David Eldridge
Washington Times
July 21, 2013
President Obama’s personal remarks Friday on his reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict have been praised by many, including the parents of Trayvon Martin, but black talk-show host Tavis Smiley says it’s too little too late.
The PBS commentator, appearing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” was sharply critical of the president’s “weak as pre-sweetened Kool-Aid” response to a Florida jury’s decision clearing Mr. Zimmerman in the 2012 shooting death of the 17-year-old Trayvon.
“I appreciate and applaud the fact that the president did finally show up,” Mr. Smiley said. “But … he did not walk to the podium for an impromptu address to the nation. He was pushed to that podium. A week of protests outside the White House, pressure building on him inside the White House, pushed him to that podium.”