Cornel West likens Obama and Romney to a disaster and a catastrophe

Scholar Cornel West has long ranted negatively about President Barack Obama's performance and this time he added Mitt Romney to his critique list.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, the Princeton University Professor had these scathing words for our President and the Republican candidate fighting to unseat him, "Mitt Romney is a catastrophic response to a catastrophe whereas Obama is a disastrous response to a catastrophe..." (read the entire report here).

West also accused the President of being "too obsessed with being on Mount Rushmore," meaning President Obama cares more about his legacy than actually solving some of middle and poor America's problems.

He did manage to begrudgingly defend the president on a few issues, reportedly saying he was unfairly attacked by Conservatives and The Tea Party Movement for being a Muslim and a Socialist, of whom he was neither. Adding he was also "much better than Romney."

West was very supportive of Candidate Obama during the 2008 elections but something changed to sour his admiration. He and PBS's Tavis Smiley have both expressed deep disappointment with the president's performance where the African American community was concerned and even held symposiums and "Poor People Bus Tours" with other Black Leaders to draw attention to their cause.

Comedian Steve Harvey was quite displeased with West and Smiley's criticism of the president and took to his radio program, The Steve Harvey Morning Show to blast them both, even calling them "Uncle Toms," for which he later apologized. For the Uncle Tom part, he said, not for the rest.

Harvey said that Obama was not the president of "just Black people" but of the entire U.S. He wanted to know where the poor bus tours were when President Bush was in office, adding that "Black people" needed to start asking what they could do for themselves as opposed to what has Obama done for us.

Does Steve Harvey have a point? Is the criticism of some African-American leaders disingenuous or unfair or do they have a right to expect more from the first African-American President than the others before him?

Some supporters of the Obama administration have said that professor West's displeaure is sour grapes for what he sees as a slight on the president's part for not including him in some of his White House affairs.

What do you think: is Cornel West slamming President Obama unfairly? I did notice he addressed the GOP candidate by his full name "Mitt Romney" while addressing the President as simply "Obama." Much ado about nothing or a telling Freudian slip?

Come on, don't hold back: Let's dish.

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