President Obama has shown again his unique ability to promote a centrist agenda when a controversy arises that is highly emotional. The issue was wreath laying ceremonies on Memorial Day.
The tradition has been that the President of the United States lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery and also at a Confederate Memorial in that cemetery. But Obama had emotional demands by many critics that he stop the wreath laying at the Confederate Memorial because the Confederacy represented racism and discrimination to African Americans.
Rather than antagonize Southerners, his decision was to continue the wreath laying but also start a new tradition: to lay a wreath at the African American Civil War Memorial located in the nation’s capital. This was, it seems to me, an appropriate way to handle this controversy, and again demonstrates that Obama has a good sense of how to deal with issues that seem unresolvable. Congratulations, Mr. President!