Does Barack Obama Practice The Civility He Preaches?
During the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama was caught, at least twice, surreptitiously giving the finger to his opponents Hillary Clinton and John McCain. (What happened in each case is that Obama put his hand to the side of his face away from his opponent, with his middle finger extended. And smiled while he did it. Some in the audiences understood the gesture the way most of us would, and laughed. It is possible that he did not mean to make obscene gestures in those debates, but, having watched the videos, I think it unlikely.) After his election, he chose for his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, whose coarse language and behavior are so well known that even Obama jokes about them. (A chief of staff is more likely to set the tone for an administration than any other official.) In his public statements, he again and again questions the motives of his political opponents. One might think that, with this record, Obama would not be giving us lectures on civility. But you would be wrong. Whateve
