The Washington Post tried to turn the camera lens around on the violent Tsarnaev brothers. Their arrogant liberal assumption: the real question is what this says about us backwards Americans, not about the bombers. The headline in huge type was “Who do we think they are? The answer says a lot about who we are.”
What we are, apparently, is a sad gathering of “Islamophobes,” because the story is a collection of quotes from Muslim activists and authors who tweeted “please don’t be a Muslim” and feared that Muslim assailants would spur Americans to practice “discrimination or retaliation or shame.” Even after the Tsarnaevs were found, the Post reported “Brown Muslims” were relieved:
Krissah Williams
By Tim Graham | April 23, 2013 | 2:33 PM EDT
By Tim Graham | April 17, 2010 | 12:07 PM EDT
It's highly strange that at the same time major media reporters and editorialists are "worrying" about whether extremists are going to ruin Republican political fortunes, Saturday's Washington Post played up President Obama's newly mainstream partner -- Al Sharpton. On the front page, reporter Krissah Williams presented a tamer and more cooperative Reverend Al:
Sharpton's relationship with the White House is thriving amid a heated debate over whether black leaders should relate to the president as ally or agitator. Early on, Sharpton chose ally, staying off the campaign trail in 2008, for instance, when Obama sent word that he would be a distraction.
More recently, Sharpton has been among the president's chief defenders against criticism from television host Tavis Smiley that "black folk are catching hell" and that the president should do more to specifically help blacks.