WASHINGTON – When Dr. Ben Carson's weekly column was dropped by his syndicate last month because of his possible candidacy for the presidency in 2016, WND's Joseph Farah scratched his head in bewilderment.
"Why should the American people be denied the opportunity to hear from Dr. Carson in his own unadulterated words every week at the very moment they are expected to evaluate their options for new leadership?" he wondered.
There's no legal reason, said Farah. There's no ethical reason, he suggested.
"There's no hideous 'Fairness Doctrine' affecting print media on the Internet – not yet, at least," said Farah. "Why should pure political speech, protected by the First Amendment so the people can be informed, be buried at the very time it is most important? Why should candidates be forced to buy snippets of time to get their views before the public?"
So Farah contacted Dr. Carson and offered him an exclusive forum for his views in WND every week. He gratefully accepted the opportunity, and his new weekly column begins today and will be published each Wednesday.
Carson's keynote address at the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2013 catapulted him to national prominence among those Americans who reveled in his courageous and articulate rebuttal to the Obama presidency.
Since that time, Carson, professor emeritus of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, has been talked about as the perfect outsider candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. He currently is in the "exploratory" mode, but is expected to make an announcement about his future plans May 4 in his hometown of Detroit.
Will some accuse Dr. Carson of getting a free ride for his views at WND at the expense of other presidential candidates – Republicans and Democrats? Farah has an answer to such a charge.
"I invite every serious, bona fide presidential candidate – Democrat and Republican, Libertarian and others associated with smaller parties – the same opportunity," said Farah. "Our commitment to Dr. Carson does not imply an endorsement of his candidacy. It's a commitment by WND to create a wide-ranging forum for the views of all serious presidential candidates – the more the merrier. Let a thousand flowers bloom."
Presidential candidate interested in taking advantage of this unique opportunity to reach millions of voters with their ideas, views and values are encouraged to contact [email protected] for more information about submitting both regular columns or occasional special commentaries.
Read Dr. Carson's first exclusive column for WND, "Common ground with Al Sharpton."