People from all across the globe mourned the terrorist attack in Paris, yet Sen. David Vitter (R, Louisiana), still found a way to politicize a tragedy that, for the most part, united us.

At first glance, I was annoyed. Here comes another crazy Louisiana politician putting his opinion into the world without thinking it through.
This was the same man who wanted President Barack Obama to screen “The Interview” back when Sony was reluctant to release it.
It’s hard to take Vitter seriously about the terrorist attacks – he slept with a prostitute and has a fetish for wearing diapers!
After reading this tweet a second time, I was more angry than annoyed.
We should not be using this event to further divide us. As a nation that was hit with one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks back in 2001, we should be unified in our support for Paris and put aside our partisan differences.
After reading over the tweet a few more times, however, I began to see Vitter’s point.
France is one of our oldest allies, and many world leaders marched in protest alongside 3.7 million people in Paris.
Isn’t it only right that we send our political leader, arguably the most influential man in the world, to protest with the rest of the world?
The more I think about this simple tweet, the more I agree with Vitter, which is not something I’d normally do.
The White House admitted it should have sent a higher-level officer to the protest rally instead of the Ambassador to France Jane Hartley.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Obama would have liked to have gone, but our nation’s security standards prevented him and the Vice President from attending.
I find Kerry’s explanation for Obama’s absence in France a cop-out. As one of the most powerful men in the world, our president could have found a way to get to Paris and join the rest of the world in protest of religious extremists.
I care about our president’s safety, but there were leaders from around the world at what was France’s largest social justice event in its history. Obama should have been there, and it’s shameful that he wasn’t.
Cody Sibley is a 19-year-old mass communication freshman from Opelousas, Louisiana. You can reach him at @CodySibley.