Jones wanted a more serious inquiry, as did many mainstream Democrats and Republicans who worried about the constrained and ineffectual approach of the 9/11 Commission and a Bush-friendly Congress. As the NAACP’s Jealous says, “I have known Van Jones for more than 15 years. In that time he, as is characteristic of great public servants, has continuously grown and increased his capacity for improving the condition of humanity. Throughout, he has been guided by a powerful sense of patriotism and love for all.”
Jones’ Republican critics knew this.
His Fox TV attackers were fully aware that this was an ugly smear campaign designed not so much to embarrass Jones as to undermine the administration.
They just wanted to get rid of Jones, who has for many years been among the savviest and most effective advocates for green jobs — and whose appointment to the green jobs” position was one of the strongest signals that the Obama administration was serious about both environmental protection and job creation.
President Obama and his aides let the right spin a fantasy about a man who led the highly-regarded Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and was recently listed as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential player’s of 2009.
In so doing, they allowed Glenn Beck to define the administration.
This won’t make the Obama presidency stronger; nor will it position the president to work more effectively with Congress on issues suc