Posted on April 23, 2007
In the wake of such a senseless and brutal tragedy, one that has not only struck the Virginia Tech and the Blacksburg community, but also shocked and saddened an entire nation and sent a deep, chilling blow to college students everywhere, it’s hard to know where to begin.
There is a search for answers. Despite the barrage of questions faced by Virginia Tech’s President Charles Steger, and Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, in the few maddeningly repetitive and aggressive press conferences last Monday there is really only one question. A question that sadly cannot be explained at present and, if ever answered, can never satisfy the friends and loved ones of those who have fallen: Why?
Nothing can bring the victims of this tragedy back. No answer, no resolve to strengthen gun control laws, no admission of liability by a beleaguered college administration who suffers along with its student body, will ever lessen the effect of the loss felt by the community. There can only be solidarity, prayer and a shared sense of loss. There will be a grieving process, and there will be — as there always is — hope.
In a speech performed at a Milwaukee fundraiser audience last Monday, presidential hopeful Barack Obama shamelessly exploited the nation’s grief and shock to further his political aims. Dedicating a few paragraphs to Virginia Tech’s loss, he quoted the late Robert Kennedy to invoke a political ethos and alluded to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to invoke an irreproachable moral authority. Using the issues of violence (indefensibly likening the heart-rending events at Virginia Tech to Don Imus’ controversial remarks) and gun control (he all but said that the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was allowed to lapse would have single-handedly prevented the shooting), he not too subtly transitioned into a version of his campaign stump speech.
Obama has been adored by many because of the promise he brings. With limited time in the public eye (and limited experience), he has been called by some insightful pundits a “tabula rasa,” a blank slate onto which a disillusioned nation can project its political hopes. That blank quality has been said by many to represent his primary political appeal. He has no Watergate, no sex scandal, no controversial war, no Chappaquiddick. Because, you see, if a political figure serves the people and makes political decisions for long enough, there will be political fallout. There will be intense scrutiny on a leader’s public record and personal life, which all serve to feed a maniacally judgmental electorate and, later, constituency.
However, if Obama is to fulfill the prophecy, dominating the field and ascending to the status of political messiah as some people hope, he will have to define himself, especially in the Democratic primary cycle. I, like many, have been captivated by Obama’s potential and message of hope, but if his politically motivated reaction to this horrible loss marks the beginning of his definition, he has lost my vote.
President Bush’s address on Monday was short, but heartfelt; the sadness and concern he felt was palpable. Likewise, his reflections at Virginia Tech were maybe the finest of his career. His words were anything but disingenuous. For those who would criticize the president for simply conveying general platitudes of sympathy to a grieving public, I would reply that it is exactly what he should be doing. He cannot pretend that he can feel what the families and friends of the victims feel, nor can he allow himself to indulge in political maneuvering in a time that should be devoid of partisan rhetoric. He is the leader of our country, and it was his job on Monday to comfort a nation in despair.
The president’s remarks carried far more emotional weight than Barack Obama’s modified stump speech, and in comparison the novice politician came across as a political lightweight trying to spark his own discourse on policy. We certainly have questions to answer and policies to revise, but now is not the time. In the wake of such a senseless and brutal tragedy, give me a leader conveying his grief and comforting a nation — not a self-serving politician invoking moral authority.
Whitten Maher is a freshman SMAD and political science major.
