Use Your Words

In the film The American President, the Michael Douglas character is attacked by a political opponent for carrying an ACLU membership card. When the political attacks extend to his girlfriend vis a vis a decade old newspaper photo of her protesting apartheid, Douglas gives one of the best political speeches I’ve ever heard in which he says that if the mission of the ACLU is to protect individual freedoms, why doesn’t everyone belong to the organization? His central point, however, is that the strength of America comes from questioning … everything … but most especially our political system and its leaders, a message that is coming to the forefront of American’s thinking as the words of our politicians are consistently excused as “mis-speaking” and clarified by a press release. Say what you mean; mean what you say; but, more importantly, stand by what you say even when you screw up and then make your own apology if one is warranted.

A U.S. Marine recently questioned the President’s politics in a blog, which is a form of individual communication that provides many perspectives on what is happening in the world today. People, such as I, ask questions, provide commentary, and stimulate thinking about issues that may slip quietly into the "this is a non-issue" media approach to journalistic censorship. Few journalists actively question this President, perhaps because journalists are especially cognizant not to appear to be racially insensitive. The President has made what could be construed as questionable comments on many fronts that are quickly clarified by the press secretary, but we all move on because the President (and his press secretary) have the power of the "no comment" response. If the President can mis-speak and be given a pass, why cannot a private citizen express opinions, both personal and political, and not be pilloried in the press and then dismissed from a job for doing what is at the core of being an American: exercising the right to freedom of speech.

When the President offended a fellow African-American man by calling his actions in challenging the authority of local law enforcement “stupid,” a characterization that was not meant to be heard, but was, the two men met at the White House and shared a very public beer. The Marine has been told he’s no longer one of the few; he already knew that he was no longer one of the proud when he was called on the carpet for expressing a critical political opinion in his blog. If the President were a better man, he would recall Michael Douglas’s words and extend his hand to the Marine in conversation, rather than ignoring the actions taken against him for asking the tough questions, the ones that really need to be answered.

We cannot continue to accept the current practice, “Do as I say, not as I do,” especially when it comes to the political foundations of this United States of America. The freedom of speech is a precious right of every American, not just the right of the American President.