"In just over five months in office, Obama has already marked the passing of several famous figures, including historian John Hope Franklin, President Bongo of Gabon, and former President Roh Moo-Hyun of South Korea. But he has not faced pressure to comment on the death of a figure many Americans view as morally ambiguous. Here's a look at how past presidents have marked the deaths of controversial people."
I guess Obama is kind of behind on memorializing the vapid, seeing as he hasn't even issued his official statement on the death of Ed McMahon yet.
OH MY GOD THIS ARTICLE.
“I think people want [Obama] to talk about the Michael Jackson they love, not the Michael Jackson that was weird,†said Paul Glastris, a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton.
I'm glad they interviewed an expert. (He goes on to solemnly explain that "with entertainers, we just accept some weirdness—and Michael Jackson was a weird dude. No getting around that.â€)
But the money line is really this:
Obama could also feel some desire or pressure to memorialize Jackson's death since the two men are surely among the best known African-Americans of recent decades.
Hey, now we know why Alessandra Stanley was tapped to "memorialize" Farrah!
No kidding. It kind of makes one wish for paper-only media again when there was a cost-prohibition on just publishing any old piece of shit loosely-researched rambling.
Balk! Politico is a rat-infested sewer and you should never take their linkbait! Has Ken Layne not told you this yet???
Interesting tidbit: Politico does some kind of revenue-sharing with those who link to it. I don't know the details but I bet it explains most of the links they get. Gawker was doing it daily for a while, and since they continue to do the same with Michael Gross, under the guise of "Here's today's linkbait from Michael Gross…." I'm assuming he does the same thing.
JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN IS DEAD? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I know it's free, 'more' 'substantial' than Express or the Examiner and all BUT STILL whenever I'm stuck behind someone on the train reading a print Politico, I judge. Silently, smolderingly, I judge.