Daniel Pearl Press Freedom Act

This is WSJ journalist Daniel Pearl, shown with a gun held to his head, 26 Jan 2006. We all know he was later beheaded by Islamic terrorists in Pakistan and his snuff video was made available for all the world to see. Daniel Pearl's last words to the world: "I am Jewish."

And here are Barack Obama's words to the world about Daniel Pearl: "Obviously, the loss of Daniel Pearl was one of those moments that captured the world's imagination because it reminded us of how valuable a free press is."

"Captured the world's imagination"? That's the best the Greatest White House Orator evah could do?

Here's an excellent article by Mark Steyn: "Obama's Lazy Tribute to Daniel Pearl."

Now Obama's off the prompter, when his silver-tongued rhetoric invariably turns to sludge. But he's talking about a dead man here, a guy murdered in public for all the world to see. Furthermore, the deceased's family is standing all around him. And, even for a busy president, it's the work of moments to come up with a sentence that would be respectful, moving and true. Indeed, for Obama, it's the work of seconds, because he has a taxpayer-funded staff sitting around all day with nothing to do but provide him with that sentence.

But what did the "loss" of Daniel Pearl mean? Well, says the president, it was "one of those moments that captured the world's imagination." Really? Evidently it never captured Obama's imagination because, if it had, he could never have uttered anything so fatuous. He seems literally unable to imagine Pearl's fate, and so, cruising on autopilot, he reaches for the all-purpose bromides of therapeutic sedation: "one of those moments" – you know, like Princess Di's wedding, Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, whatever – "that captured the world's imagination."

The entire article is a worthwhile read.