Obama's eulogy for the WV miners

last updated 8 January 2015

At a somber memorial Sunday in Beckley, W.V., President Barack Obama delivered a eulogy for the coal miners killed in Upper Big Branch explosion earlier this month. After reading the names of all 29 miners who died in the worst U.S. mining accident in four decades, Obama recognized the role coal plays in providing electricity to the country, and vowed to "do what we must do...to assure safe conditions underground" for America's miners. "Our task," he said, "[is to] treat our miners like they treat each other, like a family. Because we are all family, and we are all Americans." But Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit says Obama's speech was too polarizing: "This memorial today was supposed to be for the local miners... Instead the Democrats turned it into an Obama rally," celebrating their bill to "kill" the coal industry. Actually, this was a perfect opportunity for Obama to talk about his plan for creating a clean energy economy, says Jeff Biggers in AlterNet. "I believe we honor our families’ sacrifices in recognizing, not denying, the true cost of coal." Watch Obama's eulogy below: