Smiley, West and Obama

It's been a while since pals
Tavis Smiley and Cornel West took up the task of challenging President Obama
from his left flank. The talk-show host and the philosopher have taken some
heat for their criticism of the president, notably from political scientist
Melissa Harris-Perry, who argued this spring that West's beef with the
White House "is clearly more personal than ideological"--he's been openly disappointed
by his lack of access--and that he "offers thin criticism of President Obama
and stunning insight into the delicate ego of the self-appointed black
leadership class."

But ego issues aside, one can
think of far worse things Smiley and West could do with their celebrity than go
on the road to drum up support for fighting poverty, a word most
elected officials simply talk around. The question of Obama's culpability is complicated, but the problem itself is quite clear.

The Smiley and West vs. Obama
story is a complex one, and the best and fairest treatment I've seen came
out last week. It's by Adam Serwer, whose writing is airy enough to include
lines like "West and Smiley's relationship can fairly be called a bromance" but
also this incisive: