Are President's Holocaust Remarks More Hollow Words on "Never Again"?

From: Republican Jewish Coalition Press Office (RJC)  |  RJCHQ.org  |  April 23, 2012

 

 

President Barack Obama lights a candle alongside Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in the Remembrance Hall at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, April 23, 2012. During his visit to the museum Obama also delivered remarks on future holocaust prevention. REUTERS/Jason Reed

 

Washington, D.C. (April 23, 2012) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) responded to President Obama's remarks at the U.S. Holocaust Museum today. RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:

For President Obama to come forward today with what he calls "a comprehensive strategy and new tools to prevent and respond to atrocities" raises the question of why such a strategy was not brought forward much earlier in his term rather than now, nearly four years after he took office.

While we are always appreciative when a President dedicates time to discussing the challenge of living up to the promise of "Never Again," when the speech comes just four days after Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the presidential attention is all the more welcome.

Regrettably, however, this President's record and focus on vital humanitarian concerns over the course of more than three years in office has been lacking. For example, in June 2009, opposition forces in Iran were brutally repressed, the election was stolen, and civilians were murdered in the streets of Tehran and tortured in prisons, and all the while the Obama administration did nothing.

The President is a gifted orator, but as he himself noted, words without corresponding actions are hollow. Sadly, with this President, the official rhetoric is often at odds with official actions.

 

Source:  Are President's Holocaust Remarks More Hollow Words on "Never Again"?