Obama Defends Morgan's Free Speech, Assailed Limbaugh's

The White House stood behind Piers Morgan’s vociferous anti-gun statements last night by releasing a statement reminding Americans that “freedom of expression is a bedrock principle in our democracy.” Yet when conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh was under fire for comments made about Sandra Fluke last year, President Obama proclaimed in a press conference that the comments were “inappropriate” and had “no place in public discourse.”

The White House was compelled to comment on the CNN star’s recent comments because a petition on their website calling for Morgan’s deportation has garnered over 100,000 signatures.  In a brief statement the White House said:  

The White House responds to all petitions that cross the threshold and we will respond to this one. In the meantime, it is worth remembering that the freedom of expression is a bedrock principle in our democracy.

President Obama did not preach the virtues of free expression last March when Limbaugh was under fire for comments made about Sandra Fluke.  In fact, rather than taking the patronizing “it is worth remembering” language found in the statement about Morgan, the President chose another tactic that did not respect the “bedrock principle in our democracy” that he so embraces today.

After a grandstanding personal phone call to Ms. Fluke, he took to the podium in the White House press room and fielded questions about his one-on-one with the Georgetown student.  

All decent folks can agree that the remarks that were made don’t have any place in the public discourse. The reason I called Ms. Fluke is because I thought about Malia and Sasha, and one of the things I want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about … and I don’t want them attacked or called horrible names because they’re being good citizens.

So, when Piers Morgan calls for the reversal of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution, he is defended by the White House with a reminder to the American rabble that “the freedom of expression is a bedrock principle in our democracy,” but when Rush Limbaugh calls a person a mean name, the President stops everything to personally proclaim that the comments “have no place in the public discourse?”  

Last we checked, the oath the President is about to take for his office instructs that he should protect and defend the constitution for all of the people of our country, not just the ones with whom he agrees.  We don’t think Morgan should be deported, but we also don’t think Limbaugh should be singled out and chastised by the leader of the free world.  If the White House really wants to defend the “bedrock principle” of freedom of expression, they would stop condemning speech with which they disagree.