Washington (CNN) -- They are the nation's first African-American President and attorney general, so Barack Obama and Eric Holder always were going to face extra scrutiny over their approach to racially charged issues. Conservative critics howled when Obama said in 2009 that police acted "stupidly" in arresting black Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates outside his home. Holder prompted a similar outcry earlier that year when he called America a "nation of cowards" about racial issues. Now past the two-thirds mark of the Obama presidency, the pair have avoided such loaded language in response to the August 9 shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer in suburban St. Louis.
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NEW: Holder cites mistrust between police and residents of Ferguson
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No loaded language this time from President Obama, Attorney General Holder
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In the past, both made controversial statements in response to racial issues
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Granderson: Obama has become more centrist in response to racial issues
Barack Obama
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To CNN political commentator LZ Granderson, a series of divisive racial issues since @placeholder took office have shaped the President's approach.
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"Any time a situation like this occurs, he becomes more of a more centrist, emotionally," @placeholder said Wednesday.
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"But in terms of what he is actually saying to the @placeholder people, he's becoming much more thoughtful."
Eric Holder
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@placeholder, meanwhile, has launched 20 investigations of police practices and alleged discriminatory enforcement patterns in the past five years, more than twice the number of such inquiries in the previous five years.
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At the same time, @placeholder made clear that federal authorities were examining possible civil rights violations under their jurisdiction, while state and local authorities would continue their criminal investigation of Brown's killing.