenty of folks who are “emotionally blinded” that we have a Black President.  So much so, they can see no wrong in anything President Obama does or says.  President Obama arguably has the most difficult job in the world.  I am not up to the task of being President of the United States of America.  He clearly is, and along with that comes scrutiny from supporters like me.  Yes, I said supporter.  I don’t have to agree with everything that the President puts forward on his agenda.  Some of the things on the President’s agenda are not in my best interest.  I can live with that reality.

Everything with me is viewed from a perspective of balance, (which I will try to be in this commentary).  When evaluating President Obama, one must first realize that he is first and foremost a politician.  In fact, he has proven to be one of the savviest politicians in recent history.  President Obama and his supporters have claimed that he is not the “President of Black America.”  I agree.  He is the President of the United States of America accountable to all of the people.

Politicians talk differently to different groups, sometimes when delivering the same message.  I get that.  What rubs me the wrong way is that President Obama appears to be talking to Black America in more of a condescending and scolding tone.  Lord knows there are problems in the black community and not enough folks are stepping up to help provide support and solutions.  There are some in the black community who need to have their ass kicked, taken to the woodshed and then go to a “Come to Jesus” meeting.  You will get no argument from me on that.  Everyone needs to be held accountable, including President Obama.

If the President feels the need to call out the black community, particularly black men in public, then he needs to be prepared to be called out and held accountable on his record and campaign promises.  One one-hand, I get the sense that the President feels the need or obligation to hold the black community to a higher standard.  I can understand that.  My growing annoyance with the President is that it appears that he is holding the black community accountable for the bad things that happen in their communities, but doesn’t hold other groups as accountable for the bad things that happen in their communities.

I could be wrong.  I could also have some “blind-spots” that prevent me from seeing the entire picture.

Earlier this week President Obama president addressed Morehouse College’s graduating class, and said:

“We’ve got no time for excuses — not because the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they haven’t. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; that’s still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with a billion young people from China and India and Brazil entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything you haven’t earned. And whatever hardships you may experience because of your race, they pale in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and overcame.”

The President also told the Morehouse graduates:  “You have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured – and they overcame, and if they overcame them, you can overcome them too.”

Personally, I would like to see the President hold his top advisers and appointees more accountable.  These men and women are responsible for helping the President achieve his many campaign promises.  With the recent scandals involving the IRS seizing records and phone messages of media, the President’s administration appears to have a problem with transparency to the American people.  In my mind, transparency is closely aligned to TRUST!

Feeling The Heat

The scandals that are in the headlines have to do with the government surveillance of reporters telephone and computer records, the IRS tax scandal against Tea Party and conservative groups and to a lesser extent the Benghazi attack where our Ambassador was killed last September.  With all of the alleged misconduct in his administration, President Obama’s attempt to be above the fray and not having knowledge of anything that will connect him to any wrongdoing, reflects that his administration is out of control.  For the record, every administration does this.  Did the Obama administration go too far?

The President made a lot of promises to Black America during his last campaign.   How has he done?

According to the NAACP the Black community is in worse shape under the Obama Administration than under the Bush administration.  The Labor Department reports that the black unemployment rate was at 12.7 percent when President Obama took office. That unemployment rate is now reportedly 16.7 percent — making it the highest unemployment rate for Black since 1983 (Reagan Administration).  Black teens jobless rate was even more staggering at 39.3 percent in July 2012.

Cost of Obamacare

Obama outlined three goals for his health care legislation. Lowering the cost curve and insuring all Americans were two of the three.  It has now been determined that Obamacare will add to the deficit and 25 million Americans will remain uninsured.  This doesn’t mean that Obamacare is a failure.  Obamacare is still developing.  In my mind it is too early to evaluate.

Cost of Obamacare

Obama promised that he would “not sign [a healthcare bill] if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.” Yet, a new analysis determines that his bill will add quite a bit to future deficits.

Insuring All Americans

Obama outlined three goals for his health care legislation. Lowering the cost curve and insuring all Americans were two of the three. It has now been determined that Obamacare will add to the deficit and 25 million Americans will remain uninsured.

- See more at: http://www.therightsphere.com/2012/04/president-flip-flop-barack-obamas-broken-promises-policy-reversals-and-continuous-flip-flops/#sthash.hWupztn0.dpuf

Cost of Obamacare

Obama promised that he would “not sign [a healthcare bill] if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.” Yet, a new analysis determines that his bill will add quite a bit to future deficits.

