PALATE CLEANSER

 

In social media parlance, the story below is known as a "palate cleanser," and that term is used when a poster wishes to inject something of beauty, wisdom, or human decency into horrendously bleak reports on current events.

As Dave Miller noted in the comments below, this past weekend was one of unrelenting news of tragedies:

Three Americans shot and killed in Syria by lone gunman. 

Two killed and 9 others injured in the Brown University shootings.  

Fifteen dead and 40 injured in Australia shooting aimed at Jews attending a Hanukkah celebration. 

Four people injured in a shooting in Greenville, NC. 

Six people injured in a shooting in Brooklyn, NY. 

One killed and 3 injured in a shooting in Cleveland, OH. 

I needed to read something that reaffirmed human decency, and I found this:

"On May 30, 2015, Barack Obama walked into the Oval Office and found Joe Biden sitting alone, staring at a family photo with tears streaming down his face—it was just fifteen days after Biden's beloved son Beau had died from brain cancer at age forty-six, and what Obama did next became one of the most profound moments of friendship ever witnessed in the White House.

He sat beside Biden, held his hand for nearly twenty minutes without saying a word, and then whispered something that Biden later revealed in his 2017 memoir: 'You gave Beau the best life any son could ask for, and now you have to let yourself grieve like the father you are, not the Vice President everyone expects you to be.' 

What makes this moment absolutely soul-crushing and beautiful is that Obama had cleared his entire afternoon schedule without telling anyone why, instinctively knowing that his Vice President and friend needed permission to fall apart, and according to senior advisor Valerie Jarrett's 2019 book, Obama told his staff, 'If anyone needs me today, tell them the President is exactly where he needs to be—with his brother.' 

The depth of their bond was forged not in policy victories but in shared understanding of devastating loss—Obama had lost his mother to cancer, his grandmother days before his 2008 election victory, and he recognized the specific hell of watching someone you love slip away despite all your power and resources. 

Biden later told Stephen Colbert in a heartbreaking 2015 interview that Obama offered him something extraordinary during those grief-stricken months: 'Barack told me to take all the time I needed, that the Vice Presidency could wait, that America could wait, because being Beau's father was more important than being Vice President, and he meant it—he actually meant it.' 

In a 2017 email, Jeffrey Epstein wrote: "I have met some very bad people. None as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body."

From Occupy Democrats:

BREAKING: Obama delivers a powerful tribute after Rob Reiner’s murder as Trump spits on his grave — and Americans are stunned by the contrast.

In a moment that called for basic human decency, America got a side-by-side contrast so stark it felt like a morality play.

Barack Obama responded to the deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, with empathy, humility, and class.

“Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action. Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them,’ the former president posted on X.

His message centered on grief, love, and legacy. He spoke about Reiner’s belief in the goodness of people, about a life lived with purpose, and about the inspiration Rob and Michele gave to others. It was a reminder of what leadership looks like when it understands that words can heal. No politics. No ego. Just humanity.

Then came Donald Trump.

While Obama offered condolences, Trump used the deaths of two people to settle scores. In a rambling Truth Social post, Trump mocked Reiner as “tortured” and “struggling,” smeared him with the made-up slur “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and somehow managed to turn a tragedy into a self-congratulatory rant about his own “Golden Age of America.” Even the obligatory “rest in peace” landed like an afterthought, tacked on after a barrage of cruelty.

This wasn’t just bad taste — it was a window into character.
Obama spoke to the country. Trump spoke to his resentments. Obama honored a life and a marriage defined by creativity and values. Trump reduced two deaths to an excuse for ridicule and grievance. One man showed respect for the dead and compassion for the living. The other showed that even grief is no barrier to his appetite for insult.

The American people have seen this pattern before. When tragedy strikes, Obama’s instinct is empathy. Trump’s instinct is always about attacking his perceived enemies and protecting himself.

And that’s the real comparison voters should sit with. Leadership isn’t about who shouts the loudest or who insults best. It’s about who knows when to be silent, when to be kind, and when to rise above hatred.

In this moment, one former president acted like a statesman. The other acted exactly as America has come to expect — cruel, petty, and incapable of grace.