Bachmann Photo Can't Make Her Look Crazy Without Her Own Contribution

It has been interesting to listen to some of the commentary about the Michele Bachmann cover photo that Newsweek selected.

I watched CNN's Reliable Sources as panelists whined about how unflattering the photo is and even (brace yourself) how it was some continuing conspiracy on the part of Newsweek to make conservatives look bad. Cry me a river.

If people think Michele Bachmann has a crazed look in her eyes then I think one has to begin by investigating her words and her record. Perhaps that is more indicative of the interpretations people have of this photo than anything else.

Perhaps people should look at it from a journalistic perspective and ask if the photo is appropriate for the person and the story. Judge it that way.

Tavis Smiley's Criticism Comes Across As Petty

Tavis Smiley

It seems clear now ... the ego has landed.

Tavis Smiley may have some legitimate beefs with President Obama and his policies, but his arguments are lost in a storm of egomania.

Smiley, in his media tour with noted scholar Cornell West taking shots at President Obama, offered this beauty during criticism of President Obama:

“Once he got elected and my critique of him about holding him accountable to various things didn’t sit so well with him or the people around him, he has not at this point come on my TV or radio programs one time since he’s been in the White House. This is the first president in my professional career that hasn’t invited me to the White House.”

Smiley, who has a long history of taking shots of Barack Obama, has to be better than this kind of seemingly petty criticism. One of the reasons he has to be better is that one of the primary criticisms of Tavis Smiley is that he is an egomaniac who is in it for himself. If he is truly interested in the bigger picture then he can't look like he is whining about not getting an invitation to the White House ... as if he is some kind of a big shot.

Sure, there is room to legitimately criticize President Obama (pandering too much to the far right, continuing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, continuing tax policies that benefit the rich, not doing enough for people who are hurting, etc.).

Smiley's message, however, gets lost in a vast sea of what appears to be self promotion on his part.

One gets the feeling there is a little haterism in Tavis Smiley ... coveting the kind of spotlight that President Obama enjoys (not unlike what some people believe the Rev. Jesse Jackson suffered from back in 2008).

Tavis could be doing so much more in a positive way if he could cut down on the hate and turn it into some kind of a positive.

Tavis is a hate addict when it comes to Barack Obama. Tavis, you're an addict, jack.