One observer of the ongoing debate over police brutality remains quizzical about the evolving public narrative, particularly the White House role. “If only President Obama would look in a mirror. He’s calling for an investigation into Ferguson and similar incidents, but he should ask himself how he could create trust and transparency when it comes to his own behavior in the White House. Of course, he never asks himself such questions,” declares talk radio host Michael Savage.

“Instead, Obama talks about working with street agitators to come up with solutions, instead of with ordinary American people. Obama also said he was worried about how much military equipment is being handed down to the nation’s police forces. Now let’s say your husband or your father is a policeman who is working in a community where the gang bangers have AK-47s and other assault weapons. What are they supposed to do? Go out on patrol naked? The police need this kind of equipment in these kinds of communities,” Mr. Savage concludes.

The American public, meanwhile, remains uneasy. Melancholy new public opinion numbers reveal that 53 percent of Americans say race relations have “gotten worse” under the Obama administration according to a Bloomberg Politics survey released Sunday; 45 percent of blacks and 56 percent of whites agree. Another 36 percent say things have stayed the same; an almost identical number of blacks and white agree. Nine percent overall say race relations have gotten better; 15 percent of black and 7 percent of whites agree.

LIMBAUGH PONDERS FERGUSON

Another talk radio host has also entered the debate in a rare TV crossover: Rush Limbaugh appeared on “Fox News Sunday” to assess Ferguson-related protests around the nation and the toll of politicizing the events. “There is grievance politics that is tearing the country apart. It is literally tearing the fabric of the country apart,” he told moderator Chris Wallace.

“This is not good for the country, what’s happening here, because it isn’t, I don’t think, full-fledged legitimate. It’s not based on real-world grievance. It’s grievance that’s being amplified and made up. The president could do a lot to spot this by telling people to trust the criminal justice system.” Mr. Limbaugh said, adding, “We have people to whom the truth is relevant and they’re tying to redefine the truth for their own political agenda — and the president taking sides in this in a way that further divides the country, I find reprehensible and very unfortunate, too.”

STILL WATCHING THE BORDER

“Despite all the budgetary pressure impacting vital programs of importance to the American people, the Obama administration apparently feels there’s still plenty of money to go around for illegal aliens,” says Judicial Watch director Tom Fitton, who reports that the Obama administration paid Texas-based Baptist Children and Family Services $182,129,786 to provide “basic shelter care” to 2,400 “unaccompanied alien children” at two U.S. military facilities for four months this year. The watchdog group obtained Department of Health and Human Services documents through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Baptist organization describes itself as a global coalition of nonprofits.

“As we have previously reported, there has long been ample evidence the Obama Administration was operating in anticipation of a surge in illegal aliens that it, in fact, clearly instigated,” Mr. Fitton notes. The start date of this contract was October 1, 2013 — eight months before the youngsters began arriving.

“The project’s end date of September 30, 2016, suggests that the Obama administration anticipates that the deluge will continue until near the end of his presidency,” he says, also noting that the generous funding provided for pregnancy test kits, 500 laptops and hotel accommodations for 822 “staffers” at a cost of $6.8 million in taxpayer funds.

THE CASSIDY PRESS

The midterms-weary press still had a thing or two to say about Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy’s defeat of incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in a runoff election in Louisiana on Saturday. The moment gave journalists a chance to bandy about words like trounced, sank, crushed and obliterated with abandon — and a few observations in the last 24 hours:

“Dems’ final insult: Landrieu crushed” (Politico), “Landrieu’s loss a harsh milestone for Southern Democrats” (Time), “Mary Landrieu swept away by a red tide” (CNN), “Pro-Life Bill Cassidy Defeats Pro-Abortion Senator Mary Landrieu in Louisiana” (LifeNews.com), “Mary Landrieu defeat widens party, racial divide in the South” (Christian Science Monitor), “Mary Landrieu’s closing message: Bill Cassidy will be subpoenaed” (Bloomberg News), “Republicans tie Landrieu loss to Hillary” (The Hill).

‘W’ CUTS TO THE CHASE

Now No. 1, and leading the New York Times best-selling list for non-fiction: “41: A Portrait of My Father” by George W. Bush, recalling his dad H.W. Bush with candor and affection, producing an unprecedented look at father-son presidents. The Times reviewed the book in less than glowing terms, noting that the author “does not reflect on his lifetime of effort to prove himself by following in his father’s footsteps, nor does he dwell on any frustrations in trying to measure up. With the former president fading into winter, the younger Bush’s book feels like a release of sorts, finally getting rid of whatever baggage has been there for so long. A sunset at the hospital bed at last coming to terms.”

And the younger Mr. Bush’s comment on same: “I think it’s a typical psychobabble of somebody who has no clue what he’s talking about,” he told CNN on Sunday.

THE EBOLA GUY’S GOING TO WHAT?

You remember the Obama administration’s “Ebola czar” who appeared with much fanfare in October. Yes, of course. He is already preparing to go bye-bye, according to Fortune magazine. “With the Ebola crisis seemingly in hand, Ron Klain, the veteran political operative the White House plucked from a venture capital gig to coordinate the government’s response, is planning a late-winter return to the private sector,” says Fortune analyst Tory Newmyer. “Klain has committed to former AOL chief Steve Case that by March 1, he’ll be back on the job as president of Case Holdings and general counsel for Case’s venture firm Revolution LLC.”

Oh. OK.

“It’s as if he was just brought in as a distraction,” points out Glenn Reynolds, the “Instapundit” for PJ Media. “But hey, it worked. I would be interested, though, in seeing a report of what he actually did in his six-week tenure.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 48 percent of Americans say the federal government does not spend enough on U.S. border security; 74 percent of Republicans, 56 percent of independents and 24 percent of Democrats agree.

• 43 percent overall say delaying deportation of illegal immigrants with U.S.-born children is unfair to legal immigrants; 62 percent of Republicans, 42 percent of independents and 31 percent of Democrats agree.

• 36 percent overall do not trust either political party to deal with immigration reform; 28 percent of Republicans, 57 percent of independents and 18 percent of Democrats agree.

• 29 percent overall trust the Democratic Party on immigration reform; 2 percent of Republicans, 16 percent of independents and 68 percent of Democrats agree.

• 24 percent overall trust the Republican Party on immigration reform; 64 percent of Republicans, 17 percent of independents and 4 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 997 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 22-24 and released Tuesday.

• Petty quibbles, melancholy observations to [email protected]

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