If police should be required to wear body cameras, how about the chief executive charged with faithfully executing the laws?
President Sharpton, uh, Obama is proposing to spend $263 million to equip police nationwide with body cameras, the better to monitor their dealings with the public and assorted miscreants they inevitably encounter. But why stop with rank and file officers, radio host Laura Ingraham suggested yesterday during an appearance on FOX & Friends --
INGRAHAM: Body cameras, I think that's an interesting idea and I think obviously it would have vindicated Officer Wilson early on in this process. But maybe, why not put a body cam on the president because I, and I know a lot of people would like to know this -- how much time does he actually spend during the day on the US economy? I'm talking about jobs, opportunity for people, expanding economic opportunity, and running the government, versus doing the community organizing around the table. (alluding to Monday's photo op/meetings at White House on federal response to Ferguson). That body cam would be fascinating, so I'm all in favor of spending money on that body cam.
FOX & Friends co-host Steve Doocy cited an obvious audience for the feed from the Obama cam --
DOOCY: You know what, Laura? You know who would run all that, all his video, would probably be the golf channel because he does a lot of that.
INGRAHAM (laughing): Great idea! Well, they need some fresh programming.
Ingraham was also trenchant in her criticism of remarks by Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, one of the participants in Monday's meetings at the White House --
NUTTER (appearing earlier on FOX & Friends): Treating people with dignity and respect has to be a part of their job and all of us as public servants. ... There can be a disconnect in communities, in any city, including our city, between how residents feel about the service that they get, how they are treated in their own community, and if that gap in trust grows, then you have a dangerous situation. ... So I think the president has been balanced in this effort. All of it may not have been completely laid out in the four points but I think those four points are the right points.
DOOCY (speaking again with Ingraham): What do you think?INGRAHAM: Well, how about self-reliance versus self-pity? How about conforming our behavior to the law instead of bitterness? How about actually the principles of truth versus the principles of rabble-rousing and spreading distrust, which I think this administration has done. Actually speaking basic truths, I know that's a crazy concept in America today, but if you punch a cop, if you try to get into his car, if you walk down the middle of the street and you rob a store, it's not gonna end well. You're either going to end up in jail or someone's going to get badly hurt and your life is not going to be a good life.
It would be nice if the president of the United States, with all of his education and all of his wisdom and all of his experience, actually spoke truths to people and had the community (alluding to Ferguson) really represented there. I didn't, there was one police official there but there were no shopkeepers at that meeting yesterday and again ...
DOOCY: Nobody from Ferguson.
INGRAHAM: ... the president, he always goes political at these meetings, he never goes pragmatic. And the pragmatic thing is, people need jobs. Stop giving opportunities away to illegal immigrants. Actually focus on getting the communities at work because guess what? When you have to wake up in the morning, guys, and you have a job or a child to really take care of, you don't have time to be out in the streets, burning down buildings.
In fairness to Nutter, he made an excellent point about the need for dignity and respect, though he seems to believe it should flow in only one direction. If Michael Brown conducted himself this way in his fateful encounter with Darren Wilson, he'd be alive today after getting a slap on the wrist for jaywalking and shoplifting.
