Black leaders have compromised their credibility over the Haitian crisis. They may disagree with the President on most things, but on Haiti, he made the best of a bad situation.
Recently, respected members of Congress, particularly the Congressional Black Caucus, have been unflagging in their support of Aristide and criticism of George Bush. Recent critiques have centered on his pressuring Arisitide to step down.
Granted, the US could have been more supportive of Arisitide during his early years, but Bush inherited this situation. Aristide, on the other hand, has made every mistake in the book. He failed to meet commitments with the US, repressed demonstrators, managed an election fraught with irregularities, and may have had an opponent killed.
In the end, it is unclear if Bush forced or pressured him to leave Haiti. What appears to be clear is that a handful of marines saved Aristide's life by airlifting him out of Haiti before he lost everything.
Black leaders should not use every world event as an opportunity to criticize Bush. It makes them look like bitter, disenfranchised, powerless, armchair quarterbacks. This pattern of behavior is why Republicans are quick to dismiss Black voters and Democrats even more quickly take Blacks for granted.
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