Insuring All Americans

Obama outlined three goals for his health care legislation. Lowering the cost curve and insuring all Americans were two of the three. It has now been determined that Obamacare will add to the deficit and 25 million Americans will remain uninsured.

- See more at: http://www.therightsphere.com/2012/04/president-flip-flop-barack-obamas-broken-promises-policy-reversals-and-continuous-flip-flops/#sthash.hWupztn0.dpuf

Cost of Obamacare

Obama promised that he would “not sign [a healthcare bill] if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.” Yet, a new analysis determines that his bill will add quite a bit to future deficits.

Insuring All Americans

Obama outlined three goals for his health care legislation. Lowering the cost curve and insuring all Americans were two of the three. It has now been determined that Obamacare will add to the deficit and 25 million Americans will remain uninsured.

- See more at: http://www.therightsphere.com/2012/04/president-flip-flop-barack-obamas-broken-promises-policy-reversals-and-continuous-flip-flops/#sthash.hWupztn0.dpuf

PolitiFact.com has compiled more than 500 promises that President Obama made during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns.  The sites tracks his progress on a scorecard they call the Obameter.  I’m not certain of the political affiliation of the site or its neutrality but the site is worth checking out if you want to learn more about the President’s track record for keeping his promises.  You can also click here and scroll down to read the campaign promises that President Obama has honored.

I want President Obama to succeed.  The fact that he is President reflects his success.  I think President Obama, Michelle Obama and their daughters are great role models for America, but he is NOT above being criticized.  The fact that I am irritated at him at times in my mind does not make me a “hater.”  I’m simply questioning the President and his administration’s behavior in an effort to hold them accountable as they promised, something that I believe he would not find objectionable or unfair.

Gary A. Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog. Gary is also the author of the book “25 Things That Really Matter In Life.” 

Dr. Boyce: President Obama Lacks the Moral Authority to Give His Lopsided Speech at Morehouse

By Dr. Boyce Watkin

This week, President Barack Obama gave the commencement address to the young men at Morehouse College.  I was happy to see the president speak to these men, for I’m sure they were inspired by his presence.  The achievements of Barack Obama are nothing short of legendary and inspirational, he deserves to be recognized as such.  Morehouse College President John Wilson should also be commended for his extraordinary leadership.  Dr. Wilson was gracious enough to join the presidents of Spelman and Clark in co-signing the open letter on mass incarceration written by myself and Russell Simmons.

The president’s message consisted of the same themes that I recall hearing from my grandmother:  You have to work twice as hard to get half as much if you are black in America, and racism is no excuse for you to give up.  I agree with this message, and I share similar messages every single day of my life.

The president’s decision to speak in ways that he knew would resonate with Morehouse men and their older black parents was an intelligent political move, without question.   The president’s speeches tend to be more conservative when he speaks to African Americans (I even noticed his use of the word “Lordy” early in the speech), and this is a good fit, since black people are also very conservative. The truth is that many African Americans would be Republicans if the party would just stop being so blatantly racist.

Another thing about black people is that many of us suffer from the low self-esteem that tends to afflict oppressed individuals.  We’re not much different from the housewife who believes her husband wouldn’t have had to beat her if she had not burned the cookies.  When her husband is out with other women, she is simply thankful that he took the time to pay the rent.   She’s ecstatic about any form of acknowledgement from her husband whatsoever, and when he berates her, she knows that she deserves it.  To some extent, she comes to embrace her oppression as the natural order of things, and the tranquility of her marriage is built upon the idea that his views, needs and status are superior to her own.

When President Obama graces us with his presence, we are simply honored that he took the time to even acknowledge us.   Any symbolic gesture, no matter how scant and meaningless, becomes precious to us, because for some, there is no greater achievement that any black man could aspire to than to get validation from white people.  Had President Obama passed on the presidency and taken a position at an all-black school and educated thousands of black children, we would have considered it to be a wasted opportunity.  Why would such an important man spend his time with us?  The political harmony between black America and the Obama Administration is a carefully-designed relationship in which our job is to shut up and cheer for anything the administration chooses to do with our votes.

Part of this asymmetric partnership with the Obama Administration is that we are actually HAPPY when the president berates us.   We like being told that we don’t try hard enough and that the reason so many of us struggle is because we have come to embrace an inferior set of habits and cultural norms.   We ENJOY the abuse, because deep down, many of us have bought into the myth of white superiority as much as white people themselves.

So, when Obama comes to Morehouse and says, “Stop using racism as an excuse and start taking more responsibility,” we LOVE it.  We also nod our heads in agreement because for the educated elite, Obama isn’t talking about us.  He’s talking about “them.”  You know, those n*ggaz who keep getting sent to prison, who can’t get jobs, and who are killing each other in the street.   They deserve their plight because they don’t work as hard as the rest of us, at least that’s the logic. It’s easy to grab onto the simple answers:  Black men love their kids less than white men do, black women are only capable of raising incompetent children who eat Popeye’s chicken for breakfast, and black people are slightly less human than whites, thus prone to more criminal activity.

Graduates react as President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., May 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Click here to read the entire commentary.

An Open Letter and Plea to President Barack Obama: Who Should Have A Vote?

By Harold Bell

During your State of the Union Address you made a plea to Congress that Gabby Gifford and Newtown should have a vote as it relates to gun control in America.

Mr. President, I totally agree the time has come to reduce gun violence in America– it is long overdue.

The vote that you proposed should not stop there, senior citizens living in nursing homes in America should also have a vote.  The abuse taking place in nursing homes across this nation is appalling. This is a National Crisis.  The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fox News, and ABC News have all echoed the same reports.  During your State of the Union Address I did not hear you cry out to give senior citizens a vote!

My question to you and the Congress of the United States is:  What is the difference in the gun violence and the nursing home violence taking place in this country?

Click here to read the entire commentary.

NAACP’s Ben Jealous Says Black Americans Doing Far Worse Under The Obama Administration

February 10, 2012

In a recent interview on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press,” NAACP CEO and President, Ben Jealous, told the show’s host that black Americans “are doing far worse” than when President Obama first took office. “The country’s back to pretty much where it was when this president started,” Jealous told show host David Gregory. “White people in this country are doing a bit better. Black people are doing far worse.”

Statistics show that the African-American community is in bad shape under the Obama Administration.  The Labor Department reports that the black unemployment rate was at 12.7 percent when Pres. Obama initially took office. As the employment rate for the nation dropped below 8 percent, black unemployment increased to 12.9 percent and then to 14 percent for December.

Commentators such as Yvette Carnell, Dr. Wilmer Leon and Dr. Boyce Watkins at Your Black World have consistently stated that the president’s performance in the black community should be judged based on the quality of his results, not the color of his skin.  Also, Dr. Julianne Malveaux recently wrote that the Obama Administration needs to speak out more about existing racial disparities and persistent problems in black unemployment.

You can read the entire article courtesy of our friends at Your Black World.  Click here to go there now.

What do you think?

Tom Joyner: Tavis Is Fascinated with His Own Legacy

By Gary A. Johnson, Black Men In America.com/January 27, 2013

Here we go again.  Can’t we all just get along?  I don’t know who’s in the news more these days.  Tavis or Rhianna?

PBS host Tavis Smiley and his colleague and partner  former Princeton professor Cornel West, criticized President Obama last week for using a bible belonging to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for the President’s inaugural swearing in ceremony.  I’m not sure about the criticism.  It’s not like the President stole the bible.  The King family gave the bible to the President.

Well, Tavis’ former employer, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner apparently heard enough.  Last week Joyner wrote a commentary called “Tavis vs. MLK,” published on Black America Web.com.  Here are two prominent highlights in Joyner’s commentary:

• Tavis is fascinated with his own legacy, and that’s not good. He wants more than anything to be remembered the way Dr. King was, and to some how make that kind of mark on the world.
• Tavis is afraid of what will be said about him and it’s driving him crazy.

Tavis has consistently claimed that he holds no ill will towards the President and that he is simply attempting to hold the President accountable.

Most people who follow Tavis are not neutral in their view. For another perspective read Harold Bell’s recent commentary “There’s A New Sheriff In Town.”

What do you think?

(Photos from Getty Images/AP)

Tavis Smiley Booted From Martin Luther King Event

Tavis Smiley, the PBS talk show host who has criticized President Barack Obama for not doing enough for the African-American community, says he was ousted as the speaker at a Martin Luther King luncheon because he was trying to hold the president accountable.

“I don’t see my role as one of criticizing the president. I see my role as one of holding the president – this and every other president-accountable,” Smiley said on Fox News on Monday.

“Something is wrong with this country … that so often the political right, and I am no defender of the political right … gets accused of playing the game of political correctness. What this underscores is that those on the left, the Democrats can play that game of political correctness as well,” he added.

Smiley was booted from the 20th annual MLK luncheon on Jan. 16 that is hosted by the Peoria Civic Center. The group announced last week that Smiley had been replaced by Michael Eric Dyson as the guest speaker of the event, citing people who were “upset about comments that Tavis Smiley has made.”

Note:  This website and blog has talked about Tavis Smiley for years.  You can debate whether he has had a fall from grace.  Or whether or not he is an unbiased and objective news person.  We’ve dubbed him a “whiner” and “crybaby,” but that’s just us.  Here’s a recent news article about Tavis from the Politico.

Source:  The Politico.  Click here to read the rest of this story.

Related article:  http://bmia.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/tavis-smiley-shrewd-misguided-and-one-of-the-biggest-whiners-in-the-business/

Mr. President, It Is Time

By Nicholas M. Young, Ph D.

Mr. President,

When you were elected in 2008, I immediately told a female friend that you would go down as the greatest President in the history of the United States.  I based my prediction primarily on what I saw of you when we played basketball together during my graduate school, and your faculty days at The University of Chicago (The U of C), I came to know you as a bright, tough, and kind guy that was a tough defender on the basketball court.  Outside the court, I saw you as concerned member of the Hyde Park and U of C communities that was a smooth and effective politician.  Although watching you assume the highest office in the land is still a bit surreal for me, watching you win the 2008 election showed others what we in the Hyde Park and U of C communities already knew about you: You are the type of guy that had the ability and courage to rise up to, and succeed at, any challenge.

To be sure, while you continue to use these skills to lead the United States out of a horrible recession and toward greater social and economic prosperity, the events of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has provided you with a new challenge that the social and political skills that you sharpened during your Chicago days may not have prepared you for: Taking on the powerful U.S. gun lobby.

As I am sure you, and other Americans know, the gun lobby in this country bases it history, and basic existence on the presence of the Second Amendment–a Constitutional reality and relic that guarantees the right of every American to own a gun to protect her or himself and household.

However, I, for one, do not believe that the Second Amendment was conceived to allow a deranged, private, U.S. citizen to own a gun that has the ability to wipe out many innocent people.  From what I know about this part of the Constitution, the founders of this great document did not anticipate an episode like the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre occurring, and. if they did, I suspect that they would have included a checks and balance provision in the Constitution to address this possibility.  Two possible ways to prevent a Sandy Hook Elementary School—like massacre from ever occurring again is to ban the sale of assault weapons, and limit the sale of ammunition that gun purchasers need to power these weapons.  For instance, those buying these weapons can be limited to a small number of bullets.  They can even be asked to show what, who, when, and why they choose to use their guns.  While all Americans have the right to own a gun, their right to own the ammunition used to power these weapons of mass destruction is not guaranteed by the Constitution

So, Mr. President, if I was you, I would contact the leader of the American Gun Lobby and tell him the following: “Your days of supporting the sale of assault weapons to our citizens is coming to an end.  The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has shown the country the limits and danger of the 2^nd Amendment of the Constitution. The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has also shown the limits and danger of organizations like yours in causing harm to the American public.”

Sir, it is time for you to cash in the political chips that we gave you to lead us.  It is time for us to not expect another massacre like the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy to ever again occur on our soil. I hope that you recognize that the time has come for you to be the leader that we envisioned when we elected you in 2008, and reelected you in 2012.  I hope that you recognize that the time has come for you to find a way to impose a permanent ban on assault weapons.

Nicholas Maurice Young is a sociologist, writer, and independent researcher.  He is a former Fellow with the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University.   He holds a Ph. D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.  Nick is currently writing a book about the network connections of the Underground Railroad.

Cornel West: ‘Coward’ Obama Doesn’t Care When ‘Black Folk’ Get Shot, Only When ‘Vanilla’ Children Do

By Black Men In America.com Staff

Oh my.  Here we go again.  In wrestling parlance, it looks as if we have a “cage match,” between the team of “Terrible Tavis Smiley” and his partner “The Professor” Cornel West against President Barack Obama and his policies.

In this latest war of words, Professor West made his comments on Saturday, December 22, 2012, on the “Smiley and West” radio show.  These two guys have no quit in them.  I guess you can say they have the courage of their convictions when it comes to putting issues they believe of interest on the public table for discussion.

Following the shooting death  of 26 children and adults in Newtown, Connecticut, Saturday, West referred to President Obama and other (unnamed) politicians as “cowards” who only cares about “vanilla” children.  Smiley and West have been frequent critics of President Obama and they don’t seem to care what people say or think about them.

West, an open and frequent critic of Obama, referring to the soaring homicide rate in Chicago, said the president did not care when “black folk” get shot in his own state.

Click here to listen to Professor West’s comments as he is being interviewed by Tavis Smiley.

Tavis Smiley: Shrewd, Misguided and One of the Biggest Whiners In The Business

By Gary A. Johnson, Black Men In America.com

One can be very smart and yet be terribly misguided.  That appears to be the case with media commentator, frequent Obama critic, “poverty tourist,” and longtime crybaby Tavis Smiley.

I’ve been saying for years, that Tavis is one of the biggest whiners and crybabies in media.  If you look at the body of Smiley’s work over the years, he has evolved into the “King of Smoke and Mirrors.”  Tavis gives the appearance that he’s in the trenches with you for a good cause.  Tavis can identify an issue and create a grand infrastructure that he believes is the solution to the problem.  That grand infrastructure always seems to benefit Smiley financially.

Over the years, Tavis Smiley has leveraged his platform into a media empire via The Smiley Group, Inc., (radio, television, publishing, philanthropy) and has been able to extract what he needs from corporate donors in exchange for steering people back to the stores, banks and institutions that support him.  This is not to say that he has not done good things in the community.  Smiley has done some good things to help those in need.  However, he’s also made millions off of his initiatives to help the poor and downtrodden.  Is that a crime?  No.  Do I think that he would prefer that people not know about that?  Yes.

Last month Tavis was a guest on the “Mo’ Kelly in the Morning,” radio show in Los Angeles.  Mo’ whose real name is Morris W. O’Kelly, in addition to being a radio host is a noted opinion blogger.  Mo’ has been just as critical of Tavis and Dr. Cornel West’s national anti-poverty campaign, as Tavis has been of President Obama and his administration’s policies.  Mo’ used to work for as a producer years ago for Smiley’s TV show.  Kelly claims to know Smiley very well both professionally and personally.

Kelly recently received a press release from the Smiley Group, Inc., advising him and the rest of the local media which received the release, that Smiley and Dr. Cornel West have scheduled another “poverty tour,” to begin in January 2013.  The name of this tour is the “Poverty Manifesto Lecture Series.” The purpose of this series, which is slated to occur on college campuses, is to press President Obama into convening a White House conference on the eradication of poverty in America.

After receiving this press release, Kelly invited Smiley to be a guest on his radio show to discuss the tour.

In an article article by columnist Betty Pleasant in the Los Angeles Wave newspaper Kelly was quoted saying, “I took issue with his process. We all have a moral imperative to reduce poverty and I accept that. But Tavis has no plan, no program, no would-be law that he’s pushing. His premise does not validate his process and that’s what I was arguing about.  “He’s just trying to trick people into believing he has a process; but he does not and I have the right to say so.”

Boom goes the dynamite!  Score one for Mo’.

During the interview which one could describe as “blistering,” Mo’ reminded Tavis that he has called President Obama ‘a Black corporate plutocrat’ and ‘a Republican Rockefeller in black face,’ among other things he and West have said about the president.”

Apparently Tavis didn’t like the interview.  Several days following the interview Kelly received a letter from Smiley’s lawyers advising him to cease and desist, or in other words, “stop talking bad about me,” on the radio, on your blog and on social media.  (If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear some sniffling).  The letter from the law office also reminded Kelly that he signed a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement with Smiley when he left his employ in 2010, and if he did not stop, all manner of bad legal things will happen to him.

Mo’Kelly does not appear to be scared.  In fact, he says Smiley is “supersensitive.”

“He can’t stand to be criticized,” Mo’Kelly said. “He’s made some kind of stink about everything I’ve written or said about him.

Kelly’s official response to Smiley’s “lawyer letter” is: “I have a podcast available to everyone to hear and review. There was no privileged or proprietary information divulged and everything discussed on the air was factually accurate and readily available to the public.

Wow.  Smiley has made a very comfortable living criticizing and talking about people.  Now that people are “holding him accountable” and scrutinizing his work, he doesn’t seem to like it.

Game recognizes game.  This dude will be getting rich on the poverty tour.  Go figure.

Najee Ali, Director of Project Islamic HOPE and author of the critically acclaimed book “Raising Hell” has published an open letter to Tavis.  You can read his advice to Tavis by clicking on the link below:

Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2012/12/najee-alis-open-letter-to-tavis-smiley-regarding-mokelly-poverty-more/#RrGKFBqVAfYzFrYk.99

Gary A. Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog. Gary is also the author of the new book “25 Things That Really Matter In Life.” 

To learn more about Gary click here.

Is Obama Being Bullied?

By William Reed

A “power politics” move is currently at play that could set the stage for the end of the world. What is your perspective on whether Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon? Or, are Americans, President Barack Obama, and the Western world being bum rushed into military adventurism? Do you understand that the fate of the species is at stake?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Israel is “bullying the United States” over the alleged threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon; using the prospect of an Israeli military attack on Iran to force President Obama into military action. Considered “persona non grata” among Westerners, at the 67^th U.N. General Assembly in New York City, Ahmadinejad made what is likely his final address to the world body. As in previous years, Ahmadinejad assailed the United States, Israel and Europe, and called for a new world order. He also said, “Americans should be insulted if their government takes marching orders from Israel.” Ahmadinejad’s perspective is that Israel has no rightful place in the Middle East and is “an inconsequential interloper.” Ahmadinejad’s assessment is that “a few occupying Zionists” are telling the U.S. and President Obama “what to do” concerning Iran’s nuclear issues.

The U.S. Senate just voted 90-1 to support the Israeli position, but to be fair, Ahmadinejad made valid points worth considering. For decades, the U.S. has been at Israel’s beck and call. During recent months, Israel has stepped up threats of a unilateral strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. With the U.S. Congress on its side and elections just weeks away, the pro-Israel lobby is exerting concentrated pressure on Washington to lay down certain “red lines” before Iran. It is with a high level of chutzpah that Israel, which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT], is threatening an NPT signatory state for supposedly not complying with the treaty. Also, according to U.S. intelligence estimates, Iran is “not on the verge of having a nuclear weapon” and has “not made a decision to pursue one.”

President Obama is “being bullied” by a premiere power in American politics and popular culture, because he continues to resist military adventures for Israel. Ralph Bunche, an African American, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, for agreements he brought about that started the new state of Israel. Since then, Israel has regularly violated international laws and defied numerous U.N. resolutions.

Most of the world opposes Israel’s policies, and especially its oppression of the Palestinians. Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, said, “The whole world demands that Israel withdraw from occupied Palestinian territories.” But on these shores, politicians and the media fervently support Israel. For decades, the U.S. provided Israel with critical military, diplomatic and financial backing, including more than $3 billion each year in aid. For more than 60 years, Black politicians who call themselves the “conscience of Congress” have been reliable supporters of Israeli issues and practices.

Though Blacks oppose any criticism of Obama, the Israeli lobby openly castigates the President.Amid tension between the U.S. and Israel over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israeli-supporters criticize President Obama for “failing to put Israel at ease.”  When Obama addressed the U.N. General Assembly, he issued a stern warning to Iran, but stopped short of drawing the “red lines” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded.

Some segments of America’s population are saying Obama has “insulted and disrespected Israel.”  Through it all, Obama continues to have most Jewish voters on his side. People who say they “have the president’s back” refuse to allow any criticism of Obama will be shocked when they see the Republican Jewish Coalition’s $6.5 million campaign to convince Jewish voters that it’s OK to vote against Obama because of the “defiant” stance he has taken on Israeli-Palestinian issues.

It’s time to make peace in the Middle East. Instead of a new war front, Obama needs encouragement and support toward taking fair and measured actions on this issue.

(William Reed is president of the Business Exchange Network and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org)