Free Republic's admin moderator, to his credit, gave a reason: “Leave the kids alone.”
Let's change the situation a little. About a half-decade ago, I wrote an article that neither I nor my Army Public Affairs media escorts realized while I was doing the interview could have compromised the safety of the troops. The article was printed and then posted online. Shortly afterward I received a call from PAO requesting that some key parts of the article be removed from the internet as a security risk.
I had no problem with that request and quickly did what I was asked to do. Requests are requests. As long as I don't have to comply, that's fine — and the fact is that PAO was fully aware I would never knowingly have written something to put troops at risk, and their own people standing next to me didn't realize the problem themselves.
Government steps over the line when requests become something other than requests, or if the request is made merely to avoid making a public official or public figure look bad.
I think Vice President Joe Biden or President George Bush (both Bush I and Bush II) can advise President Obama on what happens when kids are no longer kids, and when college-age or adult sons and daughters of presidents do things they shouldn't be doing.
102 posted on Monday, March 19, 2012 10:34:39 PM by lward99: “That being said - It is still a violation of the first amendment for this administration to abuse its power to ask politely or forcefully for many news organizations to pull a story that he found objectionable. We are dealing with a dictator, it’s time people recognized that. BTW - There were plenty of stories about the Bush twins about where they partied and drank....none of them were as flattering as this story about MAO.”
It's not being scrubbed for protection. It's being scrubbed because it's the worst yet example of the Obama family acting like royalty on the national treasury.
It was outrageous when Michelle Obama went to Spain with the entourage that she had.
This is worse because it's at the command of the 13-year-old princess daughter.
The Obamas don't want the public to be reminded of their largesse during the run-up to the election.
-PJ