Leadership: President Obama this week tried to tamp down public concerns about the Ebola outbreak. But it's not the disease that has Americans so alarmed as the festering incompetence on display at the White House.
In his remarks, Obama delivered a thinly veiled attack on critics of his administration's response to the outbreak.
"America," he said, "is not defined by fear. That's not who we are." And "we don't just react based on our fears.We react based on facts and judgment and making smart decisions."
But the administration's own faulty judgment and haphazard decisions have sparked much of that fear.
 |
| Ron Klain: Low-profile Ebola czar |
Take Obama's decision to name an Ebola czar. Political insider Ron Klain would, the White House said, provide "the resources and expertise we need to rapidly, cohesively and effectively respond to Ebola at home and abroad."
But the administration's Ebola response has become, if anything, more chaotic since Klain took on this role.
Example: On the same day Obama blasted the idea of mandatory quarantines for health workers returning from Ebola-infected West African nations, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement recommending that military personnel sent to those nations stay quarantined for 21 days when they return to the U.S.
The day before, the Army's chief of staff ordered 21 days of "controlled monitoring" — a euphemism for quarantine — for those soldiers.
When asked about this glaring inconsistency, Obama replied that it was justified because troops "are not there voluntarily."
Plus, he says, we don't want to discourage health workers who want to help West Africans.
Is he serious? Why should the reason for traveling to these countries dictate quarantine policy at home?Read the rest of this IBD op-ed HERE.
If you like what you see, please "Like" us on Facebook either here or here. Please follow us on Twitter here.
No comments:
Post a Comment