Obama on Bill Cosby: No Way to Revoke Cosby's Medal of Freedom

[KamaAina]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/obama-bill-cosby-no-way-revoke-cosbys-medal-freedom-n392656

Obama, at a White House press conference, said that there was no way to revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Cosby, who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women. Obama declined to address those allegations....

Cosby was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor, in 2002.

After the deposition became public, a spokesman for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said that the senator supported a petition drive by a sexual-assault awareness group to revoke the Medal of Freedom.

"Someone who admitted to using drugs for sex no longer deserves the nation's highest honor," said the spokesman, Glen Caplin.

[Hekate]

1. I hope you listened to his entire comment, in which he said that anyone who drugs a woman or man...

...and then has sex with them has committed rape.

He was his usual cautious self in that (iirc) he did not want to comment in a way that could impact peoples' legal actions; as you can imagine if he said certain things Cosby's lawyers would claim the jury pool had been contaminated.

President Obama's face was fairly grim throughout. When he said that there was no way to take back the Medal, he spoke the truth, thus: "There is no mechanism in place to revoke the Medal of Freedom."

I hope your sad face was in reference to Cosby's actions and not in reference to Obama's statement. It looked to me as though he was thinking of his own daughters, frankly.

[KamaAina]

2. It was in reference to there being no way to revoke Cosby's medal.

[Hekate]

3. It was a really great presser wasn't it? The whole thing.

Obama will be a tough act to follow.

[KamaAina]

10. I'm sure Bernie will manage somehow.

[Cha]

20. Yeah, it was an amazing Presser.. and I'm so enjoying this last year of President Obama.

as well as the previous ones.. but, I hate to see him leave Office.

He will indeed be a tough act to follow, Hekate.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Is there a precedent for doing that?

[pinboy3niner]

5. He avoids commenting on pending or potential criminal or civil matters

He refused to comment on directly on Crosby. But he went out of his way to inject a comment about drug rape.

[madinmaryland]

7. Huh? What did Bing Crosby do?

[pinboy3niner]

8. I should have edited before posting, lol!

You got me!

[KamaAina]

9. It was Sidney Crosby. He dove again.

[Snobblevitch]

12. Actually, President Obama has made many comments about

matters that either are criminal or civil matters or could become so. (Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Henry Louis Gates)

[pinboy3niner]

13. And your problem with that is...?

Never mind. I can guess.

[Snobblevitch]

14. I never wrote anything about any problem.

I was simply correcting a factual error in your post.

[pinboy3niner]

16. Yeah, like we don't know where you're coming from

Tick tock...

[Snobblevitch]

17. Huh?

[Blue_Tires]

21. I meant has anyone ever had their MOF revoked before??

[pinboy3niner]

22. Never, as far as I know

But I have to hand it to President Obama for going out of his way to make a clear statement on drugs and rape. He didn't have to do that, and he'll take flak for it--but that was great!

[restorefreedom]

6. i doubt they could physically retrieve it

but the president made his point

serial rapists do not deserve such an honor and it is basically worth the metal it is made of

at least that is what i got out of it

[madokie]

11. Strip him of his medal

He's a rapist who thought he was so clever when he drugged the women he raped. Who in their right mind would want to rape, (I really think the f word is more appropriate but I'll go with a less offensive one so as to not offend anyone,) a woman who is passed out?

Fuck bill cosby and I hope he dies penniless without a friend to his name. The victims deserve every single penny he has and will ever have.

[KamaAina]

15. "Who in their right mind would want to rape... a woman who is passed out?"

No one. In their right mind.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026960958

[Snobblevitch]

18. If and when Cosby is prosecuted and convicted,

I think his medal should at least be ceremoniously revoked.

If the president is the person who awards this honor, should he not also be able to rescind the honor?

[cwydro]

23. How will he be prosecuted with the statute of limitations

long since expired?

Has there been a more recent rape reported?

[Snobblevitch]

24. I don't know.

I wonder when he started drugging and raping women and when he did it last.

[Phentex]

25. Then the shrub should take it back...

he was the one who gave it.

[davidpdx]

19. I believe President Obama's remarks were appropriate given the situation

The allegations have been around for years. It was Dubya that gave him the medal. Maybe his people should have done a little more digging before awarding it in the first place. Certainly calling for new guidelines would be a good idea, though I have no idea what the current ones are.

[HFRN]

26. Reagan handed them out like jelly beans to older actors nt

[steve2470]

27. not sure of legality here but....

couldn't Congress revoke it or is that action explicitly banned ?

[KamaAina]

28. It's awarded by the President

there is a similar medal awarded by Congress.

[MrScorpio]

29. Thanks, George W. Bush… nt

[dogknob]

30. Sometimes I wish I could revise parts of my own history, but I can't.

So we gave the MOF to a guy who did things that lots of rich guys got away with in the 70s... and still get away with today; they're just not celebrities.

Sometimes a decision turns out to be embarrassing, but you have to live with it.

[Aerows]

31. Cosby has tarnished himself

and his legacy enough that it is really not important.

A medal doesn't make a legacy, what you do makes your legacy.

He chased glory and abused women.

There are a million other men and women that chased honor and morality. And they are far more successful than Bill Cosby could ever be.