Before Thursday, President Barack Obama had issued only a brief written statement about the events in Ferguson, Mo., a St. Louis suburb that erupted in protests after Saturday’s killing of an unarmed black youth, Michael Brown, by a police officer.
But he soon came under pressure to address events there more forcefully, prompting him to interrupt his vacation in order to make a public statement today.
In the modern era, we expect presidents to weigh in on almost every major news story – an impulse that reflects our desire for them to appear to be in control of events…
But will the president’s involvement actually have a positive effect?