05 May 2011 Black Conservatives Comment on Obama Appearance at Ground Zero
Washington, D.C. – Members of the Project 21 black leadership network are speaking out about President Obama’s performance at a Ground Zero wreath-laying ceremony and related issues today:
Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie said, “I applaud the President for displaying a modicum of respect and not turning the solemnity of the moment into any more of a campaign than he did.”
“President Obama is well within his rights to travel to Ground Zero — and it is especially relevant after he approved the successful operation that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice. But, as Obama does his victory lap, he must remain aware of the fact that it was the policies of the Bush Administration that are said to have uncovered the key intelligence making the operation possible,” reminded Project 21 member Kevin Martin, a U.S. Navy veteran. “And, while heroes in the intelligence community and the Navy SEALS must remain nameless and faceless, we as Americans are nonetheless grateful for their efforts over the years before and since 9/11.”
“It is great that the men and women of our military and intelligence services tracked down and brought Osama Bin Laden to justice. It is alarming, however, how President Obama has handled the situation. Once again, President Obama has not displayed leadership and has shown his willingness to use the efforts of others to elevate his standing not only in this country but around the world,” said a more skeptical Emery McClendon, a Project 21 member and U.S. Air Force veteran. “Ground Zero should not be the place to showboat the demise of a terrorist leader. Give our Navy SEALS and the others involved behind the scenes their credit for a job well done, and let’s continue the fight to bring others to justice as we concentrate on the security of this nation.”
Project 21 member Phillip N. Johnson, Ph.D, praised the events of today as a source of healing, noting: “Today, as President Obama visited Ground Zero, let us remember those who lost their lives on that fateful day in September. The memory of our friends and loved ones who perished on 9/11 begs us to always bear in mind that that which binds us together is far greater than that which divides us. Whether we are Democrat or Republican, Christian or Muslim, or black or white, we are Americans first — and we rise and fall together as such. Oftentimes, our perpetual political differences cloud the fact that we are indeed one American family. Today is a good day to remind us of that.”
Project 21, a leading voice of black conservatives since 1992, is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research (https://nationalcenter.org).
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