Will Obama Run an Oprah Foreign Policy?
By Larry Johnson on December 18, 2007 at 10:00 PM in Current Affairs
I have no doubt that Obama and Oprah are decent, well-meaning people. I am not challenging their integrity or their honesty. But I do question their judgment. Let’s start with Oprah and her school debacle in South Africa. Oprah’s desire to help African girls was genuine (I’m not going to get into the issue raised by others who question why she won’t do the same here in this country where urban schools are a disaster). But she also reminded us that good intentions and lots of money are not enough to guarantee success.
Her failure to properly vet the people involved in that project and to put in place a system to ensure it met her standards is her fault. It falls on no one else. She is to be commended for taking responsibility early on and not trying to blame others. But c’mon. If you have her money you can afford smart people who will ensure you don’t look like a buffoon. But this is not an isolated incident. This sloppiness in her approach has been the hallmark of her previous well-intentioned stunts.
Remember the car give away? Again, a great idea and well-intentioned. Only problem. She forgot to consider the possibility that car recipients would have to pay taxes. This is why lawyers and accountants exist. They are paid to think about this shit to ensure you don’t make this kind of mistake. Which is why I think there is a karmic bond between Obama and Oprah–those two sure act like each other. And that worries me.
I am putting my prejudice up front. I’m in the ABBO (Any Body But Obama) camp. He is naive and ill-informed. And yes, he spoke out in 2002 against the Iraq war. See? I’m wrong. However, if he had followed up his 2002 opposition to the war in Iraq with some tough actions then I would buy his bullshit. But he didn’t. He’s been wishy washy. If he was so goddamned prescient in 2002, then where has he been the last five years? Where is the filibuster? Where are the weekly speeches? He’s all about posture but does not really stand for anything.
But that’s not my biggest concern. It is the people leading his foreign policy effort. Tony Lake and Susan Rice are his foreign policy gurus. They worked for Bill Clinton. But when I asked a senior Clinton advisor who made the bonehead recommendation to appoint James Woolsey–neocon and PNAC supporter–as head of the CIA the answer was,
Tony Lake.
Okay, everyone’s entitled to at least one mistake. Though mistakes at the level of the President resonate more. But then it turns out that Lake and Susan Rice were essentially asleep at the switch when more than one million Rwandans massacred each other. Talk tough but do nothing. Catching a theme here?
So we jump ahead and witness Obama vowing he’ll talk to our enemies–like Iran–without precondition. Sounds good. Sure makes him look like he’s not afraid of diplomacy. But this is just another car give away to a bunch of clowns not expecting to pay taxes on the car. Let’s talk to Iran, but let’s ensure that Iran turns over Imad Mughniyeh–the bomber of the U.S. Marine barracks in 1983 that killed 241 Marines. If they are serious about peace then let’s not let them walk away from hundreds of dead Marines. But Obama says, never mind. We will talk regardless.
Sorry, but that makes us look like suckers. I welcome diplomacy, but it should be more that free schooling for girls who have to tolerate a pedophile or free cars but you got to pay the taxes. Is it too much to ask Obama and his advisors to think about this stuff first?
by Ronald Scott
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