Plenty of people on this site face tough decisions in all lines of work that they participate in outside of posting on DU. And this was not even a hard decision - it was a quick, timid, and wrongheaded decision. President, cabinet secretary, or anyone else in the public sector - you do not fire a person based on a news rumor and a hollow investigation.

I'm generally an Obama supporter, and I have admired his capacity to treat the public like adults and level with us, and that's what I would like to see here. Pres. Obama needs to come clean, direct, and public on this issue, take responsibility, and do right by the unjustly fired employee. This is 2010 - it isn't 1960 or 1980 - the administration does not have to run for cover whenever a black woman or man says something not pre-approved by neoliberal censors or the racist reactionary right.

Even better would be some actual policy proposals that address the huge achievement gaps in urban America, including African American communities, so we can work towards full participation for more of our citizens in the economy and rebuild our tax base and national health. If we're this afraid of charges of "reverse racism," we're never going to take the strong action required to help all communities reach a greater level of social health. And that's a shame.