Regarding Van Jones: Beck 1, White House 0

Van Jones resigned from his staff position at the White House where he worked on "green jobs" issues.  While I was never certain that his position was more than window dressing, I did see his appointment as one with at least superficial importance.  His removal now creates two major problems for the White House. 

First, it is yet another reminder that the Obama vetting operation is shot through with problems.  Everything you need to know about Jones and his political positions is easily available in a short Internet search, so either the White House did not take the time to find out if there was anything in his background that would embarrass the President, or they did not care.  If the latter is true, then they should have defended him when Glenn Beck and his merry band of ignorants rose up to take a chunk out of the progressive movement.

The second problem is that the Jones affair only emboldens the conservative movement to go after those whose views are even slightly controversial.  The Right will now redouble their efforts to stymie the Obama administration by creating mountainous controversies out of molehills.  The unwillingness to fight back in cases like this creates concerns that "Obambi" won't fight his opponents.  That position encourages bullys, so expect more attacks on the administration that look very much like what happened to Jones.

Click here to read an additional perspective on the Jones affair.