Star quarterback Michael Vick served 19 months in prison for running a dog-fighting ring and brutally killing the losers

Star quarterback Michael Vick served 19 months in prison for running a dog-fighting ring and brutally killing the losers. Since his release he has played two seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles, showing his old prowess, and done volunteer work for the Humane Society. A sad crime; a penalty paid. President Obama inserted himself into the story when, in the course of a conversation with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, he commended him for hiring Vick. "It's never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail," Obama said. As ethnic politics, Obama's call was needless--black people surely remember that he is black. As a social lesson, it was pointless. Vick is a young specialist who became a wealthy man, and who will remain one--not the typical released prisoner. He can put his life back together without cheerleading from the White House.