President Obama Does Not Participate in Charlie Hebdo March

On Sunday, January 11, forty-some highly ranked world leaders joined with at least 3.7 million people to march in unity throughout France. The march included French President François Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and two conflicting leaders: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This unlikely duo stunned some but ultimately proved a powerful point. Their action to put political and social differences aside and march in honor of the seventeen innocent lives taken by Islamic extremists in the days prior made the world stop and realize that terrorism has affected every country in some way, ultimately connecting the world. What touched many also puzzled some Americans. Where this was a crucial opportunity for America to stand up against terrorism, President Obama was a no-show at the rally. Thirteen years ago, one of the largest terrorist attacks ever committed happened in the heart of America in New York City, taking the lives of almost three thousand innocent victims and leaving America changed forever. Being the leader of a country that still struggles with terrorist attacks as large as 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombings, why wasn’t Obama present at a rally against terrorism?

Neither President Obama nor Secretary of State John Kerry appeared at the rally on Sunday. The United States did participate in the march, however, and was represented by the American Ambassador to France, Jane Hartley. A strange excuse for the absence of a senior official was made by an unnamed White House official who stated, “It is worth noting that the security requirements for both the President and [Vice President] can be distracting from events like this”. This odd remark doesn’t make sense because forty some other highly ranked world officials participated regardless of security issues. In the past, Obama has made an effort to make it to funerals in spite of potential security dangers. It is also the French government’s responsibility to provide security for their visitors and it clearly supplied plenty of protection for the other world-class officials.

The Blaze’s Buck Sexton, a political commentator, interviewed with CNN on Monday regarding the lack of participation America had in the rally. He stated, “given the gravity of the situation, the fact that you have so many other world leaders who showed up, and the importance of this event, I think the President quite honestly should have been there,” then added, “I’m waiting for them to give a justification or some kind of rationale as to why they couldn’t have had the President or somebody of a senior level show up.”

On Global Public Square, host Fareed Zakaria stated that the lack of participation from the United States is a mistake, since France is the U.S.’s “deepest ideological ally.” He also believes that if the President or a senior official had been present, an impactful and meaningful image of the U.S. would be projected.

The White House’s response towards the ‘mistake’ of not sending a higher ranked official was made this Monday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest admitted, “It’s fair to say we should have sent someone with a higher profile.” However, he brought the focus back to the security issues that the President and Vice President, along with France, would have to endure if they were to drop everything to participate in the march. They claim presidential travel planning begins months in advance and that Obama’s security usually arrives overseas before him.

While these are valid points in some circumstances, the gravity of this situation supersedes the concern of travel regulations. This was an opportunity missed by the United States and its political leaders and once again gives a reason to question President Obama’s decisions.