It was all about Obama Nelson Mandela today in Johannesburg at a funeral service which saw dozens of world leaders come to pay their respects to the former President of South Africa. It was also a great chance for President Obama to jangle the keys to turn our attention away from Obamacare and his sinking poll numbers .
During this solemn occasion, the President managed to take a selfie with both the Danish and British Prime Ministers. Um, not so appropriate — Michelle was NOT amused . In between selfies and congratulating himself on being present, Obama managed to shake the hand of Raul Castro .
No American President had shaken the hand of a Castro since Bill Clinton (hmm). At a hearing on the Hill today, Secretary of State Kerry experienced why the handshake wasn’t such a good move politically, being told by Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen of Florida: Mr. Secretary, sometimes a handshake is just a handshake, but when the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raul Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant. Castro uses that hand to sign the orders to repress and jail democracy advocates. … Tell the Cuban people living under that repressive regime that, a handshake notwithstanding, the U.S. policy toward the cruel and sadistic Cuban dictatorship has not weakened. Ouch.
This whole debacle is what it looks like when amateur-hour approaches its sixth year. On another note, I have a few thoughts on Mandela. Notwithstanding any of the positive good he did, Mandela was no saint and didn’t like America too much. Comparing him to Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Pope John Paul II seems like hyperbole. It makes me wonder why we lauded him so much — at times there seemed to be more world leader photo ops than citizens in or around the stadium! That says something.
Could it be that we laud him because Africa needs some positive role models, and given the list, Mandela will do? Do we laud him because in today’s world we don’t have too many people to look up to anymore? Either way, that’s a poignant line of thinking. Regardless, at a funeral ceremony, I expect my world leaders to be more respectful; more Thatcher, less Wellstone .
Continued here:
Obama at Mandela’s Funeral
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