In criticizing "defund the police" as offputting and ineffective rhetoric, Obama continued a long tradition.

MLK in his last book - "Where Do We Go From Here?" - devoted many pages to criticizing (albeit gently) Stokely Carmichael and the Black Power mov't in the same terms.

And when MLK was young, some older Black activists thought his tactics would set them all back. So what Obama did here is what King did to Carmichael and what King's predecessors did to him. This is "Parents Just Don't Understand," the civil rights remix.

Obama is missing the big picture, but I'm not surprised. He's wrong, but I'm not disappointed. Young people have always startled their elders by saying the true things their elders cannot bring themselves to say. Carry on, young activists, and at all times, speak truth to power.