...But I Play One On TV ...: My Two Cents on Squandering Presidential Prestige

Spare Change | 2 October 2009 | David J. Aland

[SpareChange]

…But I Play One On TV…: My Two Cents on Squandering Presidential Prestige

By David J. Aland

2 October 2009

The facts are grim: thousands of Americans killed since 2003, trapped in a scenario of corrupt government and failing infrastructure. Local chieftains enrich themselves with misdirected American dollars, and one in forty civilians die violently. Elections tainted, streets deadly – sectarian warfare goes unchecked, and nepotism abounds. The local commander has called on the President for help.

It could be the script of an episode of “West Wing”, but it’s all too true. Chicago really is in bad shape, these days. In one of Aaron Sorkin’s dramas, now would be the time for a stirring moment of Presidential wisdom. True to the script notes, the President does have a dramatic solution: after months of secret and intensive diplomatic overtures, he’s flown to Europe to get the strategic surge the mayor of the Windy City has demanded – the 2016 Olympics.

In the meantime, General McChrystal, the on-scene commander in equally deadly and dysfunctional Afghanistan, has been getting the “please hold” muzak from the White House Operator-in-Chief. The President is too busy with other more important matters right now.

That Chicagoans are less enthused about hosting the Olympics than Afghans are about hosting the US Army doesn’t seem to phase the President at all. Despite the news about beating deaths, gang-warfare, and ongoing corruption, Obama will make sure that the IOC understands that Chicago is at least as propitious a choice as Beijing. In fact, there is an ugly echo of the Chinese desperation to gain international respect by hosting the Olympics in this Chicago bid – as if having the Games will somehow erase all the ugly pathologies outside the stadiums.

But is this the best use of the prestige that comes with the Office of the President, the Chief Executive of a dominant nation, the Commander-in-Chief of the world’s best-equipped armed forces? When the Iranian mullahs take a break from making nukes to watch this drama unfold, what will the President’s choices tell them about American priorities and American resolve? No matter how altruistic his motives, Obama must realize that diplomacy-with-a-small-‘d’ is no substitute for the major Diplomatic challenges he faces. Why, then, indulge in something that, on its face, has “cronyism” written all over it?

But Chicago’s Olympic “Bailout Plan” is not the first time this President’s priorities have puzzled pundits. Repeatedly, Barrack Obama selects staging over statecraft and image over impact. Between beer summits, late-night TV, and trading barbs with cable hosts, the President is squandering the dignity of his office on little things that he presumably believes have some payoff in prestige. Even the long-overdue “confronting” of Iran during the G-20 Summit rang false and looked staged – which French President Sarkozy’s later comments confirmed.

This is by no means an isolated observation. When reliably sympathetic commentators such as Richard Cohen (“act like a President”), Anne Applebaum, and Dana Milbank (“show some spine”) start lamenting the low state of White House choices, as they did this week, even the most narcissistic of national leaders should pay attention. The President risks drowning whatever mandate he may yet possess in a sea of secondary issues – and the big fish could very well slip away. What does the White House gain by taking on texting-while-driving when the failure of the American auto industry is probably what’s being tweeted?

Candidate Obama said Afghanistan was the war America had to win. Now President Obama says he’ll think about it for a while. Candidate Obama staked out bold positions during the campaign, but President Obama has taken the sideline while Congress mangles his mandates. When his supporters are embattled, he stands behind them only for as long as it takes to throw them under the bus.

Future historians may refer to this as “the trivialization of the Presidency,” a trend that goes back at least to using the Oval Office as a bordello, and continues with the current populist mentality. But despite what image consultants may say, most Americans don’t really care if the President is hip. This is not a reality show – this is reality. Unsurprisingly, most of our adversaries feel the same way.

What both Americans and those who would harm Americans watch is whether the President is strong or weak – and that is determined not by the message the President chooses for himself, but by the choices which send the right message. This President needs to quit auditioning for the West Wing, and occupy it.

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David J. Aland is a retired Naval Officer with a graduate degree in National Security Affairs from the U. S. Naval War College.

[Global2010]

The guests on Becks show yesterday summed up the efforts of Obama style community efforts perfectly.

IF and I mean if Chicago hosts the Olympics the Liberal infused mindset of displacing the Victems of the Hood are IMO not going to go over well.

Unless they move all the hood rats free of charge to new homes and up the anti on Gov. handouts.

You know how some conspiracy/tin foilers think Obama minions have concentration camps waiting for Patriots?

If I were to dare join that mind thought for one second I would say it is the decades old indoctrined victems of social leftism that are more likely to be smited out first.

But lets not go there this early in the morning.

Hey dig your home page